Qualities of Cochins. 
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last point we may refer to Mr. Tomlinson’s account of his own yard. If they are sparingly fed on 
everything except green food, this being given liberally, they are scarcely ever ill ; but these two 
conditions are essential. Perhaps the greatest drawback to these good qualities is the unearthly 
howl rather than crow of the cocks, which makes it in towns often impossible to keep them, where 
but for this they would be the very best fowls for the circumstances. Their rather coarse quality 
of meat and deficiency of breast are also faults, though for home use they are profitable, as the 
legs, which are very large, are in our opinion, and that of many others (and the same remark may 
be made of the Brahma), far superior to those of other breeds. We speak of course of young 
birds ; the leg of an old Cochin is certainly an unmanageable morsel. 
Next to the peculiar crow, the greatest objection to keeping Cochins is the frequent propensity 
to sit. It rarely answers to check the desire altogether. The bird should be taken from the nest 
at once on appearing broody, and put under a common wicker coop, on hard ground, with water 
always by her, but little food. If possible, the coop should be placed in some open and bustling 
locality, or in a strange run ; and if two have to be confined in one coop, all the better, as their 
quarrelling will mightily assist the process of forgetfulness. No words are too strong to condemn 
the various kinds of “ water treatment” which are sometimes advocated. Many cases of mysterious 
disease are thus originated, and in not a few instances direct death has resulted from such cruel 
proceedings. Tying a red rag round the tail is a more innocent and often effectual way of 
“breaking up ” a broody hen ; but where the extent of the inconvenience is the only objection, by 
far the best plan is to mitigate it by imposing on the maternal instincts, Cochins being very easily 
deceived. A few days before hatching, one or two of the eggs should be transferred to another 
hen just beginning to sit, and when all are out, and have been cooped a few days, the whole of 
the chickens may be transferred to her, and the other hen, which really hatched them, returned to 
the yard. Having had the care of living chickens for a day or two, she will not again resort to the 
nest ; and in this way, by employing one hen virtually to hatch the eggs, and a second hen to rear 
the chickens, each brood will give rest and occupation to two hens instead of one, and as each bird 
will lay again proportionately sooner, the annual production of eggs will be considerably increased. 
Such a plan would not answer with many breeds, but Cochins and Brahmas are very easily imposed 
upon in this way. They are so predisposed to the duties of maternity, and so good-tempered and 
lazy, that very often by simply putting the discarded chickens under a broody hen at night, she 
will take to them next day ; and many instances are also recorded of even Cochin cocks making 
exemplary foster-parents for orphan chickens, not only at night, but taking all the care of them in 
the day-time that a mother would have done. As a rule, in fact, Cochins seem of a really genuine 
affectionate disposition, which gives great pleasure in watching their ways and habits, and accounts 
in great part for the fondness with which they are nearly always regarded by their owners. 
Their large frame and hardy constitution make Cochins to some extent valuable as a cross ; 
but such experiments need judgment. To turn a Cochin cock into the ordinary stock of a farm- 
yard is to ensure certain deterioration, the progeny being invariably a race of coarse, weedy, 
long-legged brutes, which no poulterer would look at, and no one will eat if they can help it. There 
are, however, three good crosses, in all of which the Cochin hen and foreign cock should be 
employed to obtain the desired result. The first is with a compact Dorking, which produces very 
large and pretty hardy birds, which mature early, and make splendid table fowls for family use ; 
but being rather coarse in frame, and generally showing traces of feather on the legs, are not so 
well adapted for good town markets, though this prejudice may be and has been overcome. The 
next is with the Crevecceur, which produces really splendid table fowls, tolerably fine in bone, but 
of quick growth and of great weight. These, too, are tolerably hardy, but, so far as we can judge 
