Cochin

Looks how to spot one

Very profuse, soft, fluffy plumage with heavily feathered legs and feet

A big, round, cushion-like bird whose abundant soft feathering gives a heart-shaped look from the side. Feathers cover the legs and feet completely. It has a single comb, red earlobes and yellow skin, and hens lay tinted to brown eggs.13

Personality what they are like

Very docile and easy-going. Cochins are rarely pushy, tame readily and are among the quieter breeds, which makes them a classic pet chicken.34

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Low. They are content in modest confinement and The Livestock Conservancy notes a 2-foot fence usually keeps them in, but they still benefit from daily time to scratch and potter.35

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Chickens keep their own plumage in order by preening and dust bathing, so the owner's job is a dry dust-bath spot, clean dry bedding, daily flock checks and regular egg collection. Their feathered feet stay neatest on dry ground and clean, dry bedding. Hens lay around 140 to 200 brown eggs a year and may start laying later than lighter breeds, at around 8 months.534

Home where they are happiest

Needs a secure, dry, well-ventilated coop plus an outdoor run. The RSPCA suggests roughly 1 m² of indoor space per bird where possible; veterinary husbandry guidance gives 0.37 m² per large bird as a minimum, and Oregon State University Extension advises about 0.28 m² per bird when there is a run, or 0.75 to 0.9 m² without outdoor access. Allow at least 15 cm of perch per bird (more for big breeds), about one nest box per four hens, and a patch of dry soil for dust bathing. Cochins are heavy, low fliers and suit cooler climates best.567

Food basics what goes in the bowl

A complete commercial ration forms the base: chick starter first, a lower-calcium grower feed until laying begins, then layer feed. An adult eats around 120 g of layers pellets a day, a little more in winter. Provide insoluble grit, oyster shell as extra calcium for layers, and fresh clean water at all times. In the UK, kitchen scraps may not be fed to poultry.56

Company who they like around

A flock bird that forages, roosts and dust bathes with companions, so keep at least three hens that get along.5

The story where it all began

Large, fluffy fowl from China reached the West in the 1840s and 1850s under the names Shanghai and later Cochin-China, and birds presented to Queen Victoria helped trigger the Victorian 'hen fever' for poultry. Show breeders then selected for ever more abundant feathering, and the breed entered the British standard in 1865 and the American standard in 1874.132

Recognised by the official bits

American Poultry Association (Standard of Perfection)

Admitted in 1874; nine large-fowl colours and thirteen bantam colours recognised.1

The Poultry Club of Great Britain

Soft feather heavy breed; the British club notes there is no Cochin bantam.2

The Livestock Conservancy

Listed in the Recovering category.3