Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Alaskan]

so my 4 week old chick has one white feather on it's wing. Is this something normal for FBCM? is it any indicator of a male or female?

normal.

They often/usually have a couple of white feathers on the wing edge, those should molt out when the chick gets its adult feathers. Only then will you know for sure if the chick will have proper Marans plumage.

 

[sugar ridge]

From what I understand white is common my 5,week olds have some but I remember reading it is an undesirable trait.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

From what I understand white is common my 5,week olds have some but I remember reading it is an undesirable trait.

Only if it is in adult plumage. White in feather tips is not an issue in chicks.

 

[sugar ridge]

Great thanks for info

 

[chicken-whisperer]

After four years Twenty BCM chicks now grown with no yellow feet , plenty of shank feathers but no middle toe feathers , no wheaten feathering or mossiness, no halo hackles, but still a few floppy hen combs and some hens with little copper. The perfection part of the SOP is elusive but even so we are working on some Blues.

 

[FVRM]

Anyone want to weigh in on guesstimates for cockerel or pullet? They're 2 weeks old. I'm pretty sure the first 3 are cockerels and the last 2 are pullets but the middle ones - I can't tell.

Roo


Roo


Pullet


Roo


Pullet


Pullet


definitely pullet


Roo


Pullet


Pullet


Pullet


Pullet

 

[happyfrenchman]

Anyone want to weigh in on guesstimates for cockerel or pullet? They're 2 weeks old. I'm pretty sure the first 3 are cockerels and the last 2 are pullets but the middle ones - I can't tell.

ROO

ROO

HEN

ROO

ROO

ROO

HEN

ROO


HEN

HEN

HEN
HEN

That was fun/tough... I have to stay tuned to find out.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Does anyone have an opinion on the theory that the darker cockerel throws the gene for the darker egg? I incubate the darkest eggs I get and they have shown considerable movement toward darker.... however the rooster is a variable I have not been able to manipulate. I only keep the rooster for a year and it takes a little time to see what his hens will lay. But I am concerned with inbreeding. If I found an outcross Rooster I could keep him longer. . yes? I would not be as concerned with what he looked like although the less white the better. My line seems to develop more white feathers after first moult....

This bird is typical of my roosters... I have him and another slightly darker but younger..

 

[Zanna]

Does anyone have an opinion on the theory that the darker cockerel throws the gene for the darker egg? I incubate the darkest eggs I get and they have shown considerable movement toward darker.... however the rooster is a variable I have not been able to manipulate. I only keep the rooster for a year and it takes a little time to see what his hens will lay. But I am concerned with inbreeding. If I found an outcross Rooster I could keep him longer. . yes? I would not be as concerned with what he looked like although the less white the better. My line seems to develop more white feathers after first moult....

This bird is typical of my roosters... I have him and another slightly darker but younger..

I have used lighter and mahogany coloured cocks, no correlation to egg colour that I have seen. Have also had pullet offspring from a single mated pair that lay fairly extreme different degrees of darkness as well.

Bringing in a Cock from a new line brings in the risk of incorporating an unwanted gene. If it is a recessive gene, it will not show up till you breed the cock back to one of his daughters that inherited the gene. By changing cocks every season, you never really know what may be hidden in your birds.

 

[Ebove06]

I wouldnt doubt for a second that they are from the same hatch. It is possible that one hatched earlier than the other (still from the same batch.)

I have had chicks hatch one day... and others in the same hatcher... finally hatch 2 or even 3 days later. 

I think one looks like a pullet and one looks like a rooster. I betcha you will be able to tell easier in another week... maybe 2 weeks.  I think it takes awhile  for them to mature enough to tell anyway.

Okay, it has only been about a week and a half, but I will be out of town next week. The chicks are about 9 weeks now (sorry, the first time I posted pictures of them I totally got the date wrong)!

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