BREEDING HIGH CLASS PARTRIDGE COCHINS. 



The Combination of Form, Feather and Color Necessary to the True Cochin— How to Obtain These 



by the Single Mating System— Value of Inbreeding, Wholesome 



Food and Proper Care. 



By George W. Mitchell. 



DN the production of high class Partridge Cochins it has 

 been my constant desire to have not only the best 

 quality of this variety, but to equal the Cochin quali- 

 ties of any variety of the breed. To handle them in a 

 manner to gain such quality has been an extremely difficult 

 task, demanding the closest attention as well as continuous 

 thought for the future. In the production of all the qualities 

 required to have them fill the demands of the Standard it 

 is absolutely necessary to line breed, even to the verge of 

 dangerous in-breeding. To continue in this line of work and 

 maintain all the Cochin qualities has been a problem that 

 has given occasion for thought. 



The best way to convey to those who are interested such 

 information as will be valuable is by telling how it "is possi- 

 ble to maintain size, shape and feather when line-breeding 

 for color. First, the size can be maintained only by the se- 

 lection of the largest and most vigorous females, those that 

 show good constitutions and bone force, with thick heavy 

 shanks and thighs. Cochins must have strength in these 

 sections to enable them to carry the weight that comes with 

 increased size. The thighs must be long to carry the full 

 feathering of the present type and must be so located, or set 

 on the body, as to spread well apart so the body may be 

 wide and full and at the same time let the body down be- 

 tween the shanks that we may gain a broad* appearance both 

 fore and aft. Such hens can be depended upon to produce 

 good size and vigor at all times, even if bred in line for 

 years. 



Another thing that must be done is the forcing of the 

 ohick from start to finish with good, strong and wholesome 

 food that contains a large per cent of bone and feather form- 

 ing properties. Much more depends on proper care and feed- 

 ing than is generally understood. A Cochin that is allowed 

 to falter in its growth at any stage of its development will 

 never make a large, vigorous bird. Poor or irregular feed- 

 ing, over-crowding, damp or cold coops, all have quite as 

 much to do with loss of vigor, size and luster of feather as 

 has the method of mating. The chicks must be regularly 

 fed and properly looked after all the time or they will not 

 become high quality fowls, even if the eggs they came from 

 were from the finest of hens. 



DISCARD VULTURE HOCKS 



To gain the best Cochin shape and feather we must have 

 the right tendencies in our breeding stock. The progress 

 that has been made in this line has come from the use of the 

 heaviest feathered females to be obtained. The use of males 

 that have long and heavy vulture hocks stamps this evil 

 quality so strongly in the blood that it gives continuous 

 trouble for years. Select the heaviest feathered females you 

 can find, and the heaviest feathered males without the stiff 

 hocks and breed these qualities into your young stock grad- 

 ually rather than to have the bulk of them discarded for 

 vulture hocks. 



Of all things, do not tolerate a specimen that lacks 

 Cochin shape. In selecting for this do not make the mistake 

 of having them so short in body that they look dumpy or 



deformed, nor so low in front nor so high behind that they 

 have the appearance of falling forward. The most desirable 

 Cochin shape is the rounded, full form in all sections, as 

 large and full as possible, and as long as can be had without 

 losing the well-rounded form that is the beauty of the 

 Cochin. 



If these rules of maintaining shape, size and feather are 

 followed, you may feel assured of reasonable success and 

 improvement in the stock from year to year. 



Color and markings give this variety a grace and beauty 

 of feather that seldom are excelled. The combination of the 

 black and red of the male, and the mahogany red with 

 brown or black in the female, gives us a pair of birds beau- 

 tiful beyond the power of the pen to describe. When the 

 feathers show the smooth, glossy, velvety sheen that indi- 

 cates good health and breeding, you have a sure evidence 

 of vigor, without which you cannot gain the best condition 

 of color and feather. 



INBREEDING— ITS GOOD RESULTS. 



For many years I have practiced line breeding and the 

 good qualities so much desired have been infused into the 

 blood by the mating together of the specimens 'having in 

 the highest degree the qualities most desirable for the show 

 pen. Always having in mind the methods set forth above 

 for the control of shape, size, vigor and feather, it has been 

 possible to mate together the finest specimens produced, 

 even to using in the same pen full brother and sister. If 

 asked if I would advise such close breeding, I must answer, 

 "Yes, but — ." The "but" is added only to remind the ama- 

 teur that the greatest care must be exercised along the lines 

 set forth, and then success is the reward. 



Should one not desire to give the time and thought nec- 

 essary to produce the results mentioned he can hold to the 

 male line and breed these males to two or three separate 

 female lines that can be kept separate by knowing the pul- 

 lets from each hen, and hold these over to be mated with the 

 cockerels of the year, or with cocks that are a very little 

 removed from full brother and sister. In this way color can 

 be improved from year to year, providing you make use of 

 the true Standard colors in your matings. Our Standard 

 calls for the same color and striping of the hackles of both 

 males and females. 



Real beauty demands that the Standard be obeyed in 

 your matings or the result will be inferior hackles in the 

 females at least. Nature gives the proper hackle to the male 

 more readily than to the female, and to keep the proper 

 shade and markings in the hackle of the females we must 

 see to it that the hackles of the breeders are as we would 

 have them in the young stock. 



The mahogany red of the female helps to keep the bril- 

 liancy of the top color of the males and the dark penciling 

 helps to add richness and gloss to the black of breast and 

 body color of the males. The proper use of the Standard 

 colors in your matings will aid in establishing a line of birds 

 that will produce winners in both sexes from the matings 



