FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
563 
(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
BLACK COCHINS. 
The origin of Black Cochins is a matter of dispute, some 
affirming that they were a cross between the Black Java and 
Buff Cochin ; others state that they were produced by a 
union between the White and Buff Cochin ; but, be that as 
it may, there is no doubt that perfectly black birds have 
been imported from China within the past few years. In 
shape they more nearly resemble the Partridge Cochin than 
any other variety. I presume it will be allowed that Buff, 
White, and Partridge Cochins have each their distinctive 
shapes, although we aim at the same ideal form in all. The 
Black cock is not so hollow in the back, if I might so ex- 
press it, as the Buff, nor so rangy as the White Cochin cock. 
They are square in form, with broad short backs, breasts 
very full and coming as low down as the Houdan ; tail small 
but entirely distinct from the saddle, carried horizontally, 
with abundance of soft, shining feathers ; wings neatly folded 
and powerful; thighs strong and wide apart; legs short, 
dark with yellow shining through. The comb, wattles, and 
deaf ear are large, fine in texture, and brilliantly red. The 
head is carried very upright, and the whole bearing is dig- 
nified, intelligent, and watchful. The plumage is glossy- 
green, even in a poor light — hackle, saddle, and tail feathers 
being iridescent. The under color is black, or gray-black, 
those showing white being inclined to throw stained feathers 
in their offspring. As compared with other Cochin cocks 
they are close feathered, larger in the comb, fuller in the 
neck hackle, deeper in the breast, carry their wings better 
(inasmuch as out of fifty cocks I have never seen a slipped 
wing) ; are more active, for I have seen a cock over ten 
pounds in weight, fly to the top of a fence, five and a half 
feet in height, in a strange yard ; but they are, on an aver- 
age, a pound lighter than their brethren, and are poorly 
furnished in leg-feathering. 
The hens are not so Cochinv as the cocks, being in respect 
of other Cochin hens, narrow in the shoulders; long in the 
back ; poor in cushion ; big in the tail, with much hard 
quill ; close in feather, and scant of leg and foot feathering ; 
but they are always black to the skin, and never show golden 
or white feathers. Bear in mind that I am describing the 
average Black Cochin cock and hen, and do not mean to 
infer that I have not seen from other yards as well as in my 
own, birds possessing the true Cochin character. Cocks 
weigh from 8 to 10£ pounds ; hens from 7 to 8J pounds. 
Eyes in both sexes are various, deep bay and pearl predom- 
inating. 
Perhaps it may not be out of place to give an account of 
my experience with them from the start, in doing which I 
may be a little prolix, for I think that only in this way can 
a knowledge be given of them to the intending fancier. 
I began with them about four years ago, at which time, 
besides other fowls such as Houdans and Hamburgs, I kept 
Buff and Partridge Cochins, and thus had ample opportu- 
nity of comparing them with each other. About the end of 
April, I got a sitting of eggs from the yard of Philander 
Williams, and in due time was the possessor of five lively 
chicks, gray-black on head, neck, and back, and white on 
throat and underpart. They grew amazingly fast, surpass- 
ing the other Cochin chicks of the same age, and I had 
hopes that they would keep ahead; but they matured in 
about eight months, while the Partridges and Buffs continued 
to grow, getting larger frames, and were at least a pound 
heavier in weight. Four of the chicks, which consisted of 
three cockerels and one pullet, were very fine, as Black 
Cochins go ; the best cockerel would compare favorably with 
any Cochin, except in leg-feathering and size; the other two 
cockerels were so much alike that I could not tell them 
apart, their chief fault consisting of too much tail and a 
white feather in the wing, not observable when the wing was 
folded. One of these was sold to a western breeder who I 
heard took first premium with him at a State poultry show. 
The third cockerel afterward developed a slight touch of red 
in the neck-hackle. The pullet was neat to look at; so 
glossy and sleek, with a neat head and comb, and was much 
admired by breeders despite her long body. In the winter 
I looked about for more hens, and got two from the same 
strain I had, but decidedly inferior, and three from a breeder 
who had English imported stock crossed with some Blacks 
brought from Scotland to his neighborhood by emigrants. 
On receiving the latter I saw at a glance that they were a 
very different strain from what I had. They were square 
and deep set in body, short in back and legs, had a great deal 
of stiff quill in the tail, poor in leg-feathering as usual ; 
passable in comb and good black in color, but lacking in the 
green lustre. 
I had now a chance to begin, and the stock though ordi- 
nary was the best I could procure, for breeders of Black 
Cochins are few and far between. I bred both cocks to the 
six hens and only hatched ten per cent, for the first two 
months; but this was no worse than other varieties of fowls 
early in the season, as the complaint of half-hatched chicks 
was universal. Afterward, I raised thirty chicks, but as 
luck would have it twenty-five of them were cockerels. 
Eight or nine of these were equal to the old cocks, but the 
winter stopped their growth, the largest not reaching nine 
pounds until the following spring. Of the five pullets one 
only showed the true Cochin type, the others were admi- 
rably fitted for running a race. 
I kept on the outlook for hens for next year’s breeding 
and whenever I heard of Black Cochins, if within reason- 
able distance, I made a pilgrimage, only to come home better 
satisfied with my own. I picked up a cock, however, which 
had carried off the honors at Boston. At last I saw a yard 
with a pair of hens in it 1 could not equal; these were 
originally from P. Williams’ yard, and I lost no time in 
transferring them to my own, despite the fact that their 
progeny of the previous season was much below the average, 
the cockerels especially being bad in comb, but this I at- 
tributed to the old cock whose comb was a little spooned. 
I also got two pullets from Connecticut, and selecting the 
four best birds out of all, besides adding a magnificent White 
Cochin hen, 9J pound in weight, almost perfect in shape and 
general points, her feathers lying over each other like shell- 
work, and possessing that most important item plenty of 
feathers on legs and feet. I ventured on this with the view 
of introducing better shape and feathering; and then by 
careful selection breed out the white without in any way in- 
terfering with the Black Cochin blood in the yard. That is, 
I will constantly breed a pure Black cock to the pullets of 
the white and black blood, until the black is established. 
I almost forgot to say that the four black hens I selected 
had about as much foot-feathering among them as would 
furnish one good exhibition hen, and what feathering the 
cock had was almost worn off. Two of the hens had a slight 
thickness at the top of the comb behind, but as I was mating 
them with a cock which had thrown such fine combs the 
