History
Cochins arrived in England and the United States in 1845. Originally, Cochins were called Chinese Shanghai Fowl, after the district in China where they originated. Later the name was changed to “Cochin China” and finally shortened to “Cochin”. The Cochin is considered an Asiatic Breed. Cochins were admitted to the Standard in 1874.
Qualities of the Cochin
Cochins are full feathered making them appear larger than they are. Their loose feathering gives them fine aesthetic qualities, which makes them popular as show birds.
- Temperament – One of the main characteristics of Cochins is their gentle disposition, which makes them easy to handle and therefore ideal as show birds or as pets for children.
- Broodiness – Cochins are good setters and excellent mothers.
- Climate – Cochins are loose feathered which helps them tolerate cold weather well; however, they will need careful watching during hot weather. Since Cochins have heavy feathering on their legs and toes, it is a good idea to keep them confined during wet weather to avoid mud buildup.
- Adaptability – Cochins do well in confinement. They also forage well in free-range settings.
Because of its large size, the Cochin is a suitable meat bird for the backyard flock, but it is slow to mature. Cochins are fair layers and lay an medium size brown egg.
Physical Appearance
- Feathers – Cochins are large birds with dense, long, and soft plumage. They have feathered legs and toes.
- Coloration – The Cochin’s beak is yellow, often shaded with black. The eyes are reddish bay, and the shanks and toes are yellow. The skin color is yellow.
- Comb – Both the male and female have a five point single comb.
Videos of Baby Cochin Chicks
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWhp_4LNUD8
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leos2l3y0p4
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD4xgP4iBnE
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udWTEyccCUY
Availability
To check the availability of Cochins on our website, visit the links below:
Bantam Cochins are also available.
Feedback
If you’ve raised Cochins, leave us a reply below to let us know what you think about them and what your experience with them has been.
Date 2/18/11
Name of Breed Cochins
History
Cochins arrived in England and the United States in 1845. They were originally called Chinese Shanghai Fowl after the district of their origin in China. Later the name was changed to ‘Cochin China’ and finally shortened to ‘Cochin’. It is an Asiatic Breed. At the time of its arrival there were four recognized varieties, Buff, White, Black and Partridge, all being admitted to the Standard in 1874.
Qualities of the Breed
Cochins are full feathered making them appear larger than they are. Their loose feathering gives them fine aesthetic qualities, making them popular as award winning show birds.
Temperament – The main characteristic of the Cochins is its gentle disposition making them easy to handle and therefore are ideal show birds or pets for children.
Broodiness – The Cochin is a good winter layer, a good setter and excellent mother.
Climate – Your Cochin is loose feathered which helps it tolerate cold weather well, however, they will need careful watching during hot weather. Also, due to their heavy feathering on legs and toes confine your Cochins during wet weather to avoid mud buildup.
Adaptability – Cochins are a good meat bird for the small family barnyard as they do well in confinement and in free-range settings where they forge well.
Eggs – Cochins lay a small brown egg.
Physical Appearance
Feathers – Cochins are large birds with dense, long, and soft plumage with feathered legs and toes.
Coloration – The beak is yellow often shaded with black, eyes are reddish bay and the shanks and toes are yellow. Skin color is yellow.
Comb – Both the male and female have a bright red single comb. The male has a medium-size five point comb and the female a rounded come which is quite small.
Earlobes – The earlobes on both the male and female are oblong.
Any one have good luck with Partridge Cochins being broody? I’m ordering some for this reason.
I think Cochins are the best. That is all I have, and I love them all. I get about 8 eggs each day, and I have 8 hens, so I think they’re great. You can show them and almost always get a prize. Last week my female got 1st place and my male got 2st place. They’re very good with kids and other chickens, but I do not think any one needs to put males in the same cage. I have not had any luck with chicks; my birds just don’t sit on they’re eggs at all, but over all I think they’re worth each penny I put in them. Thanks, McMurray
I have raised Cochin bantams for many years. I love this breed. Cochins are the nicest birds, and they love to raise chicks. Many times I have had to discourage setting, (by putting golf balls under them instead of eggs). But when you allow them to sit on eggs to hatch, they are the best mothers. I would recommend this breed for any one who would like to raise chickens.
Large breed roosters would not be good for mixing with small Cochin Bantams though. They will eventually kill your hens. Cochin roosters though, are the best roosters, since they are also very gentle in nature.
I have bought my Cochins through McMurray Hatchery, and always have been very satisfied with my birds.
My bantam cochins are wonderful. They enjoy hanging out with little aggressiveness once the pecking order is established.
The boys do fight a bit, but it is easy for me to separate them, and sometimes just a sharp “no” from me stops the problem.
They are curious and like sitting with me.
We have a beautiful Partridge Cochin named Hoppy (something happened to her leg as a youngster, so she has a funny hopping gait when she runs). We originally got a Cochin because one of my husband’s favorite memories as a child is of his Cochin, Brumus, riding around on his shoulder. Today, Hoppy is a friendly and curious member of our flock. She also has the distinction of being the loudest chicken we own, and she’s never shy about vocalizing her opinions! I just wrote about Hoppy in my blog, so you can go there to see her pictures (pamsbackyardchickens.blogspot.com).
I got two Partridge Cochin chicks last August from a local breeder to be companions to my lone Bantam Orp, and they are the sweetest birds I’ve ever raised. The breeder correctly called them “lap chickens” – they are so tame and calm. They don’t startle and I’ve never seen them pick on anyone (I have 2 more banty Orps now) – in fact, the new banties try to dominate the Cochins! And they’re about half their size! They also just began laying, too – beautiful, freckled small eggs a little bigger than the banties’ – they’ll get bigger later on. They’re beautiful to look at, too, and don’t seem to mind the cold (I live in NH). Their combs are small and have escaped frostbite, unlike my banties and NH Reds (whom I keep separate as they are a bit viscious – they defeathered the head on my banty Orp and left it a bloody mess – with some warm water and indoor recuperating, she’s as good as new, but I’ll never mix them again). Cochins for me from now on!
I bought a rooster and 4 hens 3 years ago for my 7 year old daughter. We still have 4 of the 5 original birds as well as some offspring. We have sold many adolescent birds at a local sale, and my original investment has been payed back big time!
The birds are quite tame by nature and come running to eat out of our hands. We also eat their eggs. Young hens will lay almost every day, and even our 3 year olds will give 4 eggs/week. I highly recommend them to anyone wanting a back yard project!