Black Cochin, 4h show quality?

[sarah4hchickens]

This is my 12 week old black cochin cockerel. He is missing some tail feathers but when they grow back do you guys think he would be a decent bird?

 

[Bo Garrett]

Very slow to mature birds so you'll have to be patient, he will continue to grow and fill out into his second year. Cochins should be round in all aspects with full breasts, large well developed cushions, large amounts of under fluff and broad skulls. I have worked with these birds most of my life and find them to be one of the most difficult but satisfying breeds to work with if one has the patience. That being said, he is still too young to determine his quality, post a picture in five months and it will be easier to assess his finer points.

Blessings,

Bo

 

[Painted Calls]

Filled out or not, his legs and feet are the wrong color. He also doesn't have enough feathering on his feet. You should only be able to see the inside of the middle toe.

As far as a 4H show goes, I'm not sure how well he'd do. You can always give it a shot though! You never really know until you try.