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Cochins
 Cochins
were first imported to America and England in 1845. The
large Standard Cochins are truly awesome birds. The Bantam
variety make wonderful pets for children and is the easiest
to tame. There are many color varieties of Cochins; Brown,
Barred, Black, Buff, Golden-Laced, Partridge, Silver-Laced,
and White. They are of the Asiatic Class and were originally
called the Chinese Shanghai Fowl because they originated
in the Shanghai district of China. The name changed later
to 'Cochin China' and then finally shortened to just 'Cochin'.
 After
arriving in England, they started a chicken 'gold-rush'.
Several rumors fueled this mass 'Cochin Craze'. For example,
one was that the birds could manage to lay several eggs
a day. Another was that the meat was the finest of any
meat in the world. However the most significant rumor
was the one that claimed that a person could make a fortune
with them and become rich in a relatively short time.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, the Cochin barely manages
to lay a few eggs a week and despite their massive appearance,
they are not as heavy as they appear, which makes them
unattractive for commercial meat production. In about
as much time as they became famous, their popularity declined
as more people realized the true facts about these birds.
Today, the only fame reserved for these birds is exhibition
at poultry shows where they still prove to be the center
of attraction.
 They
are distinguished by a profusion of soft feathering and
a great abundance of down fiber in the under-fluff. They
have an extraordinary amount of long, soft plumage. This
produces the apearance of making them look larger than
they really are. The female Cochins have a prominant development
of feathers at the base of their tails which forms what
is called a 'cushion'. The 'cushion' somewhat resembles
a 'bun' - a popular women's hair style of the past. Close-fitting
plumage is a serious defect, as is, lack of a cushion.
When they were first accepted to the Standard in 1874,
only the Buff, Partridge, White, and Black varieties were
included. It was not until 1965 that the Silver-Laced,
Gold-Laced, Blue, and Brown breeds were accepted. The
Barred breed was admitted in 1982.
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