International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[marchick]

welcome back! I was wondering where you had been.

Thank you! I missed you guys too! Life has been ruff. To add to all the house problems and all the work that summer brings. We had 3 close family members almost die. One from pneumonia, one from heart attack/heart failure and one that has many health issues. My Aunt with pneumonia is down to 90 pounds. She is at home on oxygen and doing some better. As far as my Marans go. I don't have many left. We narrowed down roosters. Then one had leg issues from jumping off the stacks of wood. The two that I have left one ended up infertile. I hatched 3 chicks from the one. Two BLC cockerels and one BC that I am still questioning the sex. They are about two weeks old. That was my only attempt at a hatch this year.

 

[AusHen]

My Marans journey has been slow and uneventful. I sold my Cuckoo Marans hoping to get into just BBS copper Marans but unfortunately a pair of hawks have taken a pullet and cockerel I hatched so I'm only left with my Slash copper Marans pullet now. She recently started laying though so I finally got to see her egg colour, nothing fancy but in Aus we are still working on egg colour. Finding good birds and even chicks is tricky in my area so I have reached out to a few breeders in hopes of getting some more hatching eggs

 

[Thomas Bright]

Thank you! I missed you guys too! Life has been ruff. To add to all the house problems and all the work that summer brings. We had 3 close family members almost die. One from pneumonia, one from heart attack/heart failure and one that has many health issues. My Aunt with pneumonia is down to 90 pounds. She is at home on oxygen and doing some better. As far as my Marans go. I don't have many left. We narrowed down roosters. Then one had leg issues from jumping off the stacks of wood. The two that I have left one ended up infertile. I hatched 3 chicks from the one. Two BLC cockerels and one BC that I am still questioning the sex. They are about two weeks old. That was my only attempt at a hatch this year.

So glad to see you post. Very sorry for the health problems in your family. My wife and I both had Covid and it was really bad!! My wife still is suffer from effects after a year. I have some natural immuneity and have had both vaccines, so I'm good. I think I really messed up by not getting some of your Blues when we talked. Raising chickens and breeding them is a tremendous amount of work!! I am 70 years old and use to sign as OLD MAN TOM, but somehow lost that log-in. Now I'm just me. I only have 9 two year old hens, now. I have 1 old rooster and 2 new cockerels, 4 new pullets for this year. Cut way back with the Covid. VERY GOOD to see your POST TOM

 

[marchick]

So glad to see you post. Very sorry for the health problems in your family. My wife and I both had Covid and it was really bad!! My wife still is suffer from effects after a year. I have some natural immuneity and have had both vaccines, so I'm good. I think I really messed up by not getting some of your Blues when we talked. Raising chickens and breeding them is a tremendous amount of work!! I am 70 years old and use to sign as OLD MAN TOM, but somehow lost that log-in. Now I'm just me. I only have 9 two year old hens, now. I have 1 old rooster and 2 new cockerels, 4 new pullets for this year. Cut way back with the Covid. VERY GOOD to see your POST

Good to hear from you Tom. I am so sorry you guys got covid. Maybe I could attempt to ship you some eggs. I couldn't guarantee anything. The postal service is brutal. Plus I would have to probably move some hens over to get enough eggs to ship.

 

[chickengr]

My Marans journey has been slow and uneventful. I sold my Cuckoo Marans hoping to get into just BBS copper Marans but unfortunately a pair of hawks have taken a pullet and cockerel I hatched so I'm only left with my Slash copper Marans pullet now. She recently started laying though so I finally got to see her egg colour, nothing fancy but in Aus we are still working on egg colour. Finding good birds and even chicks is tricky in my area so I have reached out to a few breeders in hopes of getting some more hatching eggs

you have @Chooks man in australia. ask him for eggs or chicks.

 

[wolfwalker]

Idiots first batch of chicks now 10 weeks old.

The Roo's, not that I am impressed with them yet, but they are very young still.

I also realize the pics are not that good, but the new runs are finished and the new coops are being built so around 12 weeks when I snap better pics they will be in fbcm pen only.
number 1

number 2

So far I am liking number 3 the best

 

[wolfwalker]

Idiots first girls

there are only 2 and while I was doubting he would bring anything to the table so to speak he did.

number 1

number 2

 

[wolfwalker]

And in a case of an egg getting into a incubator which it shouldn't have thinking it came from somewhere else. I have a few young FBCM pullets in a pen of Light Brahma's that has an older Dark Brahma rooster in it for general protection. The rooster has not really had any urges to breed anything so imagine my surprise when this hatched. at 7 weeks old he is almost 3 times the size of Idiots kids. to bad he wasn't female, I would have kept her for eggs.

 

[Thomas Bright]

Good to hear from you Tom. I am so sorry you guys got covid. Maybe I could attempt to ship you some eggs. I couldn't guarantee anything. The postal service is brutal. Plus I would have to probably move some hens over to get enough eggs to ship.

I would not want to do anything until spring. The winters over here are brutal. Just stay in touch.

 

[marchick]

I would not want to do anything until spring. The winters over here are brutal. Just stay in touch.

That sounds good to me. I can get pens set up better. Hopefully things will calm down a little here also. I am so incredibly swamped in work.