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That's the very same thing that the man I bought my first cochins (a show quality trio of blacks) said about my MFCs when he came to do my NPIP inspection! He has raised and showed and judged chickens ~ including at the national level) for over 50 years. The first thing he said when he saw my flock ~ of which I am very proud! ~ was "those aren't Cochins". Needless to say, I was less than thrilled. We spent many hours together that day and he showed me a lot about selecting for quality (nobody had ever mentioned wing sets or split wings, or correct combs, beyond the 5 points, width of feathers or SO many other things that I didn't realize I was supposed to be looking for! Then again, I think that's fairly common when working on a new (color) project. I think breeding stock is often selected on the basis of color and perhaps over-all type ~ but not detailed points of conformation. All I know is that after a fascinating afternoon in which I do think I actually made a friend, he agreed my MFCs (and Calicos!) were pretty but, like you, he would "bet the farm" that there was some de'Ucle in there somewhere...
I did assure him, and I have no doubt myself, that the breeders that I bought my stock from have not outcrossed with anything other than Cochins. It would however, be hard to imagine that nobody EVER tried it...
