Large Fowl Cochin Thread

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:

That's great news!

 

[miraclz5]

Does NOT get much cuter than baby cochins! The first time around, we have 9 baby cochins and ended up with only 2 hens. Second time around, we had nine baby cochins and we have 6 hens!!! Now they are 2 1/2 months old and the little ones are 5 weeks old. Our big girls are black and blue black....and our little ones are buff, silver laced and blue. One of our blues is the most striking light blue color! Just LOVE cochins!!!!

Enjoy your new babies....and good luck with getting some show birds!

 

[rtroxel]

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Wow. Congrats. You should get at least a real nice pullet or two! I'm listening to the incubator peeping right now. I think there were about 10 more this morning, last count. That should take me pretty close to 40 so far, I think. I'll have to go do a count this afternoon.

 

[pinkwindsong]

Hi all,
Is anyone going to be at the SC/NC swap in Aug? I have a gold barred roo who I really would like to get 2 or 3 gold barred girls for him.. or at least gold...

let me ask ya'll while I think of it.. because he is gold barred.. ( his daddy was gorgeous) and I chose him as the biggest and the most gold to be like his daddy... hes apx 13 weeks now.. anyhow... is going with gold barred girls the way to go.. I really was taken a back by how beautiful his daddy and mom were... or will he throw those bars and colors no matter what color he is bred too.. but she should or should not have barrs as well... I want to keep as true to him as I can.. for future hatching.. ) omg admitting I am planing on breeding is scary to me... I've never done it... and want to be the best breeder I can and keep my blood lines as clean and true as I can.. but i don't see hatching out any till next spring.. when he is at his height of rooster'ism...

thanks for helping me out.. )O(
Pink

 

[rtroxel]

Bar is dominant to most colors, but not all. I would stay away from white at least. Gold is recessive to silver, so if you would breed him to any silver barred, etc, you would likely lose the gold, at least on the male offspring (the hens of that cross would probably be gold). Barred is not too common in cochins and I've never worked with it, so my info might not be perfect

.

 

[Bo Garrett]

The pullet trend has been the case in all my large fowl varieties so I am very pleased. I have probably 250 chicks with nearly 75% of them pullets and there are some knockout beauties in the group. The black and mottled pullets are beyond my expectations in quality and numbers of quality birds but the males are just as good. The partridge, brown red, brown and buff are too young to tell but the whites also seem to be very good. I sure do like to watch cochins mature, while the process is slow it cetainly is worth the wait. The oldest birds are about the size of their parents but need to fill out before they look as massive.
Some points I look at for culling at this point are:
1. head appointments, the comb must be 4 to 6 points and evenly serrated.
2. tail carriage, which must be low and well spread at the base, soft feathered and mostly covered by the coverts.
3. round, round, round; must have a full deep breast carried fairly low, a large full cushion with broad feathers and plenty of fluffy mass at the base of the bird.
4. wide bodied, narrow birds travel the narrow road to being culled. Cochins must be wide.
5. eye color; young birds should have green eyes and these will develop into good red/bay eyes when they are around 12 weeks or older.
6. of course the obvious defect such as weak wings, disqualifications are easy outs for culling.

I am getting excited about show season. I like showing and talking to everyone at the shows but it makes it even better when you feel good about the birds you bring, whether they win or lose. Cochins are the Royalty of the poultry world!

Blessings to each of you,


Bo

 

[Coopa Cabana]

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Bo, those are excellent points to cull to. Just what age are most of them right now?

I read a few months back that, rather than focusing so much on "breeding" to the Standard, we should practice "culling" to the Standard. It's something that has stuck with me.

 

[muslw4]

Hi,

I'm just starting out in chickens. Only have 2 silkies right now, but additional chicks due any day now including 1 LF white cochin. I think that's one of the ones I'm most excited about. I've been reading more about cochins and they might end up being the breed for me. So, I'm glad I found this thread. Haven't read it all yet but will try to get there. I do have some bantam silver laced cochin eggs in the bator. Due to hatch in a couple of days. I really wanted the LF but could only find bantam silver laced. I will some day get the LF silver laced, I hope.and maybe some blacks....and blues...and partridge....

 

[mjgigax]

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Welcome,
-there are nice folks here - people must take after their favorite breed of birds and Cochins are so so sweet and full of character.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

I got him from a breeder. I was told he isn't good quality but I don't know. When I got him he had No feathers on his back and no tail feathers. I went there getting a silkie roo but I felt bad for him, so I got him. He is a very sweet guy. He takes real good of his ladies. He is healthy and happy, I just can't have too many roosters. Pm me if your interested.