Mille Cochin Info

[WestKnollAmy]

Hey, Nancy! Now what are you going to do???

You have been given different answers!

 

[KellyHM]

Quote:
Glad I have a hatch buddy! The one girl I have left isn't laying right now, so no more babies for me after this...well, at least not MFCs...I'm always hatching something! I worked all weekend and the eggs didn't get collected, so now I have 2 MORE broody Silkies!

I think that makes 5 this fall out of 9 hens. Crazy! So now I'm trying to decide what to stick under them. I have hatched a zillion Silkie babies this year, so I really don't want any more of those. Maybe I'll stick some BC Marans eggs and some Frizzles under them. Silly chickens...

ETA: I will NOT be sticking BC Marans eggs under them b/c my BC hen is broody too!

What am I going to do with all these broodies?!?!!?

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Here is my bachelor pen...the white one doesn't count. The black one, I'm selling. I haven't decided on which roo I'm keeping, the red one or the reddish one with more white.

Suggestions?

 

[KellyHM]

Quote:
I would vote for the one with more white, but I guess it depends on what your hens look like.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Well, my one white has A LOT of white.

Here are the chicks I got from that hen & the red rooster:

I'm hoping for one or two pullets from Lynne next spring....

 

[KellyHM]

Never mind...I'm confusing myself.

I think those chicks might turn out nicely. You'll just have to see how they feather out.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Well, I lost the pullet (my fault) and the other one I'm keeping for now just to see what he turns out like...

 

[Msbear]

I like all three

The red one has good type and excellent background color

The one with more white has better pattern and a slightly better cushion

and the dark one has nice dark mottling on the chest!!

If I were you, I'd keep the dark one and one with white in order to even out your hens.

Many folks are ditching the dark roos but the lighter ones don't have black on the chest which is necessary for proper mf.

If you can only keep one, I'd breed another clutch with your red boy w/white then ditch him and keep the dark one

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
If our pullets already have the MF chevrons (with black) on the chest, then which would be the preferred roo - one with dark mottling or one with a chevron pattern that is lacking the black?

 

[Msbear]

From what I understand, the roos without the black are showing the columbian gene which is restricting it. If your pullets have the black, then it may not matter which roo you keep... but I wouldn't want to get rid of the dark one.. just in case.

I had a dark one like that (the darker ones seem to have better type as well) and ditched him early on. I was lucky enough to hatch another recently from Lynne's eggs. My hens with excellent background color are all lacking the chevrons so, now I realize how important the darker ones are.

My pullets like Bluffcountry's, Java would not benefit so much from him so I have a lighter one just for that scenario.

Equibling, I really think you should keep two roos at least for genetic diversity.. and may as well have them different so you're not betting everything on black... you know.