Mille Cochin Info

[wwmicasa1]

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. You all "know" what it is like to lose one so precious to you. I thank my BYC family for understanding.

Gail & Erin...thank you both for reminding me what she contributed to this project. I was blessed to have her. My hope is that many of you, who have purchased hatching eggs & birds from me, occasionally see a little glimpse of Bridget in your flocks.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Sorry to hear about your loss, Lynne!

@ Mrshollywood - I am liking cockerel #1 & 2!

ETA: I wasn't going to post until I had definite plans in mind, but seeing as I don't and I don't know what to do, I am just going to post it. I am considering selling my MFC flock. I don't want to, as these were my first Cochins and I love their coloring and you guy and gals are the most supportive of all the Cochin breeders. Sadly, something has to go. I have way to many and I am not happy with how everything is set up here. I also do not like the amount of space needed for this project. If I keep them going, I am considering keeping the nicer typed and colored girls I have. Considering I only have 10 girls (ranging 3wks - 1.5yr old), I don't have much to chose from. I do need a better rooster if I decide to do this. I can't have all of these extra boys that has no place in my breeding plans.

I am getting some nice babies from my BCs since Byron (Dr. Evil to Erin) is BC x Mottled. No idea what the type is like yet, but I have 3 of his babies growing out. Their mom is broody or I would have collected another 6 or so eggs to set been done with them. The other two BCs I have are very, very bad quality. I won't use them at all. Beakman is my only mottled, and I really like him so he's staying. I figured one odd roo wouldn't be that bad.

On top of considering axing the MFCs, the BCs are going, my Delawares, Lav & Black Ameraucanas and my Silkies are going. I already sold the LF Cochins.

It's not easy selling something you love. Not easy just thinking about it.

 

[ki4got]

sorry for your loss...

i woke up this morning to my own losses. it seems raccoons have figured out how to get into my pens and decimated my loudest calico/mille babies and ate/killed all but 2 of the 16 with my 2 partridge broodies (i'm doctoring one of the girls because it looks like her comb got bitten), and only got 2 of my dorking's chicks. but in HER pen i found clumps of fur. YEAH!

so the 2 babies that were with the 2 partridge girls are now with my 'supermomma'.

my black broody (cochin also) had 2 eggs that hatched for her, but 1 i didn't like the looks of, so to keep her from having only 1 chick, i gave her another wyandotte (a week older) that was in the brooder with the rest of the cochins. then i decided a couple days later to give her the other 2 wyandottes that were with the partridge girls. then yesterday (her 2 chicks are a week old) i had some more eggs hatch, and no brooders of near the same age. she took them like they'd always been there. today she took 2 more that hatched over night plus the 2 that were left from the partridge girls. and one of my 'near losses' is a self blue that i found this morning huddling next to his dead hatchmate (also self blue) and quite cold. well, he kept trying to climb under the other chicks in the brooder and they just ignored him. i asked 'momma' if she'd watch over him, and she just tucked him up under with the rest. my self blue guy is 6 weeks old! LOL

so good and bad today, and life goes on...

now i just need to get more eggs to hatch!

 

[Cadeau]

RIP Bridget....

Those of you, who have been long time readers of this thread, know that my Bridget is the girl who started me on the road to having MF's. She was sweet, loving & the best Mom. She & her best guy, "Rocky" were inseparable for almost 5 years. They never had chicks together, but raised many families & were devoted parents.

Bridget had been "off" for the past month. Still eating & laying eggs, but just not herself. I attributed it to the heat of Summer & gave her extra vitamins & her daily scrambled egg. However, yesterday morning I found her dead in the nest box, after laying me her last egg.

We buried her near the entrance of Hacienda. She has left a hole in my heart. RIP my sweet girl......


Bridget


Bridget, Rocky & kids

Aww - so sorry.
She was beautiful - hopefully, she has lots of progeny to carry on her memory.

 

[Fancy Feathers]

Oh no, Karen, that sucks

 

[WestKnollAmy]

sorry for your loss...

i woke up this morning to my own losses. it seems raccoons have figured out how to get into my pens and decimated my loudest calico/mille babies and ate/killed all but 2 of the 16 with my 2 partridge broodies (i'm doctoring one of the girls because it looks like her comb got bitten), and only got 2 of my dorking's chicks. but in HER pen i found clumps of fur. YEAH!

so the 2 babies that were with the 2 partridge girls are now with my 'supermomma'.

my black broody (cochin also) had 2 eggs that hatched for her, but 1 i didn't like the looks of, so to keep her from having only 1 chick, i gave her another wyandotte (a week older) that was in the brooder with the rest of the cochins. then i decided a couple days later to give her the other 2 wyandottes that were with the partridge girls. then yesterday (her 2 chicks are a week old) i had some more eggs hatch, and no brooders of near the same age. she took them like they'd always been there. today she took 2 more that hatched over night plus the 2 that were left from the partridge girls. and one of my 'near losses' is a self blue that i found this morning huddling next to his dead hatchmate (also self blue) and quite cold. well, he kept trying to climb under the other chicks in the brooder and they just ignored him. i asked 'momma' if she'd watch over him, and she just tucked him up under with the rest. my self blue guy is 6 weeks old! LOL

so good and bad today, and life goes on...

now i just need to get more eggs to hatch!

I hate it when the predators find a way into my pens or coops. bad enough to have to fiend off hawk attacks.
Sorry you lost birds.
I have lost 8 young roos in my grow up pen and that was even after chaining my Great Pyrenees next to the pen! I thought for sure with me making her stay right there that the critters would not come back but she obviously is sleeping right through it all or cheering them on. Thank goodness it was just meat birds and not my precious Cochins but those are a few feet away in a (hopefully) more secure tractor.

 

[Funky Feathers]

Sadly, due to financial reasons and limited time, I need to downsize and leave the Mille Fleur project. I will be keeping only my Splash and my Butterscotch Call Ducks. My breeding stock are all spoken for, but I have a few juvenile pairs to sell.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Sadly, due to financial reasons and limited time, I need to downsize and leave the Mille Fleur project. I will be keeping only my Splash and my Butterscotch Call Ducks. My breeding stock are all spoken for, but I have a few juvenile pairs to sell.

How sad, Stephanie. Sorry to hear you are leaving the project, too.

I fear the economy has hit all of us pretty hard. I am down sizing a bit but not with my MF. I sold most all of my d'Uccles, most of my BLRW are gone and I no longer breed Araucanas. I stopped breeding the white bantam Cochin since it was harder to sell that variety and not everything I hatch is a keeper. Can't eat the pretties though!

 

[tiki244]

So sorry Lynne for your loss of Bridget

It is always hard but especially so when it is a special one.

And so sorry for your losses too ki4got

 

[hokankai]

Ugh, it's been a sad week here. I lost my one and only millie this week to the same illness her rooster died from. I sent him in for a necropsy but wasn't pleased with the results so who knows what it was.

Anyway, I managed to get one more photoshoot of her with her beautiful adult plumage.

RIP little Violet