Cochin Craze 4 - Bantams as Mothers for Quail & Ducks, plus Family Bonds

I started raising quail with bantam hens in 2005, I used the hens I had to hand, which were Ardenners and later I used Sebright crosses. These hens were excellent, quick and clever, they adapted to raising quail as if they saw no difference. However it was when I started with Cochin bantams and the way they kept the quail with them for so long; over 3 months and taught them so much, including I believe how to become mothers and fathers themselves that got us to the next stage with Coturnix. For, it was directly after using Cochin Pekin bantams that the quail started to go broody, sit eggs and hatch chicks. Maybe I'd finally got the environment right with my mini quail food forest but I believe it was a lot down to 'Cappuccino's' intuitive bonding ability (see below). 

I ask a lot of my birds but that is because they have always given me so much. There is never anything I have asked them to do in the way of bringing up chicks or hatching eggs that I have done without a backup plan. I believe that sitting eggs is such a tedious task, given that hens can't read, that it would be immeasurably cruel to expect them to sit for 19 to 24 days for no permanent result. The worst crime would be for me to expect a hen to hatch eggs and then have those babies taken away and for her to be left with nothing. One of my most viewed films on YouTube is 'Duckling Disaster Hatch' and I have to admit that I chose the title due to schadenfreude being sadly such a great draw. The fact, however that the whole episode didn't descend into the chaos inherent in its makeup was due solely to the care and adaptability of my Cochin Pekin bantam Pearl.

 

Cochins/Pekin Bantams Make Excellent Quail Mothers

Although, as already explained, I have used several breeds of heritage hens and heritage crosses to raise chicks Cochin Frizzles (including Cochin Frizzle crosses) are one of my favourite choices. This is because Cochin Frizzles have the physical warmth of heavy plumage but with the added advantage of the open nature of the individual frizzled feather which allows the quail chicks their natural propensity to burrow down near to the skin. Furthermore and most importantly, without getting tangled and potentially dangerously caught up around the neck. I only found out why the quail chicks have a natural inclination to secure themselves in the feathers once my quail hatched their own eggs. My mother quail carry the chicks to a new food source and when she arrives, she actually shakes them out of her feathers. When a hen similarly gets up after brooding the quail, these latter can end up actually hanging by the neck because the whole length of the feather has wound around them. This creates a dangerous situation on two counts, not only because the chicks can strangle themselves but also if the hen moves she may, not knowing what is attached to her, kick out and harm the chick.

Cappuccino was with her quail for over 3 months, which gave her so much time with them and for them in turn to appreciate what it was to have a mother.

Frizzled birds in my experience have great authority within the flock; and a decisiveness, which makes them imminently suitable to raise quail. They are also determined, when once given a task, to see it through. Cappuccino went on not only to look after her own quail chicks until they were  old and well into adulthood but also to aid in getting my quail chicks to accept my purchased adult quail and make them into one harmonious flock.

Cochins Hatching Ducklings 

Both Cappuccino and Pearl did an excellent job of hatching quail and ducklings respectively. Pearl was totally devoted to her ducklings and if circumstances had been different, would have no doubt raised them to perfection.

The two she hatched were almost a week younger than the rest, so we kept them longer. I even had given them a little water feature and this did not phase Pearl at all. I'm not sure how she would have acted to them going into a pool or pond but as I'm hoping in the future to get duck hatching eggs it will be an interesting exercise. I know friends have said their hens panicked the first time this happened but again I think all hens are individuals, so they can react in different ways. I was also so happy that she took to the baby pigeon after the ducklings had been reunited with their confused biological mother(s)!

For the full story of Pearl and the ducklings:

What to do when a duck deserts on day of hatch

One of the unwritten rules of reciprocal homesteading is that animals or birds always choose the time you are away to have a crisis! read more

Caring Cochins

One of the most amazing examples of how caring hens can be happened two years ago in early Autumn/Fall, when one of my young Cochin hens (Snow Kitten), who had recently gone broody adopted some of the chicks from a large group. These included some with very fine feathering due to Sebright blood and thus particularly vulnerable to cold and wet weather.

Normally we have an Indian Summer at this time of year, here on the Western coast of France and the temperatures can rise as high and sometimes even higher, than in Summer. Canny tourists take their holidays late in the year here to benefit from the emptier beaches and lower prices. I guess over the years my hens have got used to late hatching but with a large group of chicks, some of whom are susceptible to cold, they can end up with some of the chicks trailing around the garden or sitting huddled together in a small pool of fickle sunlight.  For the full story of Snow Kitten and her amazing ability not only to adopt chicks but to actively seek out those that need help, I'll refer you to the whole article below.

