← All Chicken breeds
Cochin
ChickenAll fluff, the Cochin is a giant, round Chinese breed (originally the "Shanghai") that helped spark Western "hen fever" when it arrived in the 1840s. Soft feathering covers the whole body right down to the feet, and beneath it sits one of the calmest, friendliest temperaments in poultry — tolerant of any amount of handling, even by small children. Cochins are famously broody and make superb mothers, happily hatching other birds' eggs. Gentle, cold-hardy and beginner-proof, they're kept as much for companionship as for their brown eggs.
Beginner friendly
Quiet breed
Good with kids
Cold hardy
Broody
Good to know
- Huge, fluffy body with feathered feet
- Exceptionally gentle — great with kids
- Very broody; a superb mother hen
- Cold-hardy and easy for beginners
Egg colorBrown
Egg production150–200 / year
Weight9–11 lb
TemperamentDocile
BroodinessFrequent
ClimateCold hardy
PurposeEggs, Show
Varieties
BarredBlackBlueBuffFrizzle BuffGolden LacedPartridgeRed LacedSilver LacedSplashWhiteBirchenBlack RedBlack Tailed RedBlue RedBrownBrown RedBuff ColumbianColumbianDarkFrizzleGrayLavenderLemon BlueMille FleurMottledMottled D'ucclePorcelainRedSilver PenciledSpeckled
Find Cochin breeders near you
Checking current listings…
