When do cochins start laying?

[Miss Dottie]

Hi!

I am the proud new parent of 4 beautiful standard cochins! I was told they won't lay until they are a year old, but I read something that said otherwise. I was wondering if anyone has experience with cochins and might be able to tell me when their cochins started laying?

Also, at what age does it start to become obvious who are the roosters and who are the hens?

Thanks, and have a great day!

 

[knippk]

Mine start laying when they are about 8 or nine months.....some a bit earlier! Good luck...cochins are one of my fav. breeds!!!!

 

[Rosalind]

Mine laid at 6 months. Only a couple weeks after my EEs and Buttercups started.

 

[CarriBrown]

I love cochins. What colors did you get? Buff is by far my favorite Standard Cochin color.

My girls laid at around 6 months and seem to lay pretty consistantly. I've never had a Standard go broody, only my bantam cochin.

 

[FLchook]

Cochins lay eggs?

J/K mine were just always broody it was rare to get any eggs from them. They are beautiful birds though, and make awsome mammas!

The age they start to lay can range...as youve read from previous posts...but here are a couple of signs you can look for.

Their comb and wattles will become bright red, and they will start getting thier "bloomers" Not sure the real name of the feathers, but they will get a soft fluff bunch of feathers under thier tail down to thier legs. It takes some time before you pick up on these changes, but just watch and they will come. Once they do, the wait just becomes harder because you know it could be anyday.

Enjoy your new babies!

 

[MandyH]

We raise standard cochins in the blue, splash and partridge colors. This is the best bird inthe world as far as calm, quiet and good pet, etc... Mine started laying around 7 months and htey have not missed a day since. They lay big, round brown eggs. I have heard lots of people on here talk about them not being good layers, but I have had a much different experience with mine. You can tell the boys from the girls at about 2 days old.

 

[serenitychristie]

How do you tell the boys from the girls? Mine are about 5 weeks. I have black, blue, white and partridge. I ordered pullets, but you know how that goes.

 

[Miss Dottie]

Thanks everyone!

It seems everyone has a different experience. I will just wait and see how quickly these chicks grow up. Who knows, I may have 4 roosters! But I think just 2 are roosters and 2 are hens.

Does anyone know when chickens are able to mate? I want to separate mine since they are brothers and sisters.

CarriBrown-I have 2 that I think will be buff, one that will be black and one that will be a splash. They are very pretty birds, and friendly. They are growing very fast and very strong. I see you are from Norco. I am from Riverside, but live in Yucaipa, just around the corner. I kept a couple of my horses in Norco for awhile, right on California near 6th Street. What other kinds of chickens do you have?

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate your help as I am just getting back into chickens!

 

[serenitychristie]

My first experience with chickens was when I lived in Yucaipa, during 7th and 8th grade. I lived on Douglas. My dad bought me an assortment of bantams. I also lived in Corona during my senior year in high school. We only had horses there, which we kept at Desi Arnaz' ranch.

 

[Miss Dottie]

serenitychristie-Thats way cool! I live on Wildwood Canyon Road in Yucaipa. I'm from Riverside. Desi's name sounds familiar, I think she might have barrel raced? I barrel raced and think I recognize her name from that.