International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[kcrandall]

Ive been crazy busy with work and the chickens. We are swarming with chicks of all ages so they keep me busy. I wanted to check in to update on Mud. He has nearly made a full recovery. He only lost the points on his comb, the rest just scabbed from blood. Once the scab and necrotic parts fell off he still has a decent part of his comb left. He is back in the brood pen where he belongs. His girls missed him.. when I opened the door to the coop he literally jumped out of my arms and ran into the coop. All 4 hens (3 splash and my FRF BCM) squatted to be bred and he happily obliged them. Lol

All is good again.

Also, the Mud x LA eggs I collected from before Mud got sick had a great hatch rate. Only one chick had a small amount of middle toe feathering and no excessive white. I am very pleased with them!

I will update with pics as soon as I can. Hope all is well!!

Whoop, whoop, I'm happy to hear Mud is doing well!! Also, congrats on your hatch from Mud...maybe you'll get a Mud Jr.!

Take Care,
Keith

 

[chicken crazy11]

Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to get my black copper Maran rooster to breed with the hens? I bought him from a lady that said that he needed a bunch of hens but since I got him my eggs don't seem to be fertile. He injured my other rooster who was doing the job well and now the injured one won't breed anymore. So now my eggs are infertile. Also I bought two black copper Maran hens from someone else that are 33 weeks old tomorrow but they aren't laying yet unless the lady was wrong about their age.

 

[3riverschick]

Hilly78,
do not cross these lines !!
don't do it! take the show quality Bev Davis line and make the other birds into an egg flock . do not cross them ,if you do you will regret it. Bev has worked hard for years to bring her Birds along .you don't want to upset the genetic stability of her gene pool by Crossing strains. it's a big mistake.
Best,
Karen
(Former Director of Archives
Marans of America Club)

 

[3riverschick]

Okay maybe just a caution isn't a good enough reason. let me explain why. there are so many genes floating around in the black copper that should be not be there . golden salmon, Wheaten, and black tailed buff, side sprigs in the comb, etcetera. it is difficult to get black copper Marans to the to SOP level and have their colors breed true. if you cross these lines , you don't know what you're bringing in. your birds could end up throwing Wheaten, corrupted Golden Salmon, Black Tailed Buff, side sprigs, etc. . you could end up with red feathers that you don't want . all kinds of color problems that would lower the value and integrity of your flock.
There has been been so much color breeding in Marans, it's very important if you get a line that's breeding true for color, then you stay in that line . it's one of the biggest needs of the Marans breed .
if you don't know how to line breed it get a hold of Bev, tell her what you've got, and ask her how to line breed them . she is encyclopedia about her line and can help you in that regard. whatever you decide , do not cross strains without talking to Bev Davis first .
Have a great day,
Karen

 

[Hilly78]

Okay maybe just a caution isn't a good enough reason. let me explain why. there are so many genes floating around in the black copper that should be not be there . golden salmon, Wheaten, and black tailed buff, side sprigs in the comb, etcetera. it is difficult to get black copper Marans to the to SOP level and have their colors breed true. if you cross these lines , you don't know what you're bringing in. your birds could end up throwing Wheaten, corrupted Golden Salmon, Black Tailed Buff, side sprigs, etc. . you could end up with red feathers that you don't want . all kinds of color problems that would lower the value and integrity of your flock.
There has been been so much color breeding in Marans, it's very important if you get a line that's breeding true for color, then you stay in that line . it's one of the biggest needs of the Marans breed .
if you don't know how to line breed it get a hold of Bev, tell her what you've got, and ask her how to line breed them . she is encyclopedia about her line and can help you in that regard. whatever you decide , do not cross strains without talking to Bev Davis first .
Have a great day,
Karen

Thank you for that advice, I hadn't considered the other line and what may have been crossed in the other line. That's definitely a great point!

 

[3riverschick]

Enjoy your Birds !
Best
Karen

 

[Braxton Brigade]

@Braxton Brigade
They sure look beautiful. I'm getting some BCM this weekend from Cowboy Country Poultry

I hope they turn out with nice Copper hackles like that

Thank you! I'm not familiar with the breeder you mention, I'll have to look into that.

 

[BobletFarmBirds]

Hmm... so we have a very large hen. She's not fat, very active, and really is just fluffy.

This is what she lays. Not the OE of course.

We are hatching a few chicks from her, 1 or 2 I think. Anyone else have big hens? The rest of ours are smaller than her.

 

[kcrandall]

Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to get my black copper Maran rooster to breed with the hens? I bought him from a lady that said that he needed a bunch of hens but since I got him my eggs don't seem to be fertile. He injured my other rooster who was doing the job well and now the injured one won't breed anymore. So now my eggs are infertile. Also I bought two black copper Maran hens from someone else that are 33 weeks old tomorrow but they aren't laying yet unless the lady was wrong about their age.

Your Rooster instinctually knows what to do. I have read that the general breeding ratio for Marans is 1 Rooster to 6 hens to ensure good fertility. How long has your Rooster been penned with his ladies? Is the Rooster aggressive or gentle with his ladies? How old is your Rooster?

It takes two to smooth the sheets so if your girls aren't comfortable with this Rooster they'll be less likely to squat for him or avoid him all together - especially if he is aggressive or attempts to over mate them. The Rooster needs to earn the trust of his ladies - he does this by being a protector, calling them when he finds food, etc. It may take a breeding pen up to month to fully adjust depending on the temperament of your Rooster.

Marans Pullets will generally start laying anytime between 24 and 40 weeks. I had one pullet that started laying at 20 weeks - surprised the hell out of me.

Good Luck,
Keith

 

[dvoice]

I've got 1 chick with an all pink beak, what's with that