The Beautiful Bantam Cochin!

[Fluffy Lambs]

Has anyone had issues with these big FLUFFY butts??? Jellybean is nowhere near as fluffy as these show hens, his tushie is clean. But poor Olive and Licorice apparently need a spa day stat

Usually they stay clean

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Has anyone had issues with these big FLUFFY butts??? Jellybean is nowhere near as fluffy as these show hens, his tushie is clean. But poor Olive and Licorice apparently need a spa day stat

Most of mine keep a clean tush, but a couple of them do have messier behinds. Assuming you haven't been giving them loads of treats and they're eating mostly a balanced diet and what they might find while free-ranging, I figure it must have to do with the individual's metabolism.

The other option that comes to mind depends on if it's been very hot where you are. They can get messy bottoms in heat because they drink more water to cool off and it causes their droppings to be a bit looser.

Cleaning them up is always a good idea regardless of cause because a messy bottom can become irritated, cause issues with egg laying or make for poopy eggs, or they can even fall victim to fly strike if it's not addressed and gets bad enough.

 

[chanceosunshine]

I was out the other day and realized how handsome Elvis is becoming and thought I'd share. He doesn't like his picture taken so this is the best I could get, they don't really do him justice. I love his fluffy pants!

 

[Poodlemum]

I was out the other day and realized how handsome Elvis is becoming and thought I'd share. He doesn't like his picture taken so this is the best I could get, they don't really do him justice. I love his fluffy pants!
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Gorgeous fella!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I was out the other day and realized how handsome Elvis is becoming and thought I'd share. He doesn't like his picture taken so this is the best I could get, they don't really do him justice. I love his fluffy pants!
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Handsome dude!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Ok some updated pics comin ya way!
China is feathering....fuzzy still? Is that normal?
She's 7 weeks old now.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

That's her downy feathers coming in before her normal feathers. One of my Chocolates is doing the same, and I've had birds in the past feather in similarly. It seems to be a common pattern for super slow featherers. Eventually, that'll be covered by normal feathering.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

That's her downy feathers coming in before her normal feathers. One of my Chocolates is doing the same, and I've had birds in the past feather in similarly. It seems to be a common pattern for super slow featherers. Eventually, that'll be covered by normal feathering.

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Ok good to know!
Are there any genetic things that go along with being a slow featherer?
I wasn't sure if it is cause for concern or that she shouldn't be bred.
Thank you for the help!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The gene for feathering speed is sexlinked, so her being a slow featherer means you can breed her to a fast-feathering male and make chicks who can be wing sexed within a few days of hatch. There seem to be other genes that affect feathering speed (as an example, both of my Chocolate males are slow feathering, but the one I posted the picture of is even slower to feather than the other one), but I don't personally know what those genes are or how they behave in a cross. That's the extent of my knowledge, there, though.

 

[kurby22]

I just hatched a baby bantam Cochin and brought home a baby bantam Cochin that’s also from my birds that someone else hatched and offered to me so mine wouldn’t be lonely.

This is Brie - my lonely hatched egg that was abandoned four days before hatch so she finished in the incubator

And this is Ariana Sushi (daughters choice) I’m so excited to get a splash Cochin though!! All four of my bantam Cochins are blue, so I’m excited to have a black and a splash from them!