Self-Blue Cochin Bantams

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Yes. I've fallen for their tiny fluffy butts! lol

If you can't tell from the photos I've a mixed flock right now. I have polish, sultan bantams, ee/americauna (whichever name is right), gold sexlink, red sexlink, old english game bantams (3, boys!), brahma bantam, crevecoeur, and the cochin bantam.

So I'll be selling of the 3month olds. The older are ones I'm keeping. I do need more girls, but I'm trying to focus on certain colors/breeds. Unfortunately I've a pair of silver penciled cochin that I think look nice which I'll probably sell as I don't think I'm ready to breed them as of yet. Birchen male too for the same reason.

I've a poorly marked gold laced or partirdge cochin that I'm debating. I love the color she has & my one polish roo who's scared to be out with everyone seems to like her. I tried her inside with him & it was peaceful. Poor baby was hiding & not coming out to eat or drink! I'll be giving him his own area outside with a girl or two as friends. He's poorly marked red laced, but so sweet!

 

[Violetsfeathers]

I know! The large breeds aren't as round. I was just wondering if yours were bantams because the roo didn't look very bantam-shaped I guess (sorry)

Here is my Huckleberry. He is 4ish months old.
I hope to breed him with my white hen Marshmallow (got her from a breeder, my very first Cochin now I got more

)

and Pebbles the fluffiest of the group of Cochins that I got from purely poultry. (Huckleberry and wisteria came from there too)

Pebbles is laying but the others haven't started yet

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

I know! The large breeds aren't as round. I was just wondering if yours were bantams because the roo didn't look very bantam-shaped I guess (sorry)


Here is my Huckleberry. He is 4ish months old.
I hope to breed him with my white hen Marshmallow (got her from a breeder, my very first Cochin now I got more

)


and Pebbles the fluffiest of the group of Cochins that I got from purely poultry. (Huckleberry and wisteria came from there too)

Pebbles is laying but the others haven't started yet

The roundness is there yet, they're all just 3months old. I've a few older roos that are about 5.5months & I noticed they started filling out after the 3month mark. So, I'm hopeful. If I'm understanding correctly too it can take til after their first molt. Entirely possible I'm confused.

The rest will start. My first cochin was from a guy here breeding to bring the mille fleur into the cochins. She didn't lay til she was about a year I think it was. She's been a regular layer since. Sweet little thing too.

Marshmallow is gorgeous! That's the name of my first Sultan. The black roo here is Penguin this was taken bit over a month ago. Not as round as I'd like to see, but he's coming along nicely. I love his temperment plus he's got the nice fluffy feathers that I like. His toes are pretty good, just showing a little too light on the middle, but not sure if that's just him or due to him free ranging. Not sure about his crown, wattles. I think they might be a bit big plus not 100% straight, slight tilt/flop. I need to go to some shows & see the birds in person, I look at pics plus read to see what the sop says...just I need the in person visual to really get it all to click. I think I read that keeping them more contained helps to maintain the feet, etc.

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Thank you your black too is pretty. I had a black roo named Blackberry, we had to give him away too. He was very sweet but would mount your hand. He looked amazing too, more heart-shaped than ball-shaped. But I didn't keep him because all of his chicks would be black.

This is the only pic I have of him.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Thank you

your black too is pretty. I had a black roo named Blackberry, we had to give him away too. He was very sweet but would mount your hand. He looked amazing too, more heart-shaped than ball-shaped. But I didn't keep him because all of his chicks would be black.


This is the only pic I have of him.

Pretty boy. Would they all be black regardless of whatever color the hen was? I played around on one of those calculators & thought there was a % which would be something else. I might be confusing it with mille fleur roo. I've 1 of those, but his type looks more d'uccle. He's gorgeous for color, not proper mille markings, but there's just something about him. He's my frist roo so although he was being a pain until I got more birds I kept him. He's fabulous with his girls. It's funny, with the younger 2 groups he doesn't interfere with them or anything. He has chilled out which is nice. Penguin has started following him & his girls around.

I'm wanting to watch temperment for the birds I breed too. Since I'm just starting I want to learn how to choose the best type plus how to better something that needs the improvement. If that makes sense. So I'm OK with starting with where I'm at & as I'm able adding in better birds. Plus, the diversity never hurts in keeping lines healthy.

Black to blue would result in all black? I wonder if it'd develop more of a blue sheen/tint? Or maybe a really dark midnight blue type of shade?

