Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[snowbird]

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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.

Wynette, what would the difference be in not being fertile and not breeding the hen, either way no chicks. Has it been cold in Michigan lately ? Since I was not keeping eggs I put all my BC males in some enclosed 6x10 pens in an outside building and they all have frozen combs. Don

 

[pinkchick]

A few progressive photos of a Black Copper male. Sorry not some of the best photo's but at least they give a good idea of how he changed.
Starting with the youngest photo of him that I have around 10 days to 2 weeks of age thru to the most current photo of him at age 6 mos. (very last photo).
I think the ages go something like this: 10 days to 2 weeks to 6 mos., sorry some of the photos are not the greatest.
He did not feather as fast as his 2 brothers. He is also the one that has wry tail and was over all the better bird out of all 3 of them, his hackles are lighter now then they were to begin with, matters not because he will not be used for breeding. He is only keeping the laying flock ladies company until my little splash copper roo is older, then he will be culled, along with wry tail, he also has white in his tail and white in his hackles.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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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?

Wouldn't there however be different genetics passed on randomly to different eggs making different chicks? They aren't clones or all the chicks from each breeding pair would look exactly alike.

Similar to human children from parents, only identical twins come out the same not each sibling...? Just wondering.

 

[snowbird]

RW, I never set the light eggs out of the same hen, #6 or they go for eating to friends, Don

 

[Mrs MIA]

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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.

Wynette, what would the difference be in not being fertile and not breeding the hen, either way no chicks. Has it been cold in Michigan lately ? Since I was not keeping eggs I put all my BC males in some enclosed 6x10 pens in an outside building and they all have frozen combs. Don

Exactly, no chicks...
I have heard people actually say that if a roo gets frostbitten, he becomes sterile. And that's not the case at all. It SEEMS like it, because the eggs aren't fertile, but that's just because the roo just isn't active. He's still shooting loaded rounds, if you know what I mean.

It's just that the gun is still locked in the safe!

Seriously, if I never bred any of the roos that had been frostbitten, I wouldn't have chicks. But just because your eggs are not fertile does not mean that the rooster is sterile. It just means he hasn't dated the ladies recently.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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good to know, thanks Don

 

[Debbi]

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Hey! Bring my Pip back!!

They could be full brothers, they look so alike! Pip doesn't have any white or a wry tail though, but I swear if he doesn't start cooling his attitude jets, he will find out what the inside of the stew pot looks like!

Pink, just for giggles, what line/lines is he from??

 

[Germaine_11.20]

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Pink, when did you actually notice the makings of the wry tail. In the first 4 or so pics I can't tell but in the last one it is noticable. About what age was he?

 

[pinkchick]

He is one of the boys from GFF. His brothers have already been culled. I am trying to upload each one differently so we can see how they grew and why they were culled. LoL! Looking back through photos I now kick myself for culling Junior.....the next time I cull a roo that looks like him....somebody better stop me. I would have rather dealt with his darkness vs. the faults and defects of these boys. I have to say that I am glad that I got them and had the opportunity to watch them grow and yes....as Don would say, waste a certain amount of feed on them, but you know what......I learned so much watching them grow that it was worth it. I have said this before and I will say it again....I think I am just going to stick with my Blue Copper boys......one day I will get a good Black Copper boy from one of them over one or another of the girls I have I tell ya!!!!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

Germaine~

Quite early on actually. I'd say about 8 weeks or so, I noticed that his tail would just tend to go the left all the time. He could carry it straight and still does from time to time, but 95% of the time it is to the left. It really became noticeable around 4 mos. I have some good photos of it and am trying to upload those.