They have been described as ‘ head to toe feathers ’ – an apposite description for these beautifully feathered birds. People can not pass them by without remarking on them .
These sweetly botch balls have quite a morsel of history to them besides, so sit back and read the report of the Cochin chicken .
We will walk you through their history, recognized varieties, general disposal, and health issues before outlining if they ’ re the proper hen for your flock !
History of the Cochin Chicken
The Cochin inaugural came to be noticed in the 1840s. They were in the first place called ‘ Cochins-China. ’
In fact, we imported them from a french colony in what is immediately Vietnam – so oriental, but not very chinese !
The original ‘ Cochins ’ that were imported did not look anything like today ’ second Cochin. They looked more like Jungle Fowl or Malays. They were grandiloquent and gangling and not excessively reasonably to look at .
These original Cochin were given to Queen Victoria by Captain Edward Belcher .
queen Victoria loved them – she was quite the domestic fowl fancier and built a special enclosure for her beloved Cochin-Chinas. This started what was to be become an obsession for many Victorians : ‘ hay-fever .
By this time, ‘ hen fever ’ had taken over the UK and US, fueled by the development of the Brahma and Cochin birds. ‘ alien fowl ’ such as these could be bought and sold for hundreds of pounds or dollars !
The original Cochins were delightful layers by all accounts. however, once ‘ The Fancy ’ ( domestic fowl enthusiasts ) started to breed to human specifications, the utility of the breed suffered .
They became prettier but laid fewer eggs, and the meat became coarse, a fortune that has befallen many of today ’ s breeds .
It is tough to tease out which birds may have been crossbred with the Cochin. It is improbable to have been any English broth since most british hens before this fourth dimension were nothing to write home about being sprawling and unattractive .
The most probably scenario would have been crossing between unlike sets of imports from China and possibly Europe to obtain the want ‘ look. ’
Cochin Breed Standard
The Cochin was recognized in the british Poultry Standard of 1865 – the first version of the Standard that was issued .
It followed close in the US, being in the American Poultry Association standard of 1874, again, the first gear issue .
It is classified as one of the three asian classes in both books – the early two being Brahma ( besides from Shanghai ) and Langshan from China besides .
There are both standard-sized fowl and bantam varieties. In England, Cochin bantams do not exist – they are classified as Pekin bantam .
Cochins can take up to two years to mature since they are dull growers. When they are amply grown, the male can weigh in at 11 pounds, with the female weighing about 8 ½ pounds. The bantam weigh in at 30oz. For the male and 26oz. For the female .
The acceptable colorings for this engender deviate from the US to the UK. The UK recognizes the follow colors :
- Black
- Blue
- Buff
- Partridge
- Cuckoo
- White
The USA recognizes in summation to the above colors :
- Brown
- Gold laced
- Silver laced
The US does not recognize the fathead – a great shame since the color is so bewitching !
Cochin Appearance
The Cochin appears as a mass of soft, downy feathers, beak to toes about literally ! The stage and forbidden toes should be in full feathered so that they saw from the side. You can not see toes – only feathers .
The fullness of the feather gives them the appearance of being much larger than they actually are. still, they are quite goodly when adult, a hen being around 8 ½ pounds .
The Cochin wears a individual, five-point comb which should be read, as are the wattles and ear lobes. The eyes are a golden chicken. The peck varies with the overall coloring material of the shuttlecock. anywhere from yellow/horn to black/horn – the dark the bird, the black the beak in general .
The legs and toes should be jaundiced, as is the skin .
Legs and toes should be amply feathered, effectively hiding the peg and most toes. only the inner toe and function of the middle toe of each foot should be visible .
The silhouette can be described as a round affection form. The tail is in full feathered, but the feathers are slightly shortened in appearance .
apart from fabulously downy, Cochins can besides be frizzled .
The Cochin is considered a large breed of chickens. If you ’ ve seen the viral video recording of big chickens bombing around their runs, the Cochin may be the chicken you ’ ve seen…or their cousin, the Brahma .
Their boastfully bodies make Cochins hapless flyers and slowly pickings for predators, making sure you keep them in a safe distance .
Frizzle Cochin
In many countries in Europe and Australia, a crimp chicken is recognized as a distinct breed, an interesting concept .
Certain breeds are more prone to frizzling than others – Cochins and polish being two of the most well-known.
