WHITE COCHINS. 



251 



red or golden feathers which are so tiresome in 

 breeding. Crossing would of course increase 

 these ; but all black fowls, however well bred, 

 have more or less tendency that way — even 

 Spanish and Hamburghs manifest it occasion- 

 ally. In one way, red may be regarded as a sort 

 of excess in lustre; and though the colour should 

 as a rule be bred out rigorously, and green gloss 

 selected for in breeding, it is an undoubted fact 

 that if lustre has become deficient in the females 

 of black races, it can sometimes be restored by 

 the use of a male with a little red in his hackle. 

 The lustre of these birds is best attained and 

 preserved for exhibition by keeping them for 

 some weeks out of the sun and strong light ; 

 the rest is health and condition. 



White Cochins were shown of very high 

 quality from quite early days, those exhibited 

 by Mrs. Herbert then, not being, surpassed for 

 many years : in regard to hens, 

 White indeed, many good judges considered 



CochinB. that the Whites surpassed all others 



in Cochin points and development 

 at this period, though of the cocks so much 

 could not be said, the tails in particular being 

 as a rule too long. One reason for this 

 curious superiority of White hens over other 

 Cochins, probably lay in the fact that much 

 heavier leg- feather was bred for; yet since body 

 shape and feather has been improving, the leg 

 feathering is not so good as in the earlier days. 

 However, the past five years has seen a great 

 advance made in White Cochins, and in point 

 of popularity they run Buffs very close. There 

 is still trouble in getting a pure-coloured cock, 

 though occasionally one is shown with plumage 

 white as the driven snow. 



The following notes on breeding and exhibit- 

 ing White Cochins are from a lady whose 

 marriage has taken place since they were 

 written, but who was, previous to that event, 

 well known as their most prominent exhibitor 

 under the name of Miss Edith Rouse, Lost- 

 withiel, Cornwall : — 



" This beautiful breed has many admirers, 

 and nothing can be more pleasing to the eye 

 than to see a flock of White Cochins on a 

 lawn, with their brilliant red faces and combs, 

 which look very lovely against the green grass. 



" To start with, the first thing is the mating 

 of the breeding pen. As colour is the leading 

 feature, and that is influenced greatly by the 

 cock bird, he should always be of a silvery 

 white. In this I am very particular, not only 

 as regards the bird himself, but to see that his 

 father also came from birds very sound in 

 colour. We must not forget that our sire, in 



order to breed birds to win, must have the ideal 

 Cochin shape, with a very neat comb, and an 

 abundance of feather. I am not so very par- 

 ticular about mere size in the cock, provided he 

 is of the above stamp. For breeding early 

 chickens I find nothing better than a cockerel, 

 and should prefer one that has not been kept 

 up for the show pen, but bred and kept for 

 stock. But for my principal hatching I use a 

 two-year-old cock, with my best typical hens. 



" Respecting hens, I do not study colour so 

 much, provided they are large, with plenty of 

 feather. In the breeding pen, to secure strong 

 healthy chickens, the pen should consist of not 

 more than four hens ir, the early spring, and five 

 later on, with one male bird. The breeding pen 

 should be fed sparingly, otherwise the chicks 

 will hatch out weak, and often die. 



" My most successful broods have been 

 hatched when the nest has been made of earth, 

 just covered with a layer of hay on the ground. 



" To prepare White Cochins for exhibition, 

 they should be kept in a shaded run, and scrupu- 

 lously clean, and a fortnight before being shown 

 should be placed in a pen similar to an exhibi- 

 tion pen, only larger. Here they should be 

 bountifully fed ; and handle them often to make 

 them familiar with the show pen, when they will 

 show themselves to a great advantage. 



" Two days before sending to the show 

 the birds should be washed [see p. 215], finish- 

 ing the neck and head last of all. Have 

 another bath by your side with clean cold 

 water, to which add a little blue. When the 

 bird is properly washed, throw a little cold 

 water over its head ; then plunge it in the cold 

 water (keeping its head above water), and 

 properly rinse out all the soap from the feathers 

 and place it on a small table ; have a quantity 

 of dry towels ready ; then squeeze out all the 

 water from the feathers with the towel, when 

 one is wet taking a dry one ; by this means you 

 can wipe the bird nearly dry. Now place it in 

 an exhibition pen, on a platform in front of a 

 good fire — near enough but not too close — and 

 if attended to it should be dry in two hours, 

 but it will take quite twelve hours for it to 

 fluff out quite perfect. I consider it will take 

 about fifteen minutes to properly wash a bird 

 that has been on a run." 



The chief difficulty in breeding White Cochins 

 is of course that of colour ; and beyond that, 

 the greatest de.'^.ideratum at present is probably 

 size. Thirty years ago there was a strain of 

 Whites which had a well-known tendency to 

 show a kind of reddish-sandy colour as a faint 

 stain in the cocks' wings, quite distinct from 

 that yellow tinge which is the more common 



