Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Bejammie]

Scflock, when u decide to sell your laying hens bcm to start over let me know, no desire to breed here just want pretty eggs lol and I know u r close by.

 

[snowbird]

Garydean, Most of the first paragraph is true and not gossip.

 

[snowbird]

This is what happens when Penne blood is mixed into Marans, this is part of a Coronation comb and is a DQ and a cull.

 

[scflock]

Scflock, when u decide to sell your laying hens bcm to start over let me know, no desire to breed here just want pretty eggs lol and I know u r close by.

I will let you know. Probably next spring

 

[scflock]

This is what happens when Penne blood is mixed into Marans, this is part of a Coronation comb and is a DQ and a cull.

Don, I don't know if you saw my post a few days ago, but you were right. The dark chicks are beyond mossy

 

[happyfrenchman]

Don, were you replying to my post about the white earlobes? HF.

 

[GaryDean26]

Garydean, Most of the first paragraph is true and not gossip.

***Edited to remove breeding tips rant***

Marans are not a bird that you can pair on type alone. Work like test mating, trap nesting, progeny testing, and pedigree are required to prove out what you can't see on the out side. Without knowing what is on the inside of the bird you just seem to go round and round in circles without making much progress. Once you know what is on the inside of each of your breeders thing are much easier. Breeding blind is what make breeding Marans hard.

 

[Alaskan]

However....

If you look at the average egg color that each hen lays, as well as how well she maintains that egg color. And then hatch only her eggs... Wouldn't a cock out of those eggs have a very good chance of carrying good fark egg genes?

If I hatch a cockerel from a light colored egg, not a fluke, but from a hen that consistently lays light colored eggs... If I use that cockerel in my breeding program, will his progeny not tend to lay lighter colored eggs?

Now, the dark color is a complicated mix of genetics... So isn't as clear cut as some things... But it should still work as I stated above.


And as to copper.... If my hens are black or mostly black.... Breeding them to a cock with a great deal of copper can increase the copper in the hens... But yes, I will then also be dealing with some birds with way too much copper..... Definately a balancing act there.

 

[Scatterknit]

Thank you for the comments. I want to get more pictures but I'm a little bit afraid of him. He has not tried to attack me but I haven't given him the chance. He is unusually bold for a chicken. He follows me as I walk around the outside of the run, and when I go inside he calmly walks up to me and - I can't think of another way to describe it - invades my space. I can't tell if he is trying to be friendly or if he wants to eat me for dinner. He is so massive and regal that he makes it clear, by his bearing, that he is the king and I am the knave.

He doesn't seem rough with the hens or fight with his two brothers but he is clearly the King. My other roos from this breeder are very similar but smaller and they give him full deference. I gave another roo from this breeder to a neighbor who tells me that he is sweet and even affectionate - if you can imagine that in a rooster. This one might be too, but I'm not going to get close enough to him to find out.

 

[Purpletie3]

Thank you for the comments. I want to get more pictures but I'm a little bit afraid of him. He has not tried to attack me but I haven't given him the chance. He is unusually bold for a chicken. He follows me as I walk around the outside of the run, and when I go inside he calmly walks up to me and - I can't think of another way to describe it - invades my space. I can't tell if he is trying to be friendly or if he wants to eat me for dinner. He is so massive and regal that he makes it clear, by his bearing, that he is the king and I am the knave.

He doesn't seem rough with the hens or fight with his two brothers but he is clearly the King. My other roos from this breeder are very similar but smaller and they give him full deference. I gave another roo from this breeder to a neighbor who tells me that he is sweet and even affectionate - if you can imagine that in a rooster. This one might be too, but I'm not going to get close enough to him to find out.

If he drops his wing and comes at you sideways it's dominance...also if he comes at you forwards like a kung foo chicken with legs and spurs to kill. You have to tackle this right now if he is invading your space. There are threads on here about aggressive roosters. You may have to carry protection and never turn your back to him. If you don't he will know he is king and will try and make you do what he wants forcefully.

I was bent down watching my chickens and I felt a big hit on both my hips. Kinda like a tiny dog jumping on you...I turned around and it was my rooster trying to mate me....Boy did he catch hell! I stopped wearing pretty colors in the yard after that and wore my long blonde hair up.

Best of luck to you on this!