Are Golden Cuckoo Marans common?

[kathyinmo]

I saw a picture of a Golden Cuckoo Marans, and thought it was so cool! I don't recall hearing much about them. Is this something new, or old and being revived? I am assuming they lay dark eggs also? Please post your pictures of the chickens and the eggs, if you have any. Can you tell me where a good place to purchase these would be?

 

[walkswithdog]

Oh heck no. Hard to get, nigh impossible. Nivtup has eggs available and that's a good deal, great color to the eggs for a "less popular" type. I hatched two GCMS from his eggs, one died, the bator had a problem. Not a problem with the quality of eggs from Don. I'm going to do it again in Spring until I have at least four.

There's one guy holding them who offers hatched/started at insane prices. I can't afford that. So I'll just repeat eggs until I succeed. The one remainder from that hatch is a girl and a total doll. I'll keep working on them and Wheatens/Blue Wheaten. They're the colors I find I like. Though black coppers are gorgeous. I like the uncommon.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

Quote:
who is the guy that sells the chicks at insane prices??? website maby??? at this point i would all most rather pay to get chicks i have had no luck with shipped eggs

 

[Mahonri]

I have two.

She only lays about an egg a week. It's HUGE but that's all she lays.

I can't wait to hatch out some black coppers on New Years Day.

 

[Crunchie]

I've seen a couple of people here on BYC with them but I don't think many folks are breeding them. I kept a pair out from this year's hatches. They aren't laying yet, so I don't know what their egg color is like--they came from great egg colored genes and hatched from decent eggs, but overall I've been less than happy with the egg color from my last generation (the parent generation of these) of Cuckoos. So we'll see.

They're pretty birds and have ok leg feathering, but their type could be better (I don't like the tail angle on either of them, but at this point they're all I've got to work with). I have another pullet out of the same group of youngsters as this golden pair that developed a bit of dark gold in her hackles, and her type is better than the golden pair--so I might put her in the breeding pen with them and see what I get. If her and the roo throw goldens, I might be able to start improving the type that way. I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. I really like the coloring on the hens, it's cool!

They popped up out of my line of Cuckoos that I've had for years. I'd kept it closed 'till I added two roosters and one hen from another breeder to my main pen of Cuckoos a couple of years ago and, voila--I started hatching goldens.

I didn't keep any of them for a long time. Sold them as culls. Then I decided it might be a fun project to work on, so I kept the two with the nicest coloring from this year's chicks. We'll see how this project turns out in a few years.

 

[kathyinmo]

Do you have pictures that you could post?

 

[Crunchie]

Quote:
Not sure if you're asking me or Mahonri (or both

), but I will get some tomorrow and post them. I just went and looked through pics I have of this group of youngsters, but none of them are very clear of the goldens.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

I call first dibs on Maria's eggs!!! LOL!!!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Not sure if you're asking me or Mahonri (or both

), but I will get some tomorrow and post them. I just went and looked through pics I have of this group of youngsters, but none of them are very clear of the goldens.

Oh ... anyone with pictures ... please post them!

 

[redhen]

I have a breeding pair..but they are not seperate from my flock. My roo is SO pretty.

I'll get a pic up in a minute..

they are sexable at hatch also!

when they were young.. (the second roo in the pic i gave to another member on here..)