The Chattering Chicken

21/06/2026

18/06/2026

Ok so of course he wouldn’t stand up to display himself nicely however the youngest out of three keeper cockerels.
While not a particularly large fowl at the moment he has a tidy comb acceptable length and quite a nice tail set.
Again we are happy with the clarity of the hackle frontal depth and well place toes.
Yep we are still chasing that specific wow looking fowl however cannot find too many disappointments about this fella that requires sending him to the colonies.

15/06/2026

A light hearted drama at last year’s Quirindi feature Sussex show.
Judging in full swing however one entry wasn’t in the pen to face the judge.
Obviously a snack for Peyton’s bantam pullet was the priority fortunately however the amused and understanding judges skipped over the disqualification process.
For all enthusiasts your club will conduct the second all Sussex show at Quirindi Saturday 4th July.
Details
Sussex Club of NSW

15/06/2026

Champion Speckle Sussex pullet at last years inaugural all Sussex feature show at Quirindi.
As Peter Smith said in The Doyens of Poultry
“Those who choose to take on the challenge to perfect the intricate feather required for the speckles must be admired”
Rebecca Rendall has mastered that challenge with this magnificent example.

09/06/2026

We do have the odd person scratch their heads wondering why we offer our entire show team particularly Cochin at some major show auctions thereby allowing some enthusiasts the opportunity to either accept or reject our strain.
We do recognise that the Cochin gene pool is limited and it can be difficult for some to access reasonable quality fowl.
We do cull fairly heavily and retain only a few young fowl to utilise as second year hens so obviously there’s still a pretty good group for others to indulge in.
It’s a handy indicator to allow public auction to decipher if the fowl you breed are a powerful enough genetic interest to others.
We also feel we are getting a fairly predictable type in our Cochin that hopefully in the long run will benefit the breed as a whole.
While yes it can be difficult at times to part with some of them we feel the opportunity for others to also focus on building the integrity of Cochin is just as important.
We also acknowledge that some breeders who have maintained their own strain of fowl over numerous generations rightfully so can feel uneasy as to how another breeder may use or abuse their talent and dedication to excellence and that should be respected.
At days end it comes back to whether one worries too much about the few that may well pr******te your strain as against factoring in the opportunity for avid breeders who in collaboration can just as likely enhance the integrity of a breed.

09/06/2026

Our pullet who gained overall champion Cochin at the recent Canberra Royal poultry show.
Once again an enjoyable time catching up with many that share the hobby.
Congratulations to Lynn and Mark George Outback poultry who purchased this pullet at the Sunday morning auction we feel confident this fowl will breed well within their program.

08/06/2026