Raising feather-legged breeds: what do I need to know?

[SweetSilver]

We have several young cochins and a bonus sultan, all about 6 weeks old now. We also have many clean-legged breeds in the new flock and the old. (Ha! "Flock"! The old flock is just one hen now.) They are still not outside quite due to the weather. Next week, I'm sure.

We would like my daughters to show them for 4-H this August, but also I would like to know more specifics about the care of feather-legged breeds. We live in the rainy NW, and I don't want them to suffer from the wet. We might want to show them, but I also don't want to keep them cooped up all the time. How much foraging and free ranging can they do? What to watch out for?

Anything else I should know?

 

[WallTenters]

If you are wanting to show, free ranging is probably out for feather legged breeds here in the NW. The feathers get really brittle and broken up and even the best bathing cannot get them back in decent condition, and your daughters will get marked down both in the conformation and in showmanship for grooming. I would suggest they pick their 4H birds several months ahead and coop those birds. When we have had to leave birds cooped, or for the baby chicks when it is still to damp out to be outside, I blend up a grass smoothy in my food processor and give it to them so they still get all the goodies of fresh green grass, but inside the coop

If all of this seems like it's not the path you want to be on, might I suggest bantam Wyandottes? They still have that fluffy cuteness of the Cochins (not AS fluffy, of course) but have clean legs so are better suited for our environment if you're trying to keep them show worthy but still allow foraging.

 

[WallTenters]

Oh and of course all the information about getting ready any breed will still apply to these - grooming starts months before the show

 

[SweetSilver]

We do have bantam Wyandottes! And quail antwerp. The cochins are bantams, too, except one accidental standard that came with the mix that our poultry leader ordered (glad we have her, she is wonderful). They are in primaries, so my oldest can even show her favorite, tiny Wyandotte with the *single comb* and not get penalized. But yes, they should still look their best even though they are not actually in competition.

Part of my question was for showing, for sure. My youngest has her heart set on showing the standard cochin, Bella, and I've agreed as long as she is still small enough to handle easily (calmness is clearly not a problem--this girl is calmer than any chick I've ever met.)

My question was also about raising them in general, if there are other concerns outside issues of showing that I should be concerned about.