Ozark Bantams: Our Blog

Today I attended the Fordland Small Animal Swap in Fordland, Missouri. I had been wanting to attend this event for some time. Unfortunately, the swap is only held once a month and is located near Springfield, Missouri which is over 3 hours from where I live. It just so happens, however, that I am in Springfield visiting family this week. So, I was able to make it to the swap meet this morning, and I am glad that I did. The main focus of the event is chickens of all breeds and varieties; however, there were also vendors who were selling turkeys, ducks, pigeons, peafowl, guineas, rabbits, pigs, goats, and other small animals. This was my first time at the event, and I was impressed by the number and variety of birds for sell. I hadn’t gone with the intention of buying anything in particular, but ended up getting a pair of white cochin bantams. I had been wanting a pair or trio of white cochins for some time, so I was thrilled to find a pair for sell at the swap. The vendor from whom I bought the birds had several pairs to choose from, and I was pleased with the quality of the pair I bought. As you might already know, my primary focus is on my flock of black cochin bantams; however, this newly acquired pair may eventually be the foundation stock for a future flock of white cochin bantams. I have included a photo of the pair below. Beautiful birds, aren’t they? I couldn’t have asked for a better looking rooster. And the hen, though a bit narrow for the breed, is very pretty. She is only 4 or 5 months old, so I suspect that she will fill out a bit as she gets older. Needless to say, I was very happy with my find today and look forward to adding the pair to my flock when I get back home with them. For those who might be interested in attending the event, the Fordland Small Animal Swap is held from 7am to 2pm on the last Saturday of each month through October. Or if you’re in the Southeast Missouri area you might also consider attending the Fruitland Small Animal & Poultry Swap in Fruitland, Missouri.

September 25th, 2009 Update: My new white cochin pullet began laying last week, so I was pretty close on guessing her age to be around 4 or 5 months old when I bought her. Cochin pullets begin laying at around 6 months of age. As is normal, her first eggs are considerably smaller than they will be after this her first laying season. If fact, they are about half the size of my other laying hens.

White Cochin Bantams