Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Debbi]

Quote:
I will have to go look at his shanks tomorrow. I had some good shank pics on my laptop but the hard drive messed up a few days ago and I have to order a recovery disk from Dell now, since it didn't come with one grrrrr. If that doesn't work I will have to set it up my hd as a slave to another puter and see if can get my stuff off or not. Darn I should of backed things up better!
I haven't bred that many since I just got this line last summer so there may be some wheaten in there....I was mostly just planning on using the girls with other males since I didn't like a few traits in the bhb males but the females are real nice and a bigger size than some of my others and lay huge eggs.

I wonder if anyone else with the BHB line of black coppers has any wheaten or BTB popping up? I need to figure out if I should keep Agent Orange or not because dh wants to cull as in freezer camp a bunch of roos next weekend.

Debbie I wish you were at the show with me LOL! I can just see you sneaking by the cages with your little pen scribbling an S on the end of all the Maran signs

You betcha! And as the security guard was dragging her from the ground with her black sharpie still in hand, she could be heard screaming, "it's MARANS, MARANS with an S I'm telling you!!!"

 

[VillageChicken]

My best pullet from a Jan 29th hatch, eggs from Germany just laid her first pullet egg. I had to go back and double check my records. I knew she was close - she grew like gangbusters and outpaced all the roos in the group. Her comb and wattles were red, and today I saw her scoping out the nest box with her cloaca winking like a trainstop. I watched her lay - she was very proper - not dropping her pullet eggs here and there like some of my other beginners... even tidied up the nest box as she sat She's 17 weeks and a couple days, and laid a proper egg before the Bresse that are supposed to be early maturing. It's a nice medium dark, but I think they'll darken up a bit. I'm just glad she didn't take 9 months like my spring hatch BC.

Anyone had any problems come up with BC that reach POL earlier? The egg was very small, like bantie small, so I don't think she had to exert much to let it out.
I know some folks have had problems with laying hybrids that reach POL early, but I'm wondering if this has come up in BCM.

 

[Debbi]

Wow, 17 weeks is early! My first three pullets hit POL at 20 weeks. Their first eggs were medium and lighter than I would've liked, but they got bigger and darker with time. One of the girls will lay a double yolker every once in awhile that is HUGE! For the most part, they lay an extra large egg, colored between a 5-6. They started laying in November and have not quit yet, even though they are molting. I see no problems with them, so far.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I will have to go look at his shanks tomorrow. I had some good shank pics on my laptop but the hard drive messed up a few days ago and I have to order a recovery disk from Dell now, since it didn't come with one grrrrr. If that doesn't work I will have to set it up my hd as a slave to another puter and see if can get my stuff off or not. Darn I should of backed things up better!
I haven't bred that many since I just got this line last summer so there may be some wheaten in there....I was mostly just planning on using the girls with other males since I didn't like a few traits in the bhb males but the females are real nice and a bigger size than some of my others and lay huge eggs.

I wonder if anyone else with the BHB line of black coppers has any wheaten or BTB popping up? I need to figure out if I should keep Agent Orange or not because dh wants to cull as in freezer camp a bunch of roos next weekend.

Debbie I wish you were at the show with me LOL! I can just see you sneaking by the cages with your little pen scribbling an S on the end of all the Maran signs

You betcha! And as the security guard was dragging her from the ground with her black sharpie still in hand, she could be heard screaming, "it's MARANS, MARANS with an S I'm telling you!!!"

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
VC~

Congrats on the first egg!

Out of my BCM pullets that will be a year old in July, 2 started laying before they were 20 weeks old. They had to be just 4 mos. old.
I found no issues with them reaching POL earlier, but will tell you that one of them only laid a dark egg for about 2 months.....since then her eggs have been identical to a barred rock egg. She lives in the laying flock and is a great layer, just wish her egg was dark.

 

[flgardengirl]

I have had some blue copper marans lay that early. No problems with them yet but its probably only been a year that I have had the original ones that laid early. It looks like some more from their babies (the early layers) might lay early as well. They are barely 4 mos and all red in the face and are squatting. There is one black copper from that batch too but she isn't squatting yet but really red in her comb, wattles, etc. She is a little smaller than the blues though. These blues are big girls that are laying early...don't know if that has anything to do with it?

I went out and checked on Agent Orange's shanks. They are light! So are the shanks on one of his bcm bhb brothers, funny how I never noticed. I guess since I wasn't planning on using them I kinda overlooked it. The other male bcm brother has darker shanks. That is the one I was gonna keep and cull the other two. Now I have to inspect the females much closer.

Debbie: LOL

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Ok Don, whenever you get a chance. . . . I know you have to be swamped with all your chicken responsibilties right now!

 

[snowbird]

These chicks are out of the male with all kinds of color over the Dark females.

 

[snowbird]

This is the male these chicks are out of , tail is not hardly as high as it looks in picture. I believe these brown headed chicks will have the brown soft feathers under the vent and side. Lotta culls coming up here I believe.

 

[AyeUpChuck]

Quote:
Ok Don, whenever you get a chance. . . . I know you have to be swamped with all your chicken responsibilties right now!

Seriously! I can't even begin to imagine what time you get up to start doing all that work let alone having any time to eat or post on here! That's one serious operation and you gotta get props for that!