# What colors are ok?



## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

So recently I've obtained 3 feather legged cochin bantams. 1 hen, a chick, and a rooster. Then hen and rooster were both buffs, the chick though, is black bodied with a buff colored head, neck, and breast. She is currently 5 months old. We are told she will molt out her black feathers and become buff. Several days ago my rooster died and I will be getting a new roster soon. What can be bred to a buff that will have showable recognized colors? What colors could the chicks come out?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Buff only. Buff is a very difficult color to breed true in Silkies and appears to be the same in Cochins. You will need the clearest buff male that you can find to keep the color a recognized variety if you are going to show in ABA/APA shows. 

Avoid one with gold in the hackles, silver is much more acceptable.


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## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

Why is silver in the hackles desirable when looking for a buff rooster?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That's a hard one to explain, I don't quite get it but then neither does anyone else. It has to do with melanizing genes and no one knows how they work or why.

But you if you can find a male that is completely clear that is the one to choose. Silver is just less difficult to work with if you have to choose.


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## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

Do you know how often the cochins can have chicks, and how many? As in how many can they hatch on their own?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If you are counting on the female doing the hatching, its whenever she goes broody. A young girl will go broody several times a year. As they get older it will drop to Spring and late Summer hatching for the most part.

My personal preference is six eggs, that way they all remain covered with none getting leaked out and getting too cold. They can probably do 8 at a time.


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## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

That's one busy mama; six chicks! We gave Daytona (the hen) 2 chicks our hen tried to kill, they're Golden Laced Wyndotts and while her original chick was a little sour with them at first they all snuggle up now in a heaping pile under her. Originally, our recently deceased rooster sat on the chicks and kept them warm and led them around, is this normal doings in roosters?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Some will take on rearing chicks. I've still got my first Silkie rooster, after his mate died I would give him chicks to raise. He did a pretty good job until he got to be about six years old and then decided he just wasn't interested any more.

I've seen my girls steal chicks from Mothers that were not in to the whole rearing thing. The thief would end up with a dozen chicks by the time she would get done.


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## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

We took the golden laced chicks away from their original adoptive mother. I went out and watched her with the chicks and she suddenly went after the 2 golden laced chicks (we had bought her chicks and she had accepted them) and started pecking their heads crazily so we gave them to Daytona. We keep them separate from out larger, full-size chickens in fear that they'll try and eat them. While Daytona goes after those full size chickens like she's a big bad chicken destroyer if the full size chickens actually turned and fought instead of running away they'd kill her.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You'd be surprised to see what a Hen with chicks can fend off. Just like dogs with puppies, cats with kittens a hen can be ferocious. 

One day when I had a bunch of mine free ranging I heard a whole lot of not good sounds coming from the far side of one of the coops. I ran over just in time to see my bantam silver spangled Hamburg puffed up like a balloon chasing a Red Tail Hawk in to a tree. Even after she knew I was there she still was trying to get at it. I finally threw something at the tree, it took flight and she finally came back when I called. It was one more of the amazing things I've seen with these guys.

What to watch for is the lackadaisical hen, like the one you took the chicks from. That hen was not doing a good job and you knew it and moved the peeps. New Moms can also have issues with not being quite certain what her role is once they hatch.


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## bantams1997 (Dec 5, 2013)

I was honestly confused, she took the Silver Laced Wynndottes and the Black Polish as well as the odd looking Blue Polish, she had a Buff Orpington but it dissapeared. I raise sheep as well and when we have a ewe that does that it's usually because 1. Something's wrong with it or it's different 2. It's not long for this world or 3. It's bias; it prefers a certain color or gender. Do chickens do this?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Chickens can be color biased but I've only seen it with the adults. I've tried experimental breedings using a different color that the birds were not accustomed to being up and personal with. I have seen groups raised together but different colors segregate themselves with their own colors as they mature.

Just like with any other critter, humans included, not all are cut out to be parent material. You can have a hen that holds on to their chicks until they are old enough to breed themselves or have one that once the hatching part is done just don't care to do the rest of it.


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