Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Lotsapaints]

Bravo I wait for at least a year before I give up on white tips and yes I've had those white leg feathers turn black at the same age give or take a week. I have another breed I watch for white tips my limited experience is that I do not use them for breeding the white increases if you do, even if the underfluff is the correct color and way worse if its lighter....

 

[Ivywoods]

I'm glad to see this discussion of white feathers today. Last night a friend sent me some pics to ask about her hen. She got these hens from another BYC member. She has some BCM's from me (including a beautiful rooster that I wish I had kept. Unfortunately that rooster is a mean booger!)

She noticed these white feathers on this hen. She was planning to hatch from her, but is now debating what to do. I told her I would post pics and ask opinions. I think her goal is to just have a backyard flock, but at the same time she wants to do the best she can with what she's got.

The BCM's she got from me are pure Wade-Jeane line. I do not have any idea what line this hen is from.

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...and from the other side-

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I notice the comb has some undesirable characteristics, but we all know how that "stupid comb" stuff goes. She is mostly interested in finding out about the white feathers around the eyes. I've seen white feathers in my own birds when they are young but they have always been in the wing feathers or on the feet. I'm not sure what to think about this eye frosting. She said this hen is right at one year old.

 

[Lotsapaints]

very interesting I've yet to see that maybe she had a fungus that went away on it's own? maybe those feathers will change I sure don't know she looks like a gray baby horse they start with the grey around the eyes first.....

 

[math ace]

I have a blue copper marans with white above one eye. It is not a fungus.... It is what it is - WHITE FEATHERS.
I have not bred her because I think it falls under the foreign color catergory... not sure if it would be a fault or a DQ.

 

[geebs]

ooops finger faux paux... (spelling may be off).. but this is a French thread right?

 

[geebs]

Hey all... I have found that my Aging hens get that... Almost like they lose black the same way they lose egg color... Just a point of notice.... If you have old hens you may see this.

Bravo: Look on the front page of this thread. I have documented what you are talking about. I have wing feathers like that. My theory is that they just run out of color (black) and that is why older birds have the color bleed through etc... be it the white base or the copper in the hackles. THe bird changes from year to year. If you have a bird that is a breeder and beyond showing age it may be a useful bird still... Just not something to throw out with the bath water.

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
She said this hen is only one year old. I have a bantam black cochin. Very showy guy, but he is about 9 years old now and some of the feathers on his head are brown now instead of jet black. With this hen only being 1 year old, I don't think it would be the same as gray hair or graying feathers.

 

[Bravo]

Ivy, that is interesting. I've seen that on younger birds during juvenile molt but it usually vanishes after the bird is fully feathered.

My foundation roo (who was unfortunately killed by predation) had issues with white underfluff by the tail but in the vast majority of his offspring, save a few ugly cockerels, this trait didnt pass on. So far, none of my birds have had the white tips in the wing feathers after juvenile molt.

I need to take pictures of my girls this weekend--I a few birds I think are very pretty that I would have used in a breeding program if my 2 roosters hadn't been killed this summer. My breeding flock was on a friends property in the country and things were just too complicated.

Until we move to an area with property I'm just gonna keep the girls as part of my laying flock (assuming they ever lay).

Not sure if any of you remember, but back in April I was nursing a BCM chick back to health--for 2 weeks I came home for lunch every day to feed her. There were several days when I thought it might be more humane to cull BUT--she made it and she is BEAUTIFUL, strong and healthy! If she never lays I wont care! She can be a decorative lawn ornament

I cant wait to post pics of her!

 

[geebs]

Bravo writes:

My foundation roo (who was unfortunately killed by predation) had issues with white underfluff by the tail but in the vast majority of his offspring, save a few ugly cockerels, this trait didnt pass on. So far, none of my birds have had the white tips in the wing feathers after juvenile molt.

Thanks for sharing that Bravo. I am glad I am not the only one who is able to produce better from faulted stock. That falls right in line with the weak black theory. (that is my theory) A roo with white underfluff (weak black) still produced birds without it. Do you know if it was just the females that had no faults.... Did any roos have enough black or were they like the father/male.?​

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
Thanks for sharing that Bravo. I am glad I am not the only one who is able to produce better from faulted stock. That falls right in line with the weak black theory. (that is my theory) A roo with white underfluff (weak black) still produced birds without it. Do you know if it was just the females that had no faults.... Did any roos have enough black or were they like the father/male.?

You gotta work with what you are given!

Not all of us have massive breeding operations. For me, this was a hobby but I was trying to breed the best I could within my means. I wasn't selling my eggs except to one person who begged and begged (then she came back claiming that they were mutts because the BCM chicks were born black and white LOL)

Anywho--

This is one of the cockerels I was growing out. What pros and cons he had about him are now a moot points as he was taken by a bobcat who climbed into the outer pen in broad daylight. One thing for sure was he had no white feathers or white underfluff.

What is interesting is that none of my girls produced by the white underfluff foundation roo had any issues with white. Out of the 1,001 (ok, more like 30) roosters I hatched from him, maybe only 5 had white underfluff. Would it come out later down the road when the F1 generation is bred? Maybe.

I had 4 F2 birds, 2 cockerels and 2 pullets and none seemed to have an issue with white but the sample population is small.