Should these cochins be feathered out more at this age?

[cochinman2005]

FlagDay76 -
Will only comment on the Blacks. They are exactly what I would expect a 4 month old Black Cochin of decent quality to look like. You want them to be leggy at this stage. They are supposed to be large birds in the end. The depth of body will fill in as they mature. While Superior Farms is indeed a hatchery, they are not the same as most other hatcheries. Superior is managed by Danny Padgett, APA judge and long time breeder. They have gone to great lengths to assemble some of the best breeder stock in the country. I know some of the sources of their breeder stock and it's some of the best in the country. I also know where their line of Black Cochins came from and again, some of the best in the country. Google Superior Farms Hatchery. Their site has some photos of some of their stock. Unlike other hatcheries they actually attend shows and exhibit their birds. You will also see that they are sold out for 2009 until the fall. Their focus is on quality, not quantity.

Those Blacks show potential for good size and feather mass. Things to watch would be leg and foot color, wing structure and carriage and body tilt as they mature. Also width of back is an important factor, as it dictates productivity and overall mass of the bird.

Tom

 

[flagday76]

Not trying to arguing about hatchery v. breeder... just mentioned Superior because that's where they came from I happened upon them almost by mistake. I feed them turkey pellets, 20% and supplement with a mix of my own... Blue Seal Sunshine pellets, black oil sunflower seeds, whole oats, buckwheat, and winter rye (when I can find it). I was feeding 22% game starter crumbles, but switched to the pellets because they wouldn't eat the "dust" left from the crumbles. They seem to be in an awkward stage right now, getting more length and height, and not really filling out. Last week there necks and legs looked shorter!

 

[Msbear]

Quote:
Well, I will stand corrected as I am not familiar with Superior Farms and cannot tell you where they get their stock. Good Luck with your birds and you should see real improvement with their plumage as they mature.

 

[flagday76]

I'm not sure if I want to keep the partridge, so I'll just comment on the blacks as well. Another thing I question is the leg color on one of the cockerels. His shanks and toes are a dusky color fading to yellow. I will have to look at the bottom of his feet to see what color they are. According to the Standard, this is acceptable... correct?

As I am still learning, and seek to become knowledgeable about the breed, I hope my questions and inquiries don't come across as "pestering"! Where did Superior acquire their blacks from? I find it quite interesting that this farm obtained good stock from breeders all over. I have done research on the Cochins International site, looking at show results and pictures. Doing so is training my eye, but I would like to find some pictures of quality cochins in different stages of development so I can compare to what I have.

I came across some articles about Alex Duffy and his black cochins. I am in Jefferson County, NY... our fairgrounds is named after him! It would be nice to bring back black cochins to the county in honor of him. I often wonder if anyone has some descendants of his flock. Quite interesting that one of his black cochin hens was the model for Art Schilling's illustrations in the Standard.

 

[cochinman2005]

I actually grew up in New York and knew Alex. Very neat that you're local fairgrounds is named in his honor. Not sure if it would be possible to trace the lineage of any of the lines in this country back to Alex's breeding since we don't keep as accurate records for poultry (exhibition anyway) as they do for other livestock.

As for leg/foot color. Standard calls for yellow to dusky yellow with a preference toward yellow, and definitely yellow foot bottoms if you can get them. This requirement presents a problem though. The closer you get toward yellow, the more trouble you'll have with white in the undercolor of the males. Some of the lines of Blacks have white pigment on the bottom of their feet and that should be avoided if at all possible since it is a foreign color according to the standard. First and foremost concentrate on type. Color comes second, but still needs to be considered when selecting birds for breeding. If your males are a dusky color fading to yellow that is acceptable.

I will try to take some photos of my large Cochins this weekend. I have them in different age groups from 2 months to 6 months. They are slow growers so patience is the key!

Superior got at least some of their Large Blacks from Roland Doerr, and Twisted Feather Farm (Terry Britt and Steve Jones).

 

[flagday76]

I come from a show horse background, so when I got into poultry I found it hard to adjust to not having pedigrees/registration papers to confirm lineage and breeding. Although, that being so, I have seen some people do really underhanded things like switching papers, switching foals, faking markings (paints and pintos), etc. But, the proof is in the pudding so to say even with horses... you can't ride the papers... quality is what it is. I do appreciate a good quality animal and all the work that goes into establishing a line. Showing horses taught me that. I like the poultry though... much easier to feed, clean, transport, etc. Plus, this sounds bad, but we can at least eat our mistakes with the chickens!

Thanks again for all the replies... I am learning a lot, and hope to keep the dialog going!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

With Asiatics, frame is built first. The poof comes later. Right now they're supposed to look lanky and awkward so they're spot on!

Hopefully you'll get to show them! Danny has done very well at the shows with his white and black Cochins.

 

[flagday76]

I have plans to show them next year. We are starting slow, and trying to acquire some good birds. Can someone show me some pics of a good head vs. a poor head? Should they be as heavy in the brow as a Brahma? I am trying to picture it as described by the Standard...

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Here is Peuff at 1 year old:

Here she was at 5 years old:

I got her from Bo Garrett on here....she was lacking the cushion and tightness of the wing feathers, but I loved that hen...

 

[cochinman2005]

Couple head shots of a White pullet (11 month old) that I raised in 2006. Look for good skull width and some beefiness to their face, but it can be overdone. I have a couple hens here that have so much extra skin than it overlaps their eyes and they dont' see well. Short beak will add to the overall look too. Too long in the beak and they look snipey or crow headed.