Pekin Bantams?

[Maddison]

I'm unsure if they're called cochins in the US? anyway, I'm thinking of getting some, I live in Australia, how do they fair in hot temperatures and do they require any special treatment?

 

[Squishychicken]

I have cochins here in NC were the temps get close to 100 every day plus the humidity makes it even worse.

as long as they have water they should be good. I give mine plenty of cool water. i also feed FF so they also get water from that. plenty of shade and dust bathing areas.

 

[Pjacct]

I'm unsure if they're called cochins in the US? anyway, I'm thinking of getting some, I live in Australia, how do they fair in hot temperatures and do they require any special treatment?

Hi Maddison, fellow Aussie and Pekin Bantam keeper.
I would say they only require a little bit of extra care but some of that can be alleviated by the setup.
Firstly, try to position their coop and run on higher ground with drainage. In wet weather they can get water logged if the run floor is not dry.
Even though they are quite fluffy, I haven’t found they fare too badly in hot weather. Comparable to my other hens, but please increase the water sources and shade is a must.
Occasionally one of my girls has been lazy and I have needed to clip the bum feathers and wash the vent area. Not a nice job, but this can also happen to any hen. Really important here in Australia with so many flies especially in summer, you don’t want flies laying eggs and carrying disease straight to your hens end!
Otherwise, they are very entertaining, sweet girls with big personalities and easy to care for like most chickens. Ours are still going at 7 years and get up to 60 eggs a year still from one hen. Our other hasn’t laid in 4 years.

 

[Maddison]

Hi Maddison, fellow Aussie and Pekin Bantam keeper.
I would say they only require a little bit of extra care but some of that can be alleviated by the setup.
Firstly, try to position their coop and run on higher ground with drainage. In wet weather they can get water logged if the run floor is not dry.
Even though they are quite fluffy, I haven’t found they fare too badly in hot weather. Comparable to my other hens, but please increase the water sources and shade is a must.
Occasionally one of my girls has been lazy and I have needed to clip the bum feathers and wash the vent area. Not a nice job, but this can also happen to any hen. Really important here in Australia with so many flies especially in summer, you don’t want flies laying eggs and carrying disease straight to your hens end!
Otherwise, they are very entertaining, sweet girls with big personalities and easy to care for like most chickens. Ours are still going at 7 years and get up to 60 eggs a year still from one hen. Our other hasn’t laid in 4 years.

hmmm, I'm getting them for a breeding project, do they lay consistently?

 

[chuckachucka]

I would add that in very cold weather,their feet feathers can get wet and then freeze, which can lead to frostbite. So if you get very cold weather where you are in winter then be careful to make sure they can dry off their feet especially before going to roost at night.

 

[Pjacct]

hmmm, I'm getting them for a breeding project, do they lay consistently?

They will lay a clutch of eggs (12-18 ish) and then they will want to brood and sit. And boy does this breed get broody!!! When they go broody, it can last around 3-6 weeks depending on how stubborn they want to be. You would need to collect eggs daily and sometimes a couple of times a day as they will want to brood on anyone’s eggs.
I have never had my girls hatch eggs, I only have hens, but they are apparently one of the best breeds for brooding, hatching and raising chicks for you.
It depends if you are looking for these chickens to be egg layers, pets or a breeder group.

 

[Maddison]

They will lay a clutch of eggs (12-18 ish) and then they will want to brood and sit. And boy does this breed get broody!!! When they go broody, it can last around 3-6 weeks depending on how stubborn they want to be. You would need to collect eggs daily and sometimes a couple of times a day as they will want to brood on anyone’s eggs.
I have never had my girls hatch eggs, I only have hens, but they are apparently one of the best breeds for brooding, hatching and raising chicks for you.
It depends if you are looking for these chickens to be egg layers, pets or a breeder group.

Im incubating so I dont want them to go broody. do they lay once daily?

 

[Pjacct]

Im incubating so I dont want them to go broody. do they lay once daily?

Sorry, they just aren’t the breed to lay daily even when you remove the eggs to try and reduce the tendency for broody hens. They will lay daily for their clutch and then usually go broody. Of my 4 Pekin bantams and my sisters 12 every one of them has been broody at least twice each year.
They will also lay a bit less during winter. Pekin bantams lay between 60 and 120 eggs a year, of course extreme at both ends of the range there.
If you don’t want a broody hen and want eggs have you thought perhaps of a xbreed standard size?

 

[Maddison]

Sorry, they just aren’t the breed to lay daily even when you remove the eggs to try and reduce the tendency for broody hens. They will lay daily for their clutch and then usually go broody. Of my 4 Pekin bantams and my sisters 12 every one of them has been broody at least twice each year.
They will also lay a bit less during winter. Pekin bantams lay between 60 and 120 eggs a year, of course extreme at both ends of the range there.
If you don’t want a broody hen and want eggs have you thought perhaps of a xbreed standard size?

ignoring the broody part, are you saying they dont lay daily like any other breed?

 

[User395221]

I can't really say who lays when because the little girls are all in with others, but I don't think my Jeannie lays anywhere near daily. I have quite a few bantams and I don't get the same number of eggs as the number of chooks.
As for the heat, I don't think Jeannie suffers any more than anyone else (none of them seems bothered by it, to be honest). She seems perfectly comfortable in her "crinoline" and no legs.