My problem is this , after a 10 year hiatus ive started back into large cochins. Whites specifically. Ipurchased a whole breeding flock of the best i could find.Some of the old hens moulted in with a fawn cast to their feathers (like the Fawnduckwing oe) Now my young ckls all have some red hackle feathers and their wing bows r fawn , they also have ghost barring in the saddle. The only crossi know of is they were bred with black. Ed Miller always told me to get the pure white to cross black. But noew i was told to use buff. I think the prob with mine is that there is s omething crossed in there that was used to work on barreds or one of the laced varieties and it is just coming out.can anyone help?My email is djwest5@prodigy.netTHANK YOU

I am no expert in genetics but, I have been raising and breeding birds for the past twenty years and there is definately something crossed into your birds someone where down the line. I would imagine partridge or something other than black, In order to cross something with white and get white you really need to use black. The buff gene is very hard to cross into something and not get some casting. I would say you will have to cull very hard to elimate this casting in the birds you have or introduce some new blood into them. Preferably white. This will increase your chances to get pure white ones. Good luck cause I have not seen any decent white cochins in quite some time. There are some nice buffs and blacks around.

Hi Phil
Thanks for the advice. I feel the same way u do. Ive got about 4 breeding pens im gonna try this year . Im gonna seclude the birds that r showing the fawn and off colors.Ive got type and real good size but now i have to deal with the color prob. i never thought white could be so difficult.

i have the best looking black cochins, but on 1 of them that i got last year, there waz a white speck on 1 of the feathers on it'z foot. other than that, it'z perfect show quality. wut happened?

Hi tessa

this one is easy. Years ago a veteran cochin breeder Ed Miller told me to keep the green sheen bright on a black cross black male on white females and to get the snow w hite white cross a white male on black hens. it works if ur blacks and white r pure so u will get an occasional white tip on blacks but its a good thing!! if i can help any further contact me