Oh No...Is Edith an Eddie?

[julesapple]

Opinions please.....although I think Edie is an Eddie....!



This is one of the 'girls' DD swapped for our last lot of cockerels. But just lately, this one has started to look distinctly boyish, although no crowing - he's very very quiet and a bit of a coward. He can stay until he gets noisy, but then he has has to go.

Conundrum now is; do we hatch some of our eggs in a few months? I do wonder what we'd get crossing him with our girls (Scots Dumpy, Marsh Daisy, Cream Legbar, Copper Marans, Blue Cochin, some hybrids)

So, what do you think?

Jules

[petal]

What is he, I can't see legs- an orpington? and how old- whatever he is he looks like a boy to me.

[julesapple]

Apparently, he's a Splash Cochin. We don't know exactly how old he is, we got him last November and the breeder reckoned he was about a year old then. DD hoped he/she was Splash, but he/she is getting bluer by the day....



His legs are mostly hidden under his pantaloons. It's the neck feathers that make me think he is a she.

Jules

[RichmondHens]

Whatever he is, he is definitely a he, sorry!

The only hen worth putting him to is your blue cochin. You would at least end up with a pure cochin at the end although what colour would emerge is unclear.

[di]

Ooh, try him with a legbar! We have a Buff/Legbar cross and she is beautiful...and I was surprised when she started laying olive green eggs...her Mum was the Legbar so I was expecting her to lay brown eggs.

[petal]

julesapple, its the neck feathers that scream male! look again- they are very pointed. Try shining a torch on him in the dark- he will be glossy and shiny.

[julesapple]

I did say that Petal, and you're right, they are glossy. And then, this afternoon, the BH caught him getting his wing over. Now his cover is blown he's going for it! I'm tempted to hatch some of our eggs in a while, but I'd want a broody, not the 'bator.

Oh b*gger..........anyone want a Splash Cochin cockerel?

[mudpies]

He is very lovely though , but definately a 'he'.
We have an african grey parrot we inherited from Mr M.pies's family.They had had him for 15 years and called him Jasper....'he' has since laid 4 eggs and is now Jazzie! Mr M.pies gutted as in a family of 4 daughters, 10 sheep and 4 chickens he had hoped he had found another male!

[petal]

Julesapple, if he is no trouble and a a nice temperament hes a keeper- breed him with your cochin female. I have a rule of trying to keep breeds pure- I am not saying to everyone they are wrong to cross breeds, its just my preference where possible- its easier to sell them on as pure breeds and helps the breeds future.

[julesapple]

So far, he's a lovely lad. He doesn't go for anyone, quite the opposite, and the girls are bossing him about. He will have to go if he starts to crow though. I don't know whether to see if we have any fertile eggs in a few weeks time or to take him back to the breeder and swap him for a girl.

My Cochin girl isn't even laying yet, so I'm not sure about her being a mum until later in the Summer and I don't want to use the 'bator unless I really have to. I'm guessing by that time, he'll be crowing.

Jules

Jules

[di]

Our boy Buff took ages to start crowing Jules, then, even when he did it was so pathetic you could hardly hear him over the girls clucking. He might turn out to be a quiet chap...but the risk is getting too attatched to him and he does turn out to have a mighty crow.

[petal]

its such a shame you can't have one cockerel that crows- I think its time the law was changed on this- dogs incessantly barking are ten times more noisy!

[Hilary B]

I had a Cochin of similar colouring, both his parents were blues (I don't think 'splash' was a recognised colour then, 25 years ago) and when he mated with a black hen we got some lovely blue hens. I did also have a hen that was his colouring, but something 'got' her (not sure whether it was fox, stray dog or a rat).
Unfortunately the blues weren't purebred, because mum was a bantam of unknown ancestry, but we got 2 beautiful girls out of it (we called them Smokey and Sooty, one was rather darker than the other, but both definitely blue) which were not-bad layers and excellent broodies.

[julesapple]

Hilary, I think that's what's attracting the DD and me to the idea of hatching our own eggs - the surprise element. We just don't want a load of cockerels.....

Jules

[Hilary B]

Cuddles never did crow much, and not loud, you will appreciate his temperament by his name....