Let's talk Cuckoo and WHITE marans... breeding strategies...

[Phorseco]

Thank you!!!

 

[OHmamma]

Hi Kelly!

 

[OHmamma]

SPRINGTIME!!




That was a 46 out of 48 set hatch of cuckoo, BC bantam marans and Shamo from the little pink eggs.




BC bantam chick by her LF hatchmate!

I also had this little oddball. I am thinking he is from the birchen x cuckoo hen I have. I messed up and didn't get the eggs separated because I forgot to mark them when I set them!




Here are two pullets a bantam and a LF




And a group photo!!

 

[lildinkem]

My Dickerson Cuckoo that was given to me at Crossroads now has his daughter in with him. I screwed up and gave one other of his daughters away for free this past year. Nice 4 to 5 color eggs comes from her. I will hatch out very few to see what I can make with him. He was free, so I do not expect the highest quality. But heck it is a start with Cuckoos.

 

[lildinkem]

dup post. Sorry about that

 

[DMRippy]

My Dickerson Cuckoo that was given to me at Crossroads now has his daughter in with him. I screwed up and gave one other of his daughters away for free this past year. Nice 4 to 5 color eggs comes from her. I will hatch out very few to see what I can make with him. He was free, so I do not expect the highest quality. But heck it is a start with Cuckoos.

I did a quick look through my pens and have decided to not use any cuckoos with the birchen look. I have 2 pullets/hens that look like your girl on the right and they are going to be removed from my cuckoo pen. With your roo it is going to be hard to breed AWAY from that look. I like the look, just not what the SOP is going to be from my understanding. Also you hen on the right looks to have yellow legs.

Cuckoo should look like a Barred rock in the barring. By that I mean nice even barring all over. No darker or lighter places like the wings, hackles and saddle feathers. Your roo would be good to breed for some Birchen Marans maybe (if he is not carrying yellow legs) but you would need some solid marans not carrying copper and they are hard to find.

 

[DMRippy]

So after going through my pens I have decided to use my Cuckoo roo over my original blue cuckoo hens. They are nice in type and size. I thought they had gold leakage but since their molt there is no gold, makes me think it was just old feathers. In the fall I will probably sell off the other cuckoos.

 

[lildinkem]

I did a quick look through my pens and have decided to not use any cuckoos with the birchen look. I have 2 pullets/hens that look like your girl on the right and they are going to be removed from my cuckoo pen. With your roo it is going to be hard to breed AWAY from that look. I like the look, just not what the SOP is going to be from my understanding. Also you hen on the right looks to have yellow legs.

Cuckoo should look like a Barred rock in the barring. By that I mean nice even barring all over. No darker or lighter places like the wings, hackles and saddle feathers. Your roo would be good to breed for some Birchen Marans maybe (if he is not carrying yellow legs) but you would need some solid marans not carrying copper and they are hard to find.

You spot on DMRippy. I sorta thought the same thing. Funny when I was at Crossroads, Dick had about 11 cockerels he was giving away. This boy was the only one who had this look. I wanted him to take him for a specific purpose. At that time I had a Silver Duckwing pullet from my Birchen cock Bruno. Bruno is from the first wave of Marans to hit the USA in the 90's. Bruno was hatched by Betty Jo Albretch in Nashville IN. I have no show quality Cuckoos. Just like the look.
Here is son of Bruno. Bruno was a non feathered legged Birchen. He lived to be 6 before getting eaten. I now have his son who is with his 1/2 Brother a BCM and a Ray Valentine BCM 5 year old hen. He does have the feathered legs.

 

[OHmamma]

My Dickerson Cuckoo that was given to me at Crossroads now has his daughter in with him. I screwed up and gave one other of his daughters away for free this past year. Nice 4 to 5 color eggs comes from her. I will hatch out very few to see what I can make with him. He was free, so I do not expect the highest quality. But heck it is a start with Cuckoos.

He is a silver cuckoo and actually very cool looking. Dick was giving away a bunch in Newnan too he said his new barn is to small for all of his chickens.

It will be interesting to see the chicks with the Er hen on the right too. Does she have yellow legs/beak? They look a little peachy.

-Nicol

 

[lildinkem]

He is a silver cuckoo and actually very cool looking. Dick was giving away a bunch in Newnan too he said his new barn is to small for all of his chickens.

It will be interesting to see the chicks with the Er hen on the right too. Does she have yellow legs/beak? They look a little peachy.

-Nicol

Hi Nicol,
Thank you so much for your reply.
I just took these 2 pics of her a few mins ago. Legs look yellow to me, beak is what it is. Maybe these pics will help you decide. The bigger girl is a pullet too. She lays an enormous egg. I am only hatching out MAYBE a dozen. IF you or anyone has interest in hatching some of these let me know. They are fertile. The bigger girl lays a lite tan egg. She is from my Cuckoo Orps. I also have a Cuckoo Orp with the Silver Cuckoo look as you described.
Again I am more then happy to share. I am cheap, just ask.







These are the 2 Cuckoo Orps I have. One is the Silver Cuckoo, other is just Cuckoo. Both came from a Black pullet with a Shaffer Cuckoo line cock.