No one truly knows where the frizzle gene came from, but it is first gear mentioned in writing from Aldrovandi in 1600 .
They were besides mentioned in commensurateness by Charles Darwin in which he calls them Caffie Fowl. He said they were overriding in India, but it ’ south heavily to know where this data originated since he never visited India .
initially, the frizzle birds were restricted to the Far East, East Indies, and Africa, but once noticed, were taken to the UK and US, where breeding began in earnest .
The frizzle gene – an incomplete dominant, causes the feathers to curl ahead rather of lying flat and meshing in concert as they normally would .
Frizzle X ‘ convention ’ hen = 50/50 ( frizzle/normal ) .
A frizzle should never be bred to another crimp – this makes a ‘ frazzle. ’ Frazzles have highly finespun feathers and can, in some cases, be about bald or exhibit patchy feather. They do not survive very well without ceaseless manage and attention .
Frizzled birds do not tolerate the cold good since the curl feathers do a poor job of insulating the hen or even protecting it from the rain or snow. They besides can not fly, so perches need to be set lower for them to access. differently, they pile on the floor .
needle to say, frizzles do get picked on by the more dominant hens, so bullying and feather pick can quickly become a problem unless it is cautiously watched .
General Disposition
Cochins are calm, friendly birds. even the roosters are known for being fairly mellow. The boys rarely get aggressive, mean, or quarrelsome .
however, the bantam boys are not therefore mellow – they can be huffy, aggressive, and fight for territory .
Ladies make great broodies and Moms. They will happily sit on any eggs you give them once they are in the temper. They can besides be used as foster Moms for abandoned chicks, but I think this would depend on the individual shuttlecock and whether or not she is brood hen at the time .
They are well contained since they are poor people flyers. apparently, a two-foot argue will contain them well .
In terms of parturiency, they tolerate it well, but if allowed to free-range, they will spend most of their fourth dimension hanging out by the feeders – they tend to be faineant .
The leaning towards indolence and fleshiness makes them comfortable targets for predators, so they should remain in a wall area safe from depredation .
They aren ’ metric ton well known for their lay eggs. You will be lucky to see 180-200 eggs/year from these ladies, but the commodity newsworthiness is that, like the Brahma, these ladies prefer to lay through the winter months !
The eggs are described as small to medium size, brown in color, although some folks report them as moderate to large eggs .
Common Health Issues
Cochins are prone to fleshiness. They are mellow, faineant hens and do not forage very a lot, preferring to eat what ’ s correct in battlefront of them. Given their size, lower roosts are to be preferred to prevent leg injuries .
many experts recommend that Cochins should be rationed in the sum that they are allowed to eat. If you have a mix flock, this could not be easy to monitor, so weighing the hens sporadically is a good theme .
As with all truly downy hens, you must regularly check external ‘ residents ’ such as worm and mites .
Cochins seem to be healthy birds and can live up to around 10 years other than these concerns .
Cochins are prone to getting bumblefoot due to their large size. Hopping down from roosts and landing hard on astute objects can cause injuries and finally lead to bumblefoot, sepsis, and possibly death .
To prevent injuries, keep roosts near the land so the distance they must jump to get down international relations and security network ’ thyroxine as far, and consequently, the chicken will have a softer land .
Is The Cochin Right For You?
If you are looking for a hen that is more of a pet than a ‘ working girl, ’ the Cochin possibly your ideal bird .
They are not big layers, but they make fabulous pets and lave chickens. They are well suited for children as they are friendly and highly mellow, evening the roosters .
They can become very tame and tolerate a wide variety show of situations. Pictures of Cochins in hen strollers have circulated on social media for some time !
They are besides an excellent material for exhibitions and shows since they are kind and straightforward to handle. They always seem to attract a crowd at the shows, besides, with their profusion of feathers and personality – particularly if they are frizzled !
Summary
The Cochin has won a locate in many hearts just because of the downiness of the feathers and a gentle disposition .
many people keep them as ‘ house chickens, ’ pets, or reasonably yard ornaments .
If you want a boo that is a perfect egg layer – the Cochin is not for you .
If you would like a wimp that lays through the winter when the other hens take a break, then the Cochin fits the separate well. The Cochin will ‘ break ’ from egg-laying when the weather turns warmer, a lot as the Brahma hens do.
They are wonderfully calm and laid-back birds to have among your batch .
If you keep Cochins, let us know in the comments below, we constantly enjoy hearing from you…
