Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Debbi]

Quote:
Debbi: the breeding strategy could be worked out using the french to establish egg color and weed out genes while establishing type and copper balance... and toward the end of the project if you were single mating you could make an adjustment to the swing of the pendulum regarding melanistics... Read what is on the French site over and over... there is several pages of information including breeding strategy... Read it till it makes sense... (it will) There are several spots you will want to read on the site... spend a day on it navigating and seeing what is there.. It is all written down...

Thanks, I will do that for sure. It takes awhile for things like this to sink into my brain. Dyslexia doesn't help!

I do better with visual aids, so once I finally get to breeding, I'm sure it will be clearer. Seems I'll be needing some mossy or blond pullets around here.

I do have one pullet from the dark clutch that had a fist sized patch of mossy on her left side of her breast when she was young. It's gone now, but I will keep it in my mind and test her on different roos to see what pops up. And hey, if a Wheatie pops up, so be it! I'll be getting some of them in the spring too

Thanks for the lessons. You, and Pink, and Roger make it so much easier to navigate through the soup!

 

[pinkchick]

Just thought I would post these photos for anyone who has not seen these things and/or for those like me that need a visual.

Same Black Copper Male that I posted progressive photo's of several pages back.

White in the hackles at 4 mos. of age. Will try to get an updated photo of his hackles today, if I can catch him, since I took this series of photos...he never really has warmed back up to me.

His wry tail.

Close up of his leg feathering and his shank/foot color.

 

[geebs]

Wow thanks pink.. THat is a great visual aid... After all the reading about white and having a bird molt after 2 years and gain a white feather, I went digging and I have yet to find this presentation..... ThanK Goodness in my offspring.. I will watch for it... I wonder what it means... I was thinking that the lighter down at the base was what was being talked about... gray really...but not white like this... I figure for my case it is the melanistics at work and that is the way it must look to keep the proper balance over the whole bird...

Debbi: It is hard to understand... just keep reading.. and when you get it.. TELL ME!!! LOL Seriously I think I understand parts of it really well and I am still trying to master other parts and still yet understand things that I find no documentation for... I will be posting my "subject" for study: He was born today... (trying out a Brinsea.. dry hatch method).. not the best result.... Uh 8% hatch rate....

I will photograph the subject and post it as well as put it in a file.. those of you who want to do the study this is what I would like to have if possible... Those little chicks are wily.

A young subject from all angles.... close up face shot. legs (both) spread wings. We can look at the baby spreads and discuss and make notes of what we see on the young subjects and make our projections/predictions for the fall... We may revisit the test subjects this summer at your leisure... I will be happy to archive for anyone that doesn't want to "store" their own material... Of course within reason....Not 100 subjects...

The subject I have chosen is a F-3 with an overabundance of light down all the way to the face... Very cochin in appearance. I believe it to be male.

Does anyone want to look at a very dark subject? please someone present one at the next hatch... thanks.

My comments on this bird are: I first thought he was a he.... (still could be) but his wings are hen presented as in long in the secondaries... So the jury is out. I am going to make the prediction that he/she will be likely too much color....not enough black. probably have lots of mossy growing out... That is my guess... Please others make your predictions... What do you see???? I do note that the color of his down is yellow and his feet are not pinky like others I have seen... let's watch this one...

 

[kathyinmo]

Pink, Your inbox is full.

 

[VillageChicken]

Geebs I've got some BC hatching tonight, I'll see if any are darker than usual. I hatched one like that light one in October. So far he's darker than he should be. He feathered REALLY fast. I'll see if I have any pics.

 

[Debbi]

Jan,

That chick looks very similar to the pullets in my first clutch. I was just going through the baby pics of that bunch, and wow, they were different! Those legs and feet will turn pink in a couple of days. I had 2 light colored pullets, 1 dark colored pullet, and 1 Fuglee light colored cockerel. All of them displayed the color of legs yours has now. Three of them had yellow shank feathers, one pullet had nothing from birth. The yellow shank feathers when young will either molt out altogether, or they will end up with very sparse feathering. I will try to load the baby pics up of the one pullet I pictured the other day. She also went through a "spotted/barring" stage! Can't wait to see what hatches from her, may be a whole new can of worms!

 

[Debbi]

Ok, here is a pic of the first clutch. "Precious" will be the chick I am focusing on here, she is the small one in the front with the "hairdo"! Fuglee roo is the one on the far left, and yes, he was that yellow! Next light colored one is "Pretty", and the very dark chick, bad pic, but she had hardly any white at all, is "Beaut". Beaut was born with a huge comb, and thick legs for a pullet. She is now very dark and lays a lovely egg! In this pic they are 1 and 2 days old, born a day apart.

Here is a pic of Precious at 14 days old. These were already uploaded to my account, the others I will have to find and load.

Here she is again at 17 days. Notice the spotting on the black part of her breast?? WTH???

Here at 25 days

10+ weeks

17 weeks. Precious hates her pic taken, she's the one in the back. The rest are her hatchmates.

Today, Precious is 30 weeks and 2 days old. Just went out to the run and couldn't find her! After a small panic, there she was, busy! Will have to try again tomorrow. Good girl Precious!

 

[math ace]

Quote:

I don't know about ya'll, BUT when I see a review like this - - - I learn so much.
I have to recognize the good and bad in my own stock in order to make the pairings that will produce the BEST offspring.

This critiques should not HURT the individual.
Every statement is based on the standard. The weaknesses AND strengths of the marans are identified.
These critiques are great tools for re-enforcing the standard and developing our own intuition for pairing our birds.


Nice Job, Geebs!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Yep, my boy had even MORE white than that at the base of the hackles. It is not GREY, it is snow white.

However, at 11 months or so, it is starting to turn grey. I think I noticed it on my boy around 3 months of age.

I will try to get some pictures this weekend to show you how it is changing. . .

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Yep, my boy had even MORE white than that at the base of the hackles. It is not GREY, it is snow white.

However, at 11 months or so, it is starting to turn grey. I think I noticed it on my boy around 3 months of age.

I will try to get some pictures this weekend to show you how it is changing. . .

Well here's why I don't want to use poor old Fuglee. Just in the last month, the white under his hackles has become PROFUSE! Now if he just turns his head, like in this pic, you can see it. Not to mention his other flaws like his deformed posture, and TWO split wings! Yup, he's a beauty!

This was taken today at 30 weeks and 2 days of age. See the first pic in the Precious saga to see Fuglee as a day old, very yellow coloring! Does yellow young = white older?? The mystery continues...