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

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
That makes sense Don as my White came from 2 Cuckoos my understanding is that there are very few dominate Whites in the Marans....
Thanks everybody for posting I was feeling left out as I started with Cuckoos first...

So breeding 2 cuckoos together will produce a white? Does this happen often or is it a once in awhile occurance?

It happens once in a while I understand that's how they got the start for White Rocks just a common mutation I believe but the white is bright and you might find a tip of barring on a back feather Carrie calls them a double mutant as it is recessive and you need 2 copies for it to be expressed so I could get more and I can test for it if I had a white male but all I had was a pullet....Sew n Grow has her now she was hatched from a very dark egg but she doesn't lay a very dark one herself.

 

[HenThymes]

Wow, what a great thread! I am still learning when it comes to Maran's in general. I had a whack hatch back in November but have gotten some really nice ones from the group that I am going to work with and see what happens. I kept a trio of gold cuckoo and a wheaten cockerel. They are 5-1/2 months now and the two pullets I kept are turning really red, so hoping to see an egg any time now.

All that I kept have feather legs, the cockerel's so-so, one pullet is light and the other heavy feathered. Cockerel is coming in gold nicely and the pullets are starting to express gold around the necks now.

I also have my first hatch of bantam marans, most appear to be coming in cuckoo, may have one or two BC?? Out of the 9 I think I have one with feathered legs. They are only two weeks old.

I can't to see how they turn out. I would love to add blue bantams to them one day as well.

 

[VillageChicken]

Okay, now there's ANOTHER Marans thread I have to try to keep up with. I don't have cuckoos, but would love to see some pictures of good ones. I've seen one of Don's roos on the other thread.

HenThymes - it might just be me, but your roo looks dark - like he could throw non-barred hens because he's not double-factor barred, carrying only one copy. But he looks nice!

I have three white Maran's rooster that I have to decide which one to use. The biggest has the least leg feathering and a comb that looks like it was cut with pinking shears (he's only 3 months old, but it's not looking like it's gonna get any better!) The one with the nicest comb looks like he's got a roachback, but maybe once his hackle grows out more it will smooth out the transition from neck to back. The smallest one actually has the longest back and best type, so I'm hoping he'll keep on growing. I'll try to post pics in a couple more weeks. I like the feathered shanks in white, it's a very cool effect.

 

[flgardengirl]

I don't know if mine are 'good' or not lol. I hatched this pair from Melissa (pasofino farms). I have another pair as well with the female being a little darker. These are of when they were younger, I need to get more recent pics.
The girl in this photo does have a nice tail feathers, it was just smooshed down for some reason when I took this pic lol (I believe it was the perch too close to the wall in the small brooder they were in at the time). They do not have feathered legs. My darker female has some stubs on her shanks. I am planning to put in a few nice super dark laying, feather legged BCM females in the breeding pen with my golden cuckoos.

 

[HenThymes]

Quote:
Yes, he is dark and suspect that he only has one copy. However he is really large, the only gold cockerel I got from the hatch and is also feather legged so I am going to hatch a few from the trio (when they start to lay) and see what I get. If he does only have one copy will all of his pullet offspring be non-barred or just some?

 

[VillageChicken]

Quote:
Yes, he is dark and suspect that he only has one copy. However he is really large, the only gold cockerel I got from the hatch and is also feather legged so I am going to hatch a few from the trio (when they start to lay) and see what I get. If he does only have one copy will all of his pullet offspring be non-barred or just some?

No, half the hens will be non-barred, and half the roos will be single factor like him.
He's still very useful!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Here are a few pictures of our Blue Cuckoo Marans- he is 4 months old.

I thought I had taken a few of our Cuckoo hen but I can't find them so I will have to get some more durning the day.

Feedback is welcome- he is a project.

 

[Myabcs3]

After some technical difficulties, I am sure more due to user with a new camera than anything else, here are a few pics of my flock. I have the original breed quartet pictured below along with a trio of point of lay pullets and a trio of 7 week olds. I will post the youngsters later.

Hansel, the current leading man:

Hansel and two hens of the breeding set:

More recent pic of Hansel (yes, the girl now has an apron to the right!)

Claire, the french cuckoo hen:

Other Hen, clean legged:

Hansel's brassiness is more apparent since his molt last fall. I know from other threads, that I don't want this, correct? Evaluation and comments are appreciated!

 

[wolftracks]

I'm so glad this is a new thread. Maybe I can actually keep up.

 

[cmfarm]

No picutures of whites from anyone? I really like the white one's and hope to get some soon. I have question. If you cross a white with a splash will you get some white babies?