Broody adopts chicks in cold weather.

Some times people comment in surprise on my films that a hen will raise anything but her own eggs but this is only half the story...read more

Familiy Ties and Filial Bonds

Cochins in my experience are very loyal once they form bonds with other birds, as I found recently when looking through my image files. Our Cochin 'Millefeuilles' has been pair-bonded to 'Spike' our black-laced golden Polish Frizzle for five years, Polish in my experience are similarly prone to monogamy.  When Millefeuilles and her friend, a Cochin cross, decided to go broody and sit an egg, they quite happily formed a ménage à trois and all looked after the chick (note her sleeping under her Dad)!

As witnessed from the images above and left, two whole families of Cochins I hatched here have always foraged and remained together in the garden. My two mottled Cochin brothers 'Big Cuckoo' and 'Hastings' were inseparable as chicks and juveniles and then followed the usual semi-wild behaviour that a forest garden seems to engender. Unfortunately this can have a downside as in my experience brothers are always attracted by the same hen and then they will fight bitterly over and for her.

I am happy to say that after this initial skirmish, things did calm down and due to the essential oils, good food and a great big hug both Hastings and his brother made a full and speedy recovery.

These are the only real contact fights I have ever had in this garden, brothers fighting over the same partner, it has happened with three Ardenner brothers and two Sebright brothers.

A year after the Hastings episode it also happened again with another set of Cochin brothers and again over a single hen.

Other conflicts that involve males in this garden are purely non-contact and ritualistic. In fact the hens are much more violent and physical.

As Bertie Wooster put it in Right Ho, Jeeves:
'I've said it before, and I'll say it again--girls are rummy. Old Pop Kipling never said a truer word than when he made that crack about the f. of the s. being more d. than the m.'

However, I must say I've never seen my Cochin hens fight! Cochin crosses however, do, witness Mrs Butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth above.

Convinced about Cochins? I hope so.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from Normandie! Sue

© 2018 Sue Cross

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Cochin Craze 3 - Cochins for You - loveable, loyal, funny, fluffy, bright and adaptable

These are our little Cochins photographed the day after they were hatched I always like to get chicks outside but we had terrible weather that day; storms with occasional 'sunny spells'. An easy improvised run is a cardboard box with the bottom folded back. It keeps the chicks near the mother so they can easily get under her if cold and provides an all round shelter against the wind. If the grass is too damp, I just let them out inside the cardboard box as they then get a first dose of very necessary Vitamin D3 from the action of the UVB (short-shadow) sunlight. Later in the afternoon the wind went down and they were able to explore.

The Cochin like all ancient breeds are excellent foragers and quickly become a vital part of any garden, keeping down weeds and pests. And as not all of the Cochin Craze story was 'spin', once they have gained your trust, both males and females can become tame and friendly. If you have a forest garden like ours, where the birds are free to roost in trees at night, then the Cochin, although not great flyers, are great climbers, so they do very well in a wooded environment. They are also, obviously with their abundant plumage, an excellent  breed to have in cold climates

However, they are also quick witted and adaptable so easily find shade in the heat.

 

The Strong Silent Type

Unlike many of the other rare heritage breeds we have here, Cochins are less vocal, and communicate more through body language. In my experience, this can be very physical; jumping up, pecking or pulling at clothes or perching on my knee willing me telepathically to understand want they want. I have a bantam Cochin, 'Panda', who likes to eat her breakfast alone. She remains roosting in the outbuilding where she sleeps until I lift her off and put her near a food bowl by herself. You might think that is strange but as a small hen in a largish flock she knows that to get her share of food she can rely on me.

Many of my Cochins exhibit this body language and so do our fantail pigeons. I can usually interpret to some extent what they mean and find a solution. Poultry trusting the keeper as an arbitrator/provider, need to communicate basic needs:- I want food, someone is; in my nest box, stealing nesting materials, on my place on the roost, etc.,. Of course as we really know so little of the thoughts of birds and animals, at best this is guess work but in general the more we engage with our flock the better our understanding.

Me and my empathy, courtesy of Panda

Although sometimes they can be determined and independent of the flock, if you bring up Cochins together they will, being of similar temperament, tend to remain as a cohesive group. Similarly, with certain individual birds it can take some time to fully gain their trust.