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Pretty boy. Would they all be black regardless of whatever color the hen was? I played around on one of those calculators & thought there was a % which would be something else. I might be confusing it with mille fleur roo. I've 1 of those, but his type looks more d'uccle. He's gorgeous for color, not proper mille markings, but there's just something about him. He's my frist roo so although he was being a pain until I got more birds I kept him. He's fabulous with his girls. It's funny, with the younger 2 groups he doesn't interfere with them or anything. He has chilled out which is nice. Penguin has started following him & his girls around.

I'm wanting to watch temperment for the birds I breed too. Since I'm just starting I want to learn how to choose the best type plus how to better something that needs the improvement. If that makes sense. So I'm OK with starting with where I'm at & as I'm able adding in better birds. Plus, the diversity never hurts in keeping lines healthy.

Black to blue would result in all black? I wonder if it'd develop more of a blue sheen/tint? Or maybe a really dark midnight blue type of shade? 

Black to blue would have mostly black, maybe 25 or 50% chance of blue.

I have a splash pullet, a lavender pullet, a barred pullet, a partridge pullet, and a white hen. I know if I bred black to all those they would probably be all black except the splashes chicldren would be blue.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Black to blue would have mostly black, maybe 25 or 50% chance of blue.

I have a splash pullet, a lavender pullet, a barred pullet, a partridge pullet, and a white hen. I know if I bred black to all those they would probably be all black except the splashes chicldren would be blue.

OK. That's probably why my mind has idea of a % being something other than black. I'll have to run the calculator for the different ones I have. I think if I remember right crossing my mille roo with various colors returns largely black.

 

[SaraBlock]

Most people don't recommend crossing blue to self blue. There are some examples what they look like, I have seen online. But I think they are worth more separately, and pure bred. Especially those self-blues. If you start getting andalusian blue gene in with your lavender lines, you have splash birds pop up, and the feather shafts will be dark on blue + lavender birds plus the incorrect head color for self-blue.

Though for fun or project colors, anything goes. Still, self-blue is rare enough that I'd cross them to nice show quality blacks, get lav carriers, then cross those together to get some self-blues closer to show quality.

 

[SaraBlock]

The partially dominant Andalusian blue (not self blue, which is based on recessive lavender gene) affects black, as you know. A black bird is bl/bl, a blue bird is Bl/bl, and two copies of blue makes splash, Bl/Bl.

If you cross a black bird bl/bl to a blue bird Bl/bl, you will have your typical punnet square of 50% Bl/bl blues and 50% bl/bl blacks.

If you cross Bl/bl blue x Bl/bl blue, you get a different outcome. 25% Bl/Bl splash, 50% Bl/bl blue, and 25% bl/bl black.

If you cross Bl/Bl x Bl/Bl, you will have 100% splash. If you cross Bl/Bl splash x bl/bl black, you will get 100% blue. If you cross Bl/Bl splash x Bl/bl blue, you will get 50% splash and 50% blue.

Because andalusian blue gene is partially dominant, you can never get blues to breed true. Only blacks or splashes can breed true.





Self blue is different. It is a recessive gene called lavender. It affect both black and red pigments. If you have a self blue, it is a black bird with two copies of recessive lavender gene, lav/lav. Lavender-based colors breed true. lav/lav x lav/lav = 100% lav

Cross self blue lav/lav x black Lav/Lav, and you will get 100% Black birds that carry lavender gene, Lav/lav. Because lavender is recessive, they will show no signs of being carriers. However, if you now take two lav carriers and breed them together, Lav/lav x Lav/lav you will get 25% black Lav/Lav, 50% Black lavender carriers, and 25% lav/lav.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Most people don't recommend crossing blue to self blue. There are some examples what they look like, I have seen online. But I think they are worth more separately, and pure bred. Especially those self-blues. If you start getting andalusian blue gene in with your lavender lines, you have splash birds pop up, and the feather shafts will be dark on blue + lavender birds plus the incorrect head color for self-blue.

Though for fun or project colors, anything goes. Still, self-blue is rare enough that I'd cross them to nice show quality blacks, get lav carriers, then cross those together to get some self-blues closer to show quality.

So, for learning, I should cross the self-blue to my black cockerel? Fully understand that neither the self-blue nor my black may be show quality. I'm starting with what I have to learn the genetics, identifying, etc. That's part of why I'm wanting to breed the self-blue because they're still fairly rare. I'd been hoping I had a pair to start with, but I've got 2 little pullets. Unless 1 of them is planning a surprise.

The fun, project colors I do admit are interesting too. That's where the splash, mixes come into mind. I do have a white cochin roo too, but he had a feather with a bit of color/pattern to it for whatever is hiding behind his white. I like how he handles my other roos, he's kind of the playground monitor for the yard, & his personality so I can't bear the idea of parting with him.