What gender is this Blue/White Cochin?

[rodeorulz]

It is without a doubt him in that picture. He is the only feather legged chicken I've ever had. It's not a great picture but I'm pretty sure his "bottom" side seemed to be lighter like the pictures shows and not yellow. I know when we looked through their website the best match for him was the Blue Cochin.
I don't know with any certainty what he is other than a cochin, but the coloring thing with him seems kind of weird to me.
Thank you for explaining how the blue gene works in chickens!
I could still change my mind and keep him...we'll see! I've got a Golden Laced Wyandotte that I'm struggling with deciding to butcher or not too...lol. He doesn't really fit my flock either but I really like him...decisions, decisions!

 

[rodeorulz]

You can see a little bit of the "black" that he has on some of his feathers in the 2nd picture.

 

[speckledhen]

You can see a little bit of the "black" that he has on some of his feathers in the 2nd picture.

Well, then if he's the only feather-legged one you have, then that has to be him. If so, then I'd say he has to be splash. Some splashes are almost solid color and some have a lot of the splashy feathers. I've just never seen a splash colored like that as a chick, but they could vary by the line he came from, I suppose.

I know what you mean about decisions! I've had to make some tough calls myself, some that I was always good with and some I have regretted and wished I done differently. But, as I always say, chicken plans are always subject to change! Hopefully, he's a good-tempered male, which to me, is paramount in a backyard flock rooster or even one in a breeding pen. The blue Partridge Brahma in my avatar is humongous but the sweetest rooster ever. You sure don't want a giant mean rooster!

 

[rodeorulz]

Yah I had another chick from the same order that is a bit of a mystery too (I posted her on her too) and it was decided that she must be one of their Red Star's that ended up with dark legs. She was also an extra too.

This Cochin might make a nice guy to cross on some of my egg layers to make a nice meat chicken though too. And he is, so far, a very docile chicken. He's not overly friendly, but he's certainly never acted mean to any people, yet. That is a nice plus for sure!

 

[keesmom]

What I mean is that if he is white (not splash) he would not have looked like the chick you showed, perhaps it was not him like you thought in the picture? White chicks start out yellow.

Not all white chicks start out yellow. White Giant chicks do not. Also years ago I got some McMurray hatchery white Cochins that looked like the OPs as chicks.

I hatched some white bantam Faverolles that were dark smokey grey at hatch that turned into brilliant whites. My understanding was the down color was linked to being silver based rather than gold based.

 

[speckledhen]

Not all white chicks start out yellow. White Giant chicks do not. Also years ago I got some McMurray hatchery white Cochins that looked like the OPs as chicks.

I hatched some white bantam Faverolles that were dark smokey grey at hatch that turned into brilliant whites. My understanding was the down color was linked to being silver based rather than gold based.

Good to know about the white Cochins, but rather odd. The only white birds I've ever owned were a Lt. Brahma hen, who looked nothing like that as a chick, of course, and the Delawares, who were all yellow chicks. So, you are correct, thinking back to the Lt. Brahma, who looked smoky colored with yellow.

Delawares, however, are also silver based white and they are classic yellow chicks at hatch so I guess it varies. Genetics can mess you up on the down color-I can't tell if my partridge Brahmas are gold (the black of the BBS), blue or splash by the down color. Have to wait and see on those until they feather out more, but in their case, the partridge pattern messes with your eyes.

 

[speckledhen]

Yah I had another chick from the same order that is a bit of a mystery too (I posted her on her too) and it was decided that she must be one of their Red Star's that ended up with dark legs. She was also an extra too.

This Cochin might make a nice guy to cross on some of my egg layers to make a nice meat chicken though too. And he is, so far, a very docile chicken. He's not overly friendly, but he's certainly never acted mean to any people, yet. That is a nice plus for sure!

Most Cochins are pretty okay, though it does vary by individual, especially with hatchery stock. I don't require my roosters to be cuddly, just non-human-aggressive. If you breed from a mean rooster, you usually get more of the same because that trait is generally heritable. That's why I've only processed one rooster for food here over the past dozen years-we only eat the mean ones. I breed from easygoing males to get more of the same. And I get back messages from folks I've sold their progeny to who say they love the males, that they are very friendly and no issues at all with aggression. To me, that's as important as looks.

For a decent dual purpose meat bird, you might try Delawares. Sandhill Preservation is the only hatchery I'd buy them from, but there are some breeders here who also have them, like cpartist in Florida. They were created to be a meat bird originally, before the CornishX, but later, almost became extinct. My last Del hen is almost 9 years old and she's a hefty gal, heavier than she looks, probably due to her dense musculature.

 

[rodeorulz]

I'll be diverting a bit here but I have a couple questions...Do you guys have much for predators where you live? (cats, dogs, fox, coyotes, hawks, eagles, owls, etc)
If you do, how do your roosters handle them, in particular against the first 4 in the parentheses? I am just wondering if a person breeds the aggression out of them if they still do fine against predators when/if the time comes. Or if breeding out aggression towards humans has any impact at all.

Thanks

 

[speckledhen]

To add to my addition above, I have not bought from a hatchery as far as the Delawares go, but my rooster was part Sandhill Preservation plus some other lines in him as well. He passed away in 2015, but was one of the best ever roosters. Many folks had his progeny on BYC from years ago. Always good tempered males from him.

Aggression towards the humans in charge is not the same as a rooster defending his hens against a threat. He does not have to be aggressive to people to be a great protector for the hens. An intelligent rooster knows his place and will not attack the hand that feeds and waters. My Delaware rooster kept 25 hens all fertile for most of his life until several of them passed away on him. He was a good protector, but his method was get them and himself to safety and engage only if required. You cannot expect a rooster to actually fight a predator and make it out alive (unless he's my friend's big Blue Orpington, who is one in a million). But, Isaac would never dream of hurting anyone. He was the best rooster ever. Loved his hammock time with whoever would pick him up. There are Youtubes of him in the hammock with my husband and also with my best friend's daughter. He free ranged with the hens and at one time or another, he had sons in the flock with him and he'd get a big group back to the coop while his younger sons held the line against the threat (dog or fox).

 

[rodeorulz]

Oh absolutely not expecting them to actually fight a predator, just stand their ground or get their girls to safety. Just curious if there was any correlation between aggression towards humans and "aggression" towards predators. Thanks again