Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[geebs]

wow.. those splashes are sure nice.. Looks like Bev's line.. SWEEEET... I miss my splash... DRAT

and the babies..OMGosh the cute stage... Frightful amount of snow but I would love to play in it for a day or two... Fabulous photos..

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Thanks. Those splashes are the most calm and sweetest birds in my flock.
geebs, you mentioned the tuxedos on the babies, can you suggest some things to watch for that are desirable in BSM chicks or if you can't really tell until much later? Also, when do they ordinarily begin to exhibit tell-tale gender characteristics (short of crowing/egg laying)?
I would swear I could pick out at least two roos in this picture (if size and posture are any indication at all):

 

[pinkchick]

ADozen~

Love the little splash kiddos!

 

[geebs]

Here is a working theory... I think that once we breed correctly and balance the melaniser so that the birds are presenting properly as adult (always riding the line) we will see a most marked difference in the babies.. since the adults look so different.

My theory is that the ones marked with white on the face and the most white tend to be more boys.. Anyone agree with that??? I think there is a correlation between the color down and the appearance as an adult... There must be some... even if it just a minute degree otherwise they could grow up to be white birds..(okay so that is extreme) this saying.. That would mean the darker ones are girls... Debbi...lets see the baby pictures of your roosters please.. Not pip.. The darker the chicken the less white it shows as an adult. I think if we keep careful records on our infants we will really be able to hone our skills as breeders... We will be able to make choices quicker and waste less feed on "prospects"... Just a thought.

Wouldn't it be great to see the chicks from someones stock and be able to tell if you were going to get what you needed for yours as younsters... Not saying this will work but it is a study we can all participate in and compare notes.

Does this different present itself in young wheatons??? Anyone know.. I thought I heard that the lighter ones were females... am I correct here?

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Not sure I can agree with that on an "always" basis. Here is a chick pic of Fuglee roo. Please just note the color, not the conformation! Poor guy got shrink wrapped and was born deformed.

Now, here is his clutch mate SISTER. She grew up to be a very dark, sparse copper, no shank feathering gal

The Fugs has a nice coloration and balance of colors now, HOWEVER, he is heavily loaded with white based hackle feathers!

Here is a pic of the dark boys as babies, both on the front right of the pic. The other three in the back are two females and one male, although I can't tell from this pic who is who. (Edit) I take it back. The chick in the middle is the other roo who has since been culled from the flock due to white in hackles and tail. Roy has his back to the camera, but he was a dark chick like Clyde. will have to find a better pic of them all. The dark chick is Clyde, my avatar, and at 5 months old is still getting in color in the back/saddle area, albeit mahogany.

 

[geebs]

Debbi... WHOA!!! I say wheaton is in there....... I am betting that if you mate the two you come up with wheaton... Wow.. cool... Lets put some adult pix next to those would ya... Interesting... Is there white at the base of the feathers on the adults...???

 

[VillageChicken]

Geebs, I like your theory, but I think it has more to do with the production of melanizers at the time the down is forming. Y'know how those birds that feather out so fast get white spangles in their feather tips? Maybe it works the same way in the egg when the down forms. Maybe it forms before the melanizers kick in, and it's just a difference in timing between chicks with more light down and the ones with more black.

 

[Debbi]

Wheaten? In which? Fugs and his sister? I'll have to hunt for pics of them now, I know I don't have any current ones. None of my birds are adults yet, the Fugs clutch is the oldest, and just yesterday turned 30 weeks. This whole clutch had a bunch of white primaries until their juvie molt. All three pullets are very dark, dark slate leg color, nice eye color, dark horn beaks, white toenails, and no white feathers or fluff. Even the belly/vent fluff is black, with no reddish/grayish tinge to it. On the really odd side, Pip, was a dark chick as well. Like I said, I just paired him off with one of the pullets from the first clutch. I would think with this pairing, if Wheaten were going to show up, it will here?

Here is a pic of two of the girls from the first clutch. Not current, they are about 4 months old here.

 

[geebs]

Well my thinking is this... Everything is a small degree of something greater in nature.. so if we see a large degree of something..maybe we could train our eyes to see the smallest degree. Don is very good at spotting anomylies in the feathers. In order for their to be a rule we first have to have somethng to go on... If the birds that have the presentation that debbie has throw wheaton...that would make sense because there isn't enough melaniser in the adult birds at the base of their feathers.....

 

[Debbi]

But why does the white feather base only present itself in the males? None of my pullets have ANY white, anywhere, not even the white one in the chick pic. That said, can I assume the pullets are carrying this lack of melaniser even though they display as over-melanised?? This could be a long row to hoe if this is the case!