Mary Allen
The demand for dwarf cochin is greater than the supply of animals. Also known as “shuttlecock,” the chicken has a long history that stretches back to the Imperial Palace of China.
The dwarf Cochin are primal dwarfs who were initially called “Peking Bantams”, as Horst Schmidt writes in his comprehensive “Handbook of Livestock and Breed Chickens”. It is therefore not an edition of the large breed in a small format. On the contrary: the large breed is not related to the dwarf breed, as is otherwise the case with other chicken breeds.
The first pair of these little chickens are said to have arrived in London from China as early as 1860. In China, the animals were kept in the emperor’s summer palace, although exporting them to other countries proved to be very difficult. The second import was only successful 25 years later by an Englishman who brought yellow dwarf Cochin to Great Britain for the English queen. A yellow breeding pair went to Germany a little later for 1200 gold thalers.
As Schmidt goes on to write in the book, the “feather balls”, as they were called at the time, spread very quickly. They attracted attention because of their calm and trusting nature. 99 animals were shown at the National German Poultry Show 65 years ago. The first animals came to Switzerland around 1890. As a look at the old ranking lists shows, breeders in Switzerland were already showing dwarf Cochins in 1937, which were exhibited at national poultry shows. The number of animals shown is always increasing. 88 shuttlecocks were already registered for the 2014 exhibition.
Cozy Character
Dwarf Cochins are a trusting and calm breed. The tame character and the easy-going nature inspire their lovers. Due to their feathered legs, care should be taken to keep them on a short-cut lawn or on well-kept sandy soil. These chickens are not kept for economic reasons. The laying performance is probably above the 80 eggs per year specified in the standard. Dwarf Cochins are therefore great chickens for the garden, and will occasionally produce eggs. Especially in spring, the hens show their pronounced brooding instinct, stop laying and stay on the eggs.
In the breed poultry standard for Europe, a wide range is currently recognized with 24 colors, which also makes the breed extremely interesting. In an exchange with long-time breeders, it can be learned that some dwarf Cochin breeds were even designed so that their cocks crowed less intensively. Compared to other large breeds, the cock call of a dwarf Cochin is certainly less intense, but the cocks do not completely refrain from crowing.
In the offspring, as with other chickens, around half of the cocks and hens are lost, but the hens are usually in demand for the garden, which is why the demand always exceeds the offer on offer. It may also be due to the far too low sales prices, which can sometimes even be less than 50 francs per hen today. Due to the huge demand, even CHF 100 per hen would be justified. The dwarf cochin find about the same rapid sale as silkies. In America’s Silicon Valley, there are even “chicken consultants” who come to visit the house and charge an hourly rate of 250 US dollars for their advice on keeping chickens.
Shape Like a Ball
Dwarf Cochin is a subscript chicken with a bulky and broad body. They wear very full, soft, and downy plumage. Because all shapes are rounded, the overall shape appears like a shuttlecock. The wings are small and broad, lie firmly to the body, and are well embedded in the downy plumage. The soft tail feathers form a closed group that is strongly arched on all sides. The chest is carried low. On the head, the dwarf cochin has an evenly serrated crest. The earlobes are red and indicate brown eggs. The shell color shows itself in different forms depending on the color impact.
The dwarf cochin comes in a smooth and curly plumage structure. For the curled feathers, the coiled curl should make at least a half twist. The feathers of the neck hangings, which are erected towards the head, form a ruff. Animals with a long, narrow build or a croup that is too flat are less welcome at an exhibition. The overall body should clearly show the ball shape.