Mille Cochin Info

[ShysCreations]

The various colors are what make the MFC so much fun now. I kinda wonder if (yes it'll be some years down the road) once the type is set it won't be so fun? Like the variety & spice is gone? Hmm I may miss that...
Just waxing philosophical...its a cold snowy day here...the snow had finally melted (took an unheard of several weeks...and winter's not done yet)

One of the colors you may get breeding MFC:
black mott hen x mfc roo >>>

 

[DANNY]

Quote:
pictures?

Mille x mottled

B.C. X MOTTLED

B.C. X MOTTLED

B.C. X MOTTLED

 

[Msbear]

For the white birds: It looks like your buff columbian or mottled?? was carrying silver. I forget the drill but I think it's sex-linked somehow to where your boys will show it and girls will carry it?? You should cull the boys or put them back to gold birds and cull any silver offspring.

Someone with more knowledge should chime in.

 

[trinacliff]

Quote:
Wanna drive to FL? LOL

Kristen

 

[JOSHSBANTAMS]

Quote:
Hey Danny, I’ve been saying all along that it takes more that BC x Mottled. I’ve had birds color the same as those you posted show up in mine a couple of years ago. That first year most of my birds were all over the spectrum. I picked the closest base colored birds to use in the second generation and didn’t use any of the really off colored birds. I got a lot less of the off colors that generation. I only had a couple of them in the next one (like 4 or 5) and they were the dark almost brown red color. In this last generation almost all of them looked Mille, Mille-ish or Buff.
This year I’m probably going to go backwards though. I’ve hatched 5 dozen Mille X Buff Columbians in the last month and a half and I’m not expecting to see to much color in them this year. I’m just trying to find a couple of really nice typed birds to breed back to my good Mille Roos next year. I’m still going to breed a few of my Mille to Mille birds but a lot less of them than what I have in the past. I don’t want to keep breeding the same of what I’ve already got. I’ve made some great improvements in type but not as fast as I would like, hence the crosses.

In my opinion, we’re all just going to have to hatch a lot of chicks to really get good results.

 

[DANNY]

I didn't breed any mille x mille. To me that's breeding parallel at this point. I bred mille to many different birds with good type. I improved the type but as you say the color is all over the place.

 

[Msbear]

Danny, if you're still interested in going for type, look for a good deep colored BC with very little black on the hackles.

I think the basic genetics are that simple It's the next step (hatching 100's of chicks) that is the issue. And selecting the right colored birds to add in the mix when making improvements. If you had buff mottled birds w/ no black, then a mottled bird would be your best bet. As you choose your best birds from each generation, color will improve.. like Josh mentioned. It isn't "that easy" It just takes time and making good choices on who to keep.

here's one I believe would benefit your birds https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=282321

eta: you have nice bc's don't you? Try crossing back to them?

 

[DANNY]

I have a couple of decent pullets that came out of mille x buff columbian and was planning on breeding them back to buff columbian again this year.

 

[Msbear]

Danny, you crack me up! They are gorgeous!!! Try them with the bc then try them with another cock. See which works best. I think you are off to a fine start. Kudos!

1 thing... see how the black is heavy around the hackles... I would think an "undermarked".. there we go with that word again

BC would improve that. They don't have any black mottling on the breast area either. I don't think many breeders have that on the hens yet... but that's the only nit picking I can do. The columian gene would further restrict black from that area. The mottling gene will help show some black there. Maybe put them back to MO this year as well.

 

[DANNY]

Is anybody else working on Blue Mille. Here is a couple of my first ones. They are just babies yet but might turn out pretty good.