welsh sarah Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 hi i am a serious novice but love my chookies, i have 2 goldline which just look like your average chicken my other half has just finished a large run so i dont feel guilty when i am at work and they havent got the whole garden to play in i would love another1 or 2 and really fancy cochins what do you think sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 I love big hens - I know folk really love their bantams, but I'm really really happy with my big lasses. I don't have any cochins (although I was supposed to be getting a couple soon, but haven't heard from the breeder) but my Orps are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 hi richard so do you think i could fit 2 in an eglu with my original chookies sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 (edited) we have 2 cochins and they are beautiful, stunning birds. We have ours in an eglu on their own as we have 4 hens between 2 eglus. Cochins take 2 years to mature and are the biggest large breed. Our 2 are about 20 weeks at the moment and are already bigger than our older maran chook. But a lot of it is feathers - they are so cuddly!! We are lucky enough to allow them to free range all day in the garden, to be honest if I had them confined all the time I would get a bigger run for them (the converter and the extension). Some people say the eglu isnt suitable for cochins. In my opinion I think its fine as long as you dont over-crowd the eglu...looking in my eglu at the moment there is plenty of room in there for them and in my other eglu I have a fully mature big heavy hen who is 18months old and loves her home! If you read the breed guide on here it says "cochins need remarkably little room and like to be contained with fencing" ...they cant fly either. Edited October 18, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 chelsea you have made me really want one now, do you think i could have just one in my eglu with my other 2 chookies? if so where can i get one sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 look in my gallery at the bottom of my signature for photos! I dont think 1 would be a problem for room in the eglu (sleeping wise) because it sounds like you have a lovely big run for them. Two maybe crowded! The only thing I would worry about if you got just 1 cochin is the bullying from the other hens. Cochins are very submissive and that is why we introduced a pair to our other 2 exisiting hens rather than 1....our 2 cochins are the best of friends. We got ours from a local traditional breed centre in Devon. Maybe there is something similar in your area? You could then pop along and view them before deciding to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted October 18, 2007 Author Share Posted October 18, 2007 i have looked at your phots and i have fallen in love with them. i share your concerns about getting one, i did want 2 but i worry about them having enough bedroom space, my chickens also freerange whenever someone is in the house and i am lucky enough to have a big garden so it is only the sleeping arrangments that is worrying me sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 you should see them now Sarah, they are big balls of fluff!! Yes, I agree about the sleeping arrangements. I think 4 would be a squash in the eglu. Its up to you at the end of the day though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 Hi chelsea I see you have a cuckoo Maran - I've got one (Liz) and she was really quite aggressive to start with, and chased all the others pulling feathers from them all the time. Once I fitted her with a nose ring she was fine and has been really great since then. I was supposed to get two Marans, but ended up with one Maran and one North Holland Blue - Daisy - who looks very much the same, but has lightly feathered legs (not as much as your cochins!). They are by far the most curious and tame of all my girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted October 19, 2007 Author Share Posted October 19, 2007 chelsea i would love to see some up to date photos of your balls of fluff, it just makes me want some myself. i dont know what to do for the best, but anyway i havent found any breeders in my area yet so i will have to think about it carefully sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted October 20, 2007 Share Posted October 20, 2007 Hi chelsea I see you have a cuckoo Maran - I've got one (Liz) and she was really quite aggressive to start with, and chased all the others pulling feathers from them all the time. Once I fitted her with a nose ring she was fine and has been really great since then. I was supposed to get two Marans, but ended up with one Maran and one North Holland Blue - Daisy - who looks very much the same, but has lightly feathered legs (not as much as your cochins!). They are by far the most curious and tame of all my girls. Yes we have a maran Richard. When we 1st got her I wasnt really keen on her (I was still getting over the death of Sam our chook) and I didnt take to the new chooks. However, she has turned into a really lovely hen- at the moment she is our only layer, she lays every day. She's very perky and always on the go (digging, scratching, running around). She doesnt mind being picked up either. We have never had a problem with aggression with her - not even with the new cochins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
