Newly Acquired Cochin

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KimChick
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Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by KimChick » Fri Oct 11, 2019 8:32 pm

We just acquired a Cochin middle aged hen from someone who could not keep her any longer. She is a lovely gray colour.
So far, she is in the barn, free to go in and out of a rabbit cage, in plain view of the RSL's on the other side of the enclosure fencing. The red hens that are in the barn enclosure are hiding out from the young roosters. (Freezer camp is imminent for most of them.)
Our hens are not as calm and demur as this cochin. Because they pounced on her the first time we put her in the barn enclosure, she was put back on the other side of the fence.
My thoughts are that the next time we let the chickens out to free range around the property, we will put the new hen out, too.
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Ontario Chick
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by Ontario Chick » Sat Oct 12, 2019 9:13 am

Always good to introduce a new bird on neutral ground, outdoors works very well, when everybody is somewhat distracted.
I have 3, 4 month old pullets and will introduce them in to the flock they will be living with, by putting all of them in to a different pen, thus hopefully avoiding the old "WE WERE HERE FIRST" argument.
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kenya
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by kenya » Sat Oct 12, 2019 8:09 pm

You might have to fence off a little section of their enclosure for them to get used to her otherwise I think they will pick on her. Cochins are pretty laid back and because shes by herself it will take a while for her, poor girl.
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Kbr42
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by Kbr42 » Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:06 am

I have a dog kennel...or pee pen that can be stretched out in my indoor coop. I use that to keep them separate but close. It works well. Mine has a little door. Eventually, I just leave it open. The Cochin will take a little time. They are lovely birds. I have a standard one I hatched in March she is huge and a big chicken...lol
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KimChick
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by KimChick » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:18 pm

This Cochin is a standard. She goes right up to the fence, face to face with the RSL's. I don't stay in the barn long enough to see whether or not there are any hen dominance challenges.
We never did let her out to free range with the others, yet. If we do, it will be after we thin out our rooster population.
DH was talking about possibly making "Anna" a little enclosure all for herself, one that can easily be cleaned.
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Happy
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by Happy » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:28 pm

My 4 standard cochins were standoffish at best. They did get pushed around a bit by my barred rocks. But they mostly just tried to avoid the others. I always thought of them as snobby and elitist 😂. I'd try to find her a friend. Maybe one from your other flock that is gentle or a bit of a loner.
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Jaye
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by Jaye » Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:16 pm

Good advice, @Happy :-)
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KimChick
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by KimChick » Tue Nov 12, 2019 7:42 pm

Update:
Anna has her own little hen-house with a platform and a ramp, in the barn, on the other side of the fence, away from all the others.
AND she laid an egg today!!!
So she actually has free range in half of the barn, but since she is not very mobile, she doesn't go anywhere. I think that is darned convenient.
@Happy, she sees other hens though the fence and chats with them. I think trying to mingle them more will have to wait until Spring because I know feathers are going to fly when we give the hens no choice but to share their barn space with the young 'uns that hatched in May. Only the rooster and 2 young hens have been in the barn for a couple of minutes.

Oh, we now have 1 rooster. I have named him Ernie. Bert (the fox fighter) died; Bert Jr., and Jr.'s Jr. are no longer with us.
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KimChick
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by KimChick » Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:07 pm

Kbr42 wrote:
Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:06 am
I have a dog kennel...or pee pen that can be stretched out in my indoor coop. I use that to keep them separate but close. It works well. Mine has a little door. Eventually, I just leave it open. The Cochin will take a little time. They are lovely birds. I have a standard one I hatched in March she is huge and a big chicken...lol
Anna is a standard, and yes, she is pretty big and has a lot of fluffy feathers.
To date, she has laid 3 eggs.
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KimChick
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Re: Newly Acquired Cochin

Post by KimChick » Tue Nov 19, 2019 10:19 pm

Make that 4 eggs.
She is outdoing some of my other hens!
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