Cochins, like elephants, never forget, particularly when they have been helped in some way. We hatched a trio of Columbian Cochins a couple of years after we arrived to live permanently in France. I was not aware at the time but my first hens, two Ardenners I was given as a gift, had brought scaly leg mite with them from their previous flock. This transferred to my Columbian Cochin cockerel/rooster and because of his extra feathery feet, these parasites took hold even before I was aware of them. When I did finally understand and treated his feet, 'Snowman' who had been rather offhand with us since a juvenile, became inseparable and as he got older was always hanging about the workshop rather than hanging out with the flock.

 

All Pluses and Preventable Minuses

Cochins have little stubby wings and don't fly well but my can they jump. If you are thinking of them for a forest garden then know that they can climb very well and also that they are not afraid to experiment in climbing and jumping techniques to reach safe roosting heights.

The only potential minus for Cochins is their feathery feet. These can get really water logged and muddy in heavy soils like ours but we can work around that by providing rain shelters and walkways.

The other more serious aspect is that you can miss noticing a proliferation of scaly leg mite, which can cause foot damage if left unattended.  Cochins also seems more likely to transferring scaly leg mite to the face. You should check over your Cochins' face, in particular, around the ear covers. This seems to me yet another case for symbiotic and holistic poultry keeping. Give your Cochins a hug, it'll do your heart good and also give you a chance to check feet and face.

Are you ready to order some hatching eggs?

I hope it will also convince you to add some of these fascinating birds to your flock. In the next article in this series I will be looking at Cochins as mothers, fathers and the importance of family bonds.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from Normandie! Sue
© 2018 Sue Cross

RELATED ARTICLES

Cochin Craze 4 - Incredible Cochin Mothers & Family Bonds

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'The introduction of these fowls...was a memorable event in the history of poultry; since they undoubtedly awakened a startling "mania" which was, calmly considered, one of the most curious phenomena of the nineteenth century'...read more

Cochin Chickens Part 2 - The Craze that Became a Mania

In Part One I discussed the strange history of the Cochin and how it came into the West. In this second part I am going to look at these birds' progress and influence once they got here.

As the breeder and author Lewis Wright expressed it:

'Cochins came in like giants upon the scene; they were seen and they conquered.'

A pair of Buff (Chamois) Cochins by J.W. Ludlow, an illustration for Wright's book.

The Game of Spin the Chicken

It was at the First Birmingham Cattle and Poultry Show of 10th December 1849 that the Great British Public amongst others, finally got to see the new Cochin or Pekin breed. Visitors went home with the idea that the Cochin could grow to an immense size, that the hen could lay several eggs a day and that the cock, whose crow was similar to the roar of a lion, could be kept in the house and make an exceptionally loving pet. 

All this coupled with the idea that breeding them would be a very profitable enterprise, drove the prices of the birds sky high creating a chicken form of Tulip Mania.

 
I can see that!

After decades of disinterest, it suddenly became fashionable again for the Victorian public to attend poultry shows and to purchase and thus raise poultry. The first show in Birmingham was such a success that the following year's event took place in the brand new, purpose built 'Bingley Hall' and tens of thousands of visitors flocked to view the exciting new breeds.

As Wright attested in his 1890's Edition, in the chapter on Cochins:

'The introduction of these fowls...was a memorable event in the history of poultry; since they undoubtedly awakened a startling "mania" which was, calmly considered, one of the most curious phenomena of the nineteenth century, and which, after it had died away, left behind it an enduring interest which nothing has been able to destroy.'

The Cochin Bubble

From Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham:



"Fanciers give wonderfully strange prices sometimes. Cochin China fowls had but lately been introduced, and were therefore "the rage" in 1851-2. At the Poultry Show in the latter year a pair of these birds were sold for £30, and at a sale by auction afterwards two prize birds were knocked down at £40 each: it was said that the sellers crowed louder than the roosters"



At today's prices that would be £2,991 ($4,162) for the pair and  £3,989 ($5,551) each for the prize birds.

The 'Cochins Craze', as it was known in Britain was also directly responsible for the rise in the popularity of Poultry prints, books and dedicated magazines. Conversely, as seen in the Punch cartoon above, the craze also fuelled a host of satirical drawings and the usual attendant, reproving editorials in the British broadsheets.

