International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

Good luck with your hatch!! My broody hens come off the nest daily for about 30 minutes for the first week then about an hour per day for the next two weeks. I usually don't let my hens set more than 8-10 eggs so they can cover them all. My hens have a hatch rate of about 75%.

The BLCM and BCM Chicks I incubated this spring are 3 weeks old today and are feathering out well. They should be fully feathered in another week or two. Looks like I got an even split between pullets and cockerels, 8 each.

Take Care,
Keith

love to see some photos of them soon .

50/50 is a best ratio .

Chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I think you once mentioned that parasitic white feathers can be due to health issues. does it count in genetics?

my mario lost all of parasitic white feathers. but marco had some health issues when he was about 3 months old. unfortunately he is full of white feathers. his mother died at 1 year old so I know nothing about her.

I am keeping them at the moment but I set 5 eggs that I got from a friend of mine just in case. I suspect that luna, mario and marco might be heavily inbred. I will see if any of their eggs will hatch. the broody is young and at the beginning she lost 3 marans eggs in the nest (buried them away from her). she also gets up and stays for long and eggs cool down. I don't hope too much. but I put some eggs under a heat lamp to experiment the old fashion incubating from the pre-incubator times.

yes Chickengr I mentioned it before that a white can be caused by health issue .but the one I m talking about here it is the parasitic white caused by they genetic make up .

the white caused by health issue usually does go away after they molt .if still there after the molt than it is genetic ,the sickness just help it express it self .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Here is a hen with a prize:a mouse she has caught.

she is well happy . no body is going a get her mouse .good girl

chooks man

 

[Braxton Brigade]

All this broody talk seems fitting. I have about 5 girls trying very hard to set. I lost a hen (one of my australorps, not a Marans) for 3 days and couldnt find her, I feared she was taken by something... but yesterday night I heard some crazy noises and found her sitting on 17 eggs.

I hoped the eggs hadn't developed at all but after candling them I found that 14 out of 17 look to be about a week and a half old and were doing well. I decided to move her into the coop and let her do as she pleases. I may end up selling her and the whole brood of chicks once they hatch.

It was quite the surprise since I had feared she was dead.

 

[kcrandall]

love to see some photos of them soon .

50/50 is a best ratio .

Chooks man

I had planned on taking photos at 4 weeks (next week). They are growing fast and are feathering well. Another couple of weeks they go into a grow out pen.

Take Care,
Keith

 

[chickengr]

yes Chickengr I mentioned it before that a white can be caused by health issue .but the one I m talking about here it is the parasitic white caused by they genetic make up .

the white caused by health issue usually does go away after they molt .if still there after the molt than it is genetic ,the sickness just help it express it self .

chooks man

thanks.

I checked marco and almost half of his white feathers are grey now. they are at the base of the feathers so it is not visible at all. that's why I don't know when they appeared.

 

[chickengr]

All this broody talk seems fitting. I have about 5 girls trying very hard to set. I lost a hen (one of my australorps, not a Marans) for 3 days and couldnt find her, I feared she was taken by something... but yesterday night I heard some crazy noises and found her sitting on 17 eggs.

I hoped the eggs hadn't developed at all but after candling them I found that 14 out of 17 look to be about a week and a half old and were doing well. I decided to move her into the coop and let her do as she pleases. I may end up selling her and the whole brood of chicks once they hatch.

It was quite the surprise since I had feared she was dead.

that's a good news!

it is a pity I am too far because I need such a broody.

 

[Chooks man]

thanks.

I checked marco and almost half of his white feathers are grey now. they are at the base of the feathers so it is not visible at all. that's why I don't know when they appeared.

yeah it is a white caused by health issue ,that why they turning grey .

the parasitic white I m talking about gt worst with age .and stay white .

chooks man

 

[chickengr]

yeah it is a white caused by health issue ,that why they turning grey .

the parasitic white I m talking about gt worst with age .and stay white .

chooks man

happy to hear that!

mario is molting and I don't see white feathers any more. he is about 20 months old. marco is 12 months old and I hope he will completely loose white feathers. there is less than a week for their chicks to hatch (if they hatch). and in 2 weeks the other 5 are due. if they hatch I will have unrelated chicks. my friend's marans are not perfect but have no white feathers and hens have good mass. only 3 have good combs so we shall see what happens with their daughters. anyway, mario corrected luna's comb so marco should help with combs too (I guess).

a lot of work but great pleasure.

 

[marchick]

I hatched 4 BLCM and 4 BCM. They are from the same two hens and same rooster as the two odd light chicks. These hatched much darker blue. I don't understand why?

I like this color much better though!