To Cull or Not to Cull (cochins and wyandottes)

[iluvmychicks]

I have several three and four month old cockerels and pullets that I'm looking at, and trying to get an idea wether or not to keep. I know that I won't be getting rid of any of them until they are full grown and have shown their max potential, but I'd like to get a head start on opinions. I already have an idea of who I do and don't like, but I'd like to hear what some other breeders have to say as well-especially on the wyandottes as I am not nearly as familiar with the breed as I am with bantam cochins.

First I would like to say you are doing a wonderful job with this color I personally LOVE the blue mottled variety, just don't have enough time or room to concentrate on another color. Keep up the good work on not only color but type....very nice!! Second I agree with lockedhearts, just give them some more time, you know the old saying "never throw the baby out of the bath water" it certainly applys to cochins, they take a long time to feather in and completely develop, these birds will look so much different in a couple months. I'm sure you already know this but a few things I look for to cull early is.....side sprigs, bad wings, off color and lack of cochin type, when I make my first cuts if any cochins have those bad qualities they go first. Again, keep up the great work on the color, I would love to see this beautiful color in the standard someday!

Shari​

 

[briarpatchfarms]

Quote:
HAHA Well my doors are open!

I had one that come out barred like that she ended up being a very very lite blue and it disapeared... no barred! so keep an eye out she will loss it in time usually it all goes away when the chick feathers are dropped and adult feathers come in...

 

[BlueMottie]

Quote:
First I would like to say you are doing a wonderful job with this color I personally LOVE the blue mottled variety, just don't have enough time or room to concentrate on another color. Keep up the good work on not only color but type....very nice!! Second I agree with lockedhearts, just give them some more time, you know the old saying "never throw the baby out of the bath water" it certainly applys to cochins, they take a long time to feather in and completely develop, these birds will look so much different in a couple months. I'm sure you already know this but a few things I look for to cull early is.....side sprigs, bad wings, off color and lack of cochin type, when I make my first cuts if any cochins have those bad qualities they go first. Again, keep up the great work on the color, I would love to see this beautiful color in the standard someday!

Shari

Thanks Shari, that means a lot coming from you

Those would be the bad qualities I'm making sure I'm not overlooking by posting this, incase you guys see something I don't. Sometimes I can be blonde and completely overlook the incredibly obvious

There are a lot a people working with the color, so blue mottleds should be in the standard soon enough!

-Sarah

 

[BlueMottie]

Quote:
You know, you might just end up eating them there words

 

[iluvmychicks]

Thanks Shari, that means a lot coming from you Those would be the bad qualities I'm making sure I'm not overlooking by posting this, incase you guys see something I don't. Sometimes I can be blonde and completely overlook the incredibly obvious
There are a lot a people working with the color, so blue mottleds should be in the standard soon enough!

Well I mean it! It isn't the easiest color to work with, blue alone gives me fits, then adding the mottled feather pattern on top of it, then holding cochin type.....it's enough to drive anyone crazy......lol. Keep up the good work, I'm sure you have others on board working with the color, which is great. I look forward to seeing this gorgeous color in the standard. I have one blue mottled hen left here, she's very dear to my heart, one of the sweetest birds here on the farm.....

Take care,
Shari​

 

[BlueMottie]

Thankyou for your honesty then

It is a pain in the butt, which is why I'm going to be culling heavily. They make working with the black mottleds seem extremely easy, haha. But my seed stock consists of birds from the best breeders of cochins in the US, so keeping the type of a good cochin in the chicks shouldn't be too hard. I can only hope that one day they'll have the completed looks of your birds-they look like the fit the standard of a bantam cochin to a T! You must be so proud of them

I'm thinking about trying to make red mottleds...you wouldn't happen to know any breeders that have red cochins that don't look like they came from mcmurray hatchery, do you? I've been looking around a bit, but to no avail.

 

[briarpatchfarms]

Quote:
I thought about trying the red mottled and posted on here trying to get genetics and everyone told me it wasnt possible, I think they just didnt want to see another color...

on them go for it! If you get them started with color I would be happyy to jump in and help with breeding for type and working on the color with you

 

[BlueMottie]

Quote:
I thought about trying the red mottled and posted on here trying to get genetics and everyone told me it wasnt possible, I think they just didnt want to see another color...

on them go for it! If you get them started with color I would be happyy to jump in and help with breeding for type and working on the color with you

Phhfff, shun the nonbelievers. If there's a will, there's a way-it might take more then ten years, but since there wouldn't be a need to outcross, who knows! And I've got plenty of time. I'd really rather not start out with hatchery birds though. Still looking for those breeders.
And I'd love a partner in crime if I happen to find anyone who'll sell me some nice reds

 

[briarpatchfarms]

Quote:
I thought about trying the red mottled and posted on here trying to get genetics and everyone told me it wasnt possible, I think they just didnt want to see another color...

on them go for it! If you get them started with color I would be happyy to jump in and help with breeding for type and working on the color with you

Phhfff, shun the nonbelievers. If there's a will, there's a way-it might take more then ten years, but since there wouldn't be a need to outcross, who knows! And I've got plenty of time. I'd really rather not start out with hatchery birds though. Still looking for those breeders.
And I'd love a partner in crime if I happen to find anyone who'll sell me some nice reds

You have to take in consideraton you dont see many buff cochins that are as good as any whit, black, ect. so starting with hatchery reds isnt going to set you any further back than breed stock reds and the ones Ive seen on google really isnt that bad in type! could you use a buff cochin? That would be easier to find in adult birds then red, they would be lighter in color but better in type and easier to find.

 

[cochinman2005]

Since the Topic of this post is "To Cull or Not to Cull" I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here. I start the culling process out of the incubator. For instance, my Partridge Cochins throw a certain percentage of willow legs, a disqualification. You can tell the willow legs at birth, so those never make it to the brooder. Cull early and cull often will help immensely to make improvements. However, as has been pointed out by several folks on this string, Cochins in particular are very slow developers. Good advice has already been given here to look for obvious faults. Combs, toes, and wings; those things don't get better with age. I don't make a final evaluation on my birds until they've fully molted into their 2nd year plumage. Then you really know what you have. They can change alot from 1st to 2nd year, and then of course with the Mottled pattern, a properly mottled pullet, will turn out to be an overmarked hen, so there's always that to keep in mind. I try to use only hens in my breeding pens. I'll use first year males, but shy away from using 1st year females, as I feel the females drive the type more so than the males and I want to best typed females in the breeding pen, which isn't always apparent until the 2nd year.

I'd also disagree with Briarpatchfarms on the quality of Buff Bantams. True, birds that carry the type of Blacks and Whites don't exist in great numbers, but they do exist, and the breeders of good Buffs are much less in number because the Buffs present all the challenges of a party colored bird. Finding Reds to use in a Red Mottled project would be difficult. Buff might be the way to go as BPF stated.