Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Wynette]

I, too, do not use any birds with white in their feathers. The two I had in the past DID have properly colored shanks/feet. Unfortunately, the white tail and primary feathers often do not show up until the rooster is 2; many folks claim "follicle damage" to be the cause...I will say that in both of my cases, that was not the case. They went down the road.

I have seen many VERY good examples of cock birds, though, so IMO, I would not call the bar "already insurmountable." JMO.

 

[Wynette]

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It's easy to explain: the seller is an idiot.

Ditto. Both are crappy examples of coloration.

 

[snowbird]

Just a thought. If we raise any of these Parti colored Fowl like the BC Marans we will be required to double mate if we expect good males and females. I have raised enough of the BC to be able to say you are just not going to get good young from the same mating. I raised over 200 young BC females out of the dark hens and the Mahogany males this year and the pullets were about 90 % colored and most of the males were Junk. These were yard bred as I only had the four males out of all that I raised last year.

I see poster with no shank feather or very little. This is a easy fix do not breed the no feather or light feather shanks.

I still have never seen a good colored and good type BC Marans male all in one package. I have put the challenge out there for the last year for anyone that had a good male to post a picture on BYC. I am still waiting.

 

[Edwards' East of Eden]

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I lived in Grand Isle for two years, so know that part of the area a bit! Will you keep me updated on your plans? I may well try to bribe/bargain/cajole you into bringing me some, too ... I dont mind driving to Hammond!

 

[Wynette]

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I know I've seen you post more than once, when someone posted a pic of a cock bird or cockerel, that in your opinion it was a very good example of the breed.

 

[snowbird]

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I know I've seen you post more than once, when someone posted a pic of a cock bird or cockerel, that in your opinion it was a very good example of the breed.

There was a Golden Cuckoo belonging to Harris5 that was the best type I have seen on a Marans male. I do not remember a BC cock that had color and type. I have seen plenty of young cockerels on BYC that looked good but they were younger then Juve, I have seen very few males that I said were really nice. I have seen plenty of pullets that were really nice.

I am only stating what I think, feel free to believe what you would like.

 

[Medicine Man]

Well maybe Marans just weren't meant to be a ribbonhounder's chicken.

 

[Wynette]

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You do the same.

 

[Wynette]

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Being so new, for SURE there's a ton to work on, but we have (IMO) a fantastic start! There are many dedicated folks out there...many of them, BYC members.

 

[geebs]

I guess one man's mutt is another man's prize. I have had great success with my breeding strategy.. I don't know what others do... but without a money tree growing in my backyard I have been able to strengthen weaknesses and improve balance of color using those strategies... I don't know what foundation Birds others have but I have been an open book on the topic. I like my males that I produce and so do others. They may not be perfect but they do fall into what the SOP has passed as a standard. I am sure somewhere someone thought that they looked enough alike to have an SOP standard.

I don't think there is any perfect animal.... We are not built uniform... right being smaller than the left... at the end of the day choices are made. No matter what culling and crossing we do we will never be able to have ultimate control down to the atom. This being said I like my breeding program... I have been able to get what I wanted using the strategies I have mentioned and shared and have some nice offspring to show for it... I will continue to do what I do and others can do as they like... I personally don't have any other kind of fowl but a token leghorn and a mutt or two just for entertainment... I do black copper marans.