Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Mrs MIA]

Oh crap... they're illegal up here...

 

[geebs]

No one like someone who GLOATS...

Well guess what.... I have sunshine!!!! he he.. (speaking of gloating)

AK... did you say BALMY 17 degrees... (where is the freezing his but off smiley) Wow... It is about high 50's here.. Really springlike today.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Are eggs that have calcium (?) deposit coverings on them a specific hen flaw or is it caused by diet? I just brought in two eggs that look terrible in color but as soon as they are wet they are a nice dark.

Then dry they are light again. Will the hen pass this gene on if it is particular to her? I know none of the eggs they hatched from had this on them.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I'm not complaining... normal January temps are in the -30 to -40 range.

50 is what I get in June!

So what do you think of my roo?
I need to get better pics of the girls.

 

[Wynette]

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Typically, egg characterists such as this are genetic & yes, it's highly likely she'll pass this along, unless it's just a new layer issue, or a damaged oviduct issue, or an illness issue...

I had a wheaten penedesenca at one time (NO, she never was in my Marans pen) that always laid eggs with lots of calcium deposits. She's now 4 years old, and I gave her to a friend last fall...I recently e-mailed to ask if she was still laying eggs like that (thinking maybe it was environmental or something in my feed regimen or something that just didn't agree with her at my farm). Friend told me that yes, she was still laying eggs with lots of deposits of calcium. Just my ONE personal experience.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Thanks Wynette.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Wynette, The way it has always worked for me is if the comb is fresh frozen and not healed up they will not be fertile until they heal. I see on here lots say it doesn't make any difference. Myself I will not use a male until he heals up for what it is worth. Don

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
Slacker!!!!

No, I mean my hen bessie lays 10 eggs, all from the same roo over her. Some of these 10 eggs are darker than the others. Are the genes of the roosters in the darker eggs any different than the ones in the lighter eggs? My biology 101 says the genes will all be the same! The fertilized egg inside doesn't know what his momma's oviduct is doing when producing the shell!

Thats what I was thinking.........Would the genetics not still be the same even though egg color may differ? Or do you always want to go for the darkest egg out of the chickens covered by the rooster that hatched from the darkest egg also?

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Wynette, The way it has always worked for me is if the comb is fresh frozen and not healed up they will not be fertile until they heal. I see on here lots say it doesn't make any difference. Myself I will not use a male until he heals up for what it is worth. Don

Here's the thing, it's been researched & written about. While they are healing, it's painful...until the frostbitten tips die. When it is in the painful stage before the tissue dies, they are typically not very...amorous. Hence the old wives' tail that they are not fertile. It's simply not true; they are just typically not breeding due to being uncomfortable. Once the tips blacken, they typically take the breeding back up again. Seriously, it's not my opinion, it's been researched & proven. I'm actually watching it right now - as you know, we had a cold snap in November in Michigan; my Marans roo's comb tips got frostbitten. I watched him closely, and he didn't breed the girls for over a month; now, he's back to "normal" in that regard.