226 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
We add a few general remarks on the breeding and exhibition of Cochins generally. Not 
only the fancy value in many respects, but even the economic or utilitarian value of Cochins, 
can in a great degree be determined by the quality of the plumage, and especially of the 
“ fluff.” We do not mean colour, so much as texture. If this be coarse and wiry, the meat will 
almost invariably be found inferior and stringy, whereas a fine downy plumage is generally 
accompanied by delicacy of flesh and good laying qualities. Another very important point was 
first mentioned to us by Mr. Hewitt. “ I should like,” he says, “ to direct your attention to a 
fact at which, so far as I am aware, no one as yet has even hinted. It is, that when the ear-lobe 
of a Cochin has been brilliantly florid, very thin , and fine in texture , I never met with such a 
bird, in even all my experience, that did not possess many other remarkably well-developed Cochin 
characters. Just note for yourself such birds as do really possess these fine ear-lobes for the 
future, and you will be surprised how unbroken is the result as to fine ‘quality’ generally.” 
Picking out “ wasters ” from Cochin chickens is somewhat difficult; Buffi birds disfigured by 
black spots or splashes may, however, be safely condemned ; and so may bad combs, which last 
neyer become straight, though straight combs, as remarked in the next paragraph, often become 
crooked. Narrow birds often “ fill out ” and subsequently make fine show fowls, especially if the 
cushion appear pretty large in proportion. Partridge cocks, when young, often show a great deal 
of brown about the fluff and sides of the breast, which afterwards moults out to an unexceptionable 
black ; great caution should therefore be exercised before rejecting them for this fault. Mealiness 
in Buffs, especially in the cock’s wing, rarely or never improves with age, and may therefore be 
condemned. 
Pullets intended for show should be sedulously kept from company with the male bird, as the 
soft downy plumage is easily injured. Just before laying, anything more indescribably “ pretty ” 
than a well-bred Cochin’s head can scarcely be imagined, unless the preference be given to the head 
of a Brahma. There is another reason for not showing pullets earlier. Many persons have 
remarked on the frequency with which perfectly straight and fine combs become crooked or 
twisted as the birds become adult ; but we have perfectly satisfied ourselves, from personal 
observation, that the change frequently takes place during a single show, when birds are sent whose 
combs, owing to their youth, have not attained their full development. The heat of the gas and 
excitement of the crowd appears in such cases to “draw up” the combs with marvellous rapidity 
— they want tone and strength to bear their own weight — and the mischief is done ; whereas, in 
many cases, had they been kept at home till the combs were fully developed, the ordeal would 
be borne without injury. In some cases we have reason to believe that a comb relaxed in this or 
any other way may be restored by daily bathing with some strong astringent, such as a solution of 
sulphate of zinc, but this must be carefully kept from entering the eyes. 
To keep Cochins in health when confined they must — more than any other variety — be 
plentifully supplied with green food ; if not, their digestive system soon suffers, and the plumage 
becomes ragged and scurfy. Particular care must also be exercised to prevent over-feeding, as this 
breed has a special tendency to accumulate internal fat, causing sterility, disease, and even death. 
Indian corn is therefore not good food for them. In severe cases of this prejudicial fattening the 
hinder part of the body almost touches the ground, penguin-fashion, and rupture is a frequent 
result. The most beneficial course in such an event is to allow the bird to sit for as long as five 
or six weeks, feeding her very sparingly till the system is reduced, by which means a cure may 
often be effected. 
Cochins have great merits, the chief of which are their hardiness, their winter-laying qualities, 
their large size, and the extremely small space in which they may be kept. In illustration of the 
