Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Lucky KY Chicks]

Looking for feedback on pullet. Pictures taken at just under 6 months old.

 

[snaffle]

Yep... that's a black copper maran pullet for sure.

Yep... looks like that to me. She also looks very sweet.

Sorry I am not qualified to pick her apart as to her quality... just couldnt help myself lol

 

[scflock]

Hi. I just found this thread, and after about 20 pages I started going into overload, so I'm jumping in and posting. I picked up some straight run FBCMs a few weeks ago. I don't have any pics of the chicks yet, but I did take a pic of the eggs while I was at the breeder's

I'm not going for show quality birds, I just want the dark eggs, and these were beautiful. This picture was taken under white light. The man said they were Wade Jean line, but I'm a novice with Marans and have no way of proving this. The chicks are beautiful, with nice feathering on the legs and outside toes. The part that is baffling me, though, is sexing them. On my cuckoo marans, I can usually tell within a week. These are 8 weeks old, and I'm still not sure. Two definitely have the combs and wattles to make me think they are roosters, but the coloring is what is throwing me. They are all molting out the few white feathers they had, but two are staying almost solid black, two have slight copper feathering coming into their necks, and 4 have a good bit of copper in their necks, almost like black sexlinks. A couple of them are starting to get a little copper coloring in their backs, too. Is there a lot of color variation from bird to bird, or is coloring at 8 weeks indicative of what they are growing into? I will post pics as soon as I can get some good ones.
The parent stock looked very good, though I'm certainly not a show judge. The coloring on all of his birds looked typical to what I researched online before I went, but like I said, I mainly went after the eggs. I will keep one rooster so I can raise my own, though. I have had many people that buy my cuckoos ask when the black coppers will be available. I'm looking forward to raising these

 

[snaffle]

I think your eggs are darker brown than mine, but my husband says mine are just as brown.

I started with cuckoo marans and moved to black copper. It takes me a long time before I can tell the pullets from the roosters.

Last fall I kept 2 roosters. Going into fall they both looked almost entirely black. Wasnt sure if I should keep them or not. Here he is this winter

 

[scflock]

I think your eggs are darker brown than mine, but my husband says mine are just as brown. I started with cuckoo marans and moved to black copper. It takes me a long time before I can tell the pullets from the roosters. Last fall I kept 2 roosters. Going into fall they both looked almost entirely black. Wasnt sure if I should keep them or not. Here he is this winter

Wow, he's beautiful. Hopefully I will end up with a good one. I bought cuckoos before I did enough research to realize that not all Marans were the same. The cuckoos are great layers of pretty eggs, but not that chocolate I was going for. They have a great disposition, and are my best sellers, but I always show pictures of the eggs to anyone that asks about buying them. I can't wait til these start laying

 

[Carficlucks]

Hi all
This is my first time hatching eggs. I have a hatching question I got 6 fbcm eggs on 2/2 I let them sit big side up in a carton for 24 hrs before I set them in the incubator
Last night 2/23 1 pipped and zipped within an hour and is doing good My question is how long is the chick ok in the bator without food and water the other 5 eggs have not pipped yet they were shipped eggs and roughly shipped at that (think they confused the box with a foot ball).
thanks
George

 

[scflock]

Hi all
This is my first time hatching eggs. I have a hatching question I got 6 fbcm eggs on 2/2 I let them sit big side up in a carton for 24 hrs before I set them in the incubator
Last night 2/23 1 pipped and zipped within an hour and is doing good My question is how long is the chick ok in the bator without food and water the other 5 eggs have not pipped yet they were shipped eggs and roughly shipped at that (think they confused the box with a foot ball).
thanks
George

They will be fine in the incubator for 2 days without food and water. They absorb the yolk before they hatch. My last two hatches lasted close to 48hrs. Try to resist the temptation to take the chick out. It will be fine, and you keep the climate constant for the new pippers

 

[Carficlucks]

thank you I read that some where on this site just wanted to confirm

 

[FVRM]

They will be fine in the incubator for 2 days without food and water. They absorb the yolk before they hatch. My last two hatches lasted close to 48hrs. Try to resist the temptation to take the chick out. It will be fine, and you keep the climate constant for the new pippers

I'm a bad parent, I take them out as soon as they hatch because they kick the other eggs around and make it harder for the late hatchers to get out. I do it fast btw

 

[scflock]

I'm a bad parent, I take them out as soon as they hatch because they kick the other eggs around and make it harder for the late hatchers to get out. I do it fast btw

I have, too, when I first started, but I try to wait now. I think the hatch goes faster with them calling each other. I will sneak some out on a delayed hatch