BC Maran question

[RAREROO]

I hatched about 7 BC Marans, they are now about 2-3 mos old and only two have good copper coloring, the others are solid black. Is it normal for some to start out solid black and get the copper color later? Thanks

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
At 2-3 months no its not normal. Many breeders are still working with coppering and some are just trying to sell birds without working on any of the bad traits. Who did you get your birds from? Many breeders have to cull quite heavily to get strong coppering but not to strong and many of the people that have hopped on the Marans bandwagon aren't working towards the balance of coppering and other traits that the master breeders are always working towards. These should be pretty egg layers but if they don't have coppering at 2-3 months they shouldn't be used to breed black coppers. I have a few Marans culls and they are great for making olive eggers with pure ameraucana! I am having a lot of fun with them and many still lay nice dark eggs.

Henry

 

[RAREROO]

OK

I got them from a local guy who trade me some eggs for some SS chicks.

I have a pair with good copper coloring and good leg feathering and at least a pair(possilby a trio) of solid black ones ( the one with the questionable gender does not have feathered legs). So if I crossed the solid blacks among themselves, will they produce solid blacks? I also have a Cuckoo roo the same age, shouldn't I be able to cross him with the black hens and produce more cuckoos? Any that I keep to build up the BC flock will be from the good coppered pair though.

 

[hcammack]

That sounds like it should work I am not genetics expert though so I am not really sure.

Henry

 

[cottagegarden]

Just b/c your trio is lacking visual color does not make them solid blacks, genetically they are still BCM. If you cross them with your good roo its entirely possible you will get perfectly
good chicks. Its entirely possible that if you cross the solid blacks you could get correctly colored chicks, more probable though if you have birds to standard.
Diff lines just have diff amounts of copper color.
BCM take a while to mature to plumage, sometimes even a year in Roos.
You shouldnt cross a Cuckoo and a BCM, you just make mud.

 

[hcammack]

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There you go!

 

[blackdotte]

Black Coppers are Birchin bred ER/ER & feather legged;
Blacks( & Cuckoos) are Extended Black bred E/E.
However as Black Coppers are making so much money some have been crossed with the clean legged Cuckoos. A Black Copper male over a Cuckoo hen will produce Black pullets E/ER, these have then been bred back to BCs. As a result E/ER birds, some with clean shanks are segregated.
David

 

[amazondoc]

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If they are only 2-3 months old, then they are way too young to be panicking yet. BCs often seem to take their own sweet time in developing color. Wait til at least 6 months before you get really nervous!