Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Crazy For Color]

My FBCM roo was very obviously a rooster right out of the gate. He was noticeably larger than the females and had red in his comb almost immediately. He's a few days past 3 weeks old in this pic. Definitely has a tail though. This is Ragnar. He's almost a year old, not aggressive with us in the least, and fertilizing eggs as he should!

He's so cute! I'm very excited to learn that I won't have to wait forever to find out! Thank you!

 

[ChickAsThieves]

He's so cute! I'm very excited to learn that I won't have to wait forever to find out! Thank you!

Nancy, post pics of them! My babies aren't due to hatch until next week. I need a chick fix!

 

[Crazy For Color]

Praying for pullets!

Chick #1



Chick #2

 

[Crazy For Color]

Nancy, post pics of them! My babies aren't due to hatch until next week. I need a chick fix!

LOL I just did

 

[ChickAsThieves]

Hahahaha! Great minds! They are adorable!

 

[Crazy For Color]

Hahahaha! Great minds! They are adorable!

Thank you!

 

[LocaConGallinas]

:/

I'm new at this....posting; chicken keeping; hatching and yes sexing....I've read enough that I think I'm relatively certain what I have here but am seeking expert consultation before any permanent decision as my hobby is becoming costly--these pics are of a 'mixed' Marans....a white rooster over an unknown Marans hen--may be wheaten; birchen; BC or other....the age old question.....is it a roo?:/

Today I shut the garage door and heard a faint cockadoodle doo....opened it back up and he looked as if to say "who me?".... I waited a bit and in frustration shut the door again to hear it once more....then....who got smarter than the chicken?....I shut the door but stayed inside....he couldn't resist-cock a doodle doo!!! And his fate was sealed!!....lucky for him a nice family with different neighbors swooped him up! Now he has 5 girls to hang out with!....Thanks BYC experts giving me a heads up to not get too attached!

 

[BlixbabyFarm]

One chicken owner says she feeds all her chicks, juveniles, hens and roosters starter feed as a steady diet (so the roo and non-laying chicks/chickens don't get extra calcium from the usual layer feed) and then she leaves oyster shell separately at-will for the laying hens that want the calcium. That way there's not too much calcium concentration as found in layer feed and only the laying hens will eat the oyster shell nutrition they need during their laying cycle. Roos, juveniles, and non-laying hens usually ignore the oyster shell/calcium carbonate but hens will consume when they are ready to start laying. If layer feed is the only feed offered it is too much calcium concentration for pullets, cockerels, roos, or for hens that have a calcium spotted egg shell. Offering non-layer starter feed and having oyster shell at-will is the way one chicken owner solved her calcium-spotted egg shell problem. For my little flock I offer Turkey grow/gamebird feed, and unprocessed layer feed, and layer pellets, and oyster shell at-will, and calcium carbonate at-will. I have some old hens that don't lay so much any more and new pullets newly laying so I have a variety of feeds offered for them according to their different nutritious wants/needs. They pick what their body needs the way they do when they naturally forage on their own. Animals seem to have an instinct about what nutrition their body needs. Hope this helps some!

oooh maybe is should offer them a lower calcium feed....never thought of that, I just assumed what the feed store sold for laying hens was what they should get. I'm interested in mixing my own feed but I worry that somehow they won't get enough of something and I'll be to blame bc i "thought I could do better". So the chickens can tell the difference between feeds and will eat what they need??

 

[Spartan22]

Anyone heard of Black Marans being sold by Hoover Hatcheries? Are they bred with something else? Are they different from FBCMs?

 

[ChickAsThieves]

Today I shut the garage door and heard a faint cockadoodle doo....opened it back up and he looked as if to say "who me?".... I waited a bit and in frustration shut the door again to hear it once more....then....who got smarter than the chicken?....I shut the door but stayed inside....he couldn't resist-cock a doodle doo!!! And his fate was sealed!!....lucky for him a nice family with different neighbors swooped him up! Now he has 5 girls to hang out with!....Thanks BYC experts giving me a heads up to not get too attached

That bird is so clearly a rooster. Occasionally you need to wait for the crow, but I'm guessing that guy had a red comb within the first week. In my experience, BCM aren't shy about showing their gender early on.