In the USA a similar contagion  'Hen Fever' also known as 'The Fancy' swept the country. Enthusiasts and commercial breeders alike, on both sides of the Atlantic, waited eagerly at the docks as the fast clippers came in with a new cargo of Cochins. In the early days, before the prices began to rise, getting stock out of China was not that simple,  as the American breeder and author, George Pickering Burnham attested:

'As can well be understood, the mass of gentlemen or businessmen who go from the West to China possess neither the taste, the knowledge, or the inclination to concern themselves about looking up poultry in that far away land.... Secondly the ship-masters and sailors who go there, know little or nothing of the poultry (except to eat it when cooked).... Thus the latter class never trouble themselves to secure any particular style, shape, color or sized fowl.'

The difficulties in obtaining good specimens and in particular those that would stand the rigours of the voyage, which included typhoons, pirate attacks and being neglected and cooped up on shipboard for months, probably made the Cochin the magnificent creature it is today!

The Cochin Craze continued to sweep through Britain and in 1853 a Cochin changed hands for the record price of £2,587 - today that would be around £188,000 ($260,481)!

Even the fertile eggs were selling like the proverbial 'hot cakes'. A March 1854 issue of The Poultry Chronicle advertised Prize White Cochin hatching eggs for £2 2s a dozen, at today's prices that is £180 ($253). If you think that is steep, then know that I recently paid £10 for two (non-exhibition) Tolbunt Polish hatching eggs and only one hatched - but she is a beauty!

According to several sources the Cochin bubble burst in 1855. However, in the edition of his work published in 1912, Lewis Wright observed that a Cochin hen, hatched from an egg originating from his own exhibition stock, having won the cup at Yarmouth in 1872:

'...was pronounced by the judge the best he ever saw, and purchased by Mr Horace Lingwood for £20, the highest price given for a single hen up to that date since the early Cochin mania.'

(At today's prices:  £1,639 ($2,273).

Cochin Chicanery

With the feverish interest shown by the fanciers and a public whipped up into Cochin "mania" by the press, it was perhaps to be expected that fakery would also be on the rise. It was to become a  particular problem at competition level, where as we have seen above,  prize Cochins could command exceptional prices, even for their eggs. Fraud appeared in many forms at exhibition, from the clipping and dying of plumage to the plucking of imperfect feathers and the addition of fake ones, particularly sickles. This was rife in all kinds of exhibition birds but for the Cochin it was 'fluffing' that was a particular favourite amongst the unscrupulous breeders.

Fluffing

Wright refers to Cochins as being valued by fanciers and judges alike; 'for their great globular masses of soft plumage'. He mentions three women of the same family who were in succession found guilty of and permanently banned from, exhibiting Cochins because their birds had been 'fluffed'.  Fluffing was a tedious and time-consuming practice but with the Cochin being judged and prized for the volume of fluff, the rewards were great. Fluffing entailed taking each feather and bending it backwards with the finger and  thumb or forceps and then taking the feather a little higher up and bending it again, in the opposite direction.

In a minor form, which was frowned upon but not judged as outright fraud, mild fluffing could be accomplished by working the feathers outwards and upwards with the hand whilst drying the bird after washing.

Here above 'Cafe-latte' and below 'Fluffy' demonstrate what a Cochin with naturally bent backwards or rather frizzled feathers looks like!

In Part Three I'll discuss my own experience in keeping Cochins over the past ten years, including their amazing versatility and ability to respond to new situations, including raising all kinds of chicks. Please also feel free to comment and or share this article.

Hope you enjoyed this piece, as with the previous one, it has taken me many weeks to research. If you would like to republish any of this material please do give me credit and I hope it will also inspire you to go on and read more about these fascinating birds, their unique history and influences on poultry keeping today.

All the very best,
Sue
© 2018 Sue Cross

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The Cochin Craze 3. Choosing Cochins for Your Garden

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References:

Available to read freely on-line and to download in various formats at the Internet Archive:

Hunter, A.F., 1904. The Asiatics Brahmas, Cochins and Langshans
Wright, L., 1890. The Illustrated Book of Poultry with Practical Schedules for Judging.
Wright, L., Lewer, S.H., 1912. The Illustrated Book of Poultry with Practical Schedules for Judging, (re-written).
Harman, T.T., 1885. Showell's dictionary of Birmingham. A history and guide ... containing thousands of dates and references to matters of interest connected with the past and present history of the town.
Burnham, G.P., 1874. The China Fowl. Shanghae, Cochin and "Brahma".
The Poultry Chronicle, 1854. A bound volume of the weekly magazine published by Bradbury and Evans.

Additional images from Pinterest thanks to:
etsy.com 

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