Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[unkadan]

Well said Don

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

6 mo old BCM hens i added to my flock.

Awesome Birds!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THanks DOn. THe male with brown all the way to his hocks is in the freezer. I"m trying to go with the males with the least amount of brown on the "chest". This brown is really higher like under the chin area , and in some roosters it streaks down the neck very lightly. Not sure my description is clear enough.

 

[ashandvine]

Arielle, Will try and help you here. These are my person thoughts and nothing more. In my breedings with the BC if you use the brown colored breasted Male you will end up mostly with culls and for that reason they should never be used in a BC breeding program. Most all the Faults you are seeing with your BC will breed forward . As you probably know I have harched and grew out more BC chicks than anyone else.

Will also say that you can use the Over-melanized females in your breeding program, just do not breed to one of the brown breasted males as you will be wasting your time. It is really hard on the new breeders as they have hatch mates to use as breeders and this is usually a recipe for failure. You are much better off if you just find a very nice Male and female that are not hatch mates and single mate them and start your own breeding program and cull any that are culls , do not pass the cull on to someone else like some on BYC appear to be doing. We have to remember that what comes around goes around and will come back to bite us in the long run.

Oooh, I like your honesty and your information!!! I might have hit on something good by accident then. I think I have a nice male here and reasonably good females. I only have three pullets but they are each from a different breeder and one is melanized-- I loved her feet and was willing to chance her given what I read in the genetic information on the official breed site. So the really brown boy I have here is pq for feet and feathering and size as well so he is totally food and now I don't feel bad about it at all. I have chosen my second male back up and the other boy, while biggest, has very straw/gold coloring, not copper as desired. I hate to see such a big guy go to waste but his legs and feathers aren't as good either. Phew. I have spent most of this year trying to learn and find/buy/choose so as not to make the job of breeding impossible for myself. I didn't realize I might need a breeding plan just for cocks and just for hens though. Hmm.

 

[BrendaJ]

Awesome Birds!

Thanks. They settled into the flock nicely & now waiting to get those dark eggs .

 

[maryhysong]

well I must be turning into the crazy chicken lady; I have just finished ALL! 512 pages of this thread (and now starting on the BCM SOP thread!)

I am finally a BCM owner; my two chicks, from shipped eggs are one week old. I find the differences between them already fascinating.
Chick 1 on the left and 2 on the right

#2 on the left and #1 on the right

#1 on the left and #2 on the right


#2s wing

#1s wing



#1s feet


#2s feet



My luck they will probably both be boys. But if they are I have a feeling they will be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Of course I"m hoping for a nice pair but I know how that goes. I am also looking for more stock, I don't think I am going to buy more hatching eggs. Not unless they are from someone within driving distance, of which I have found none. Out of 25 shipped eggs only two hatched. the PO is bloody murder on eggs. For a little more money I could have had a young pair shipped. Ah well. I will keep looking!

Chick #1 hatched first and it is a bit smaller than #2, but it might have been from a slightly smaller egg. #2 I had to help a bit, seemed it was getting shrink wrapped; it actually had a lot of the shell chipped off but the membrane was still in place and it couldn't seem to break through that so I helped a bit and the chick was able to finish on it's own. I notice a lot of little things about them, differences in their wing feathers, they both have feathers all the way down the outside toe, but #2 seems to have bigger and darker ones. #1 has a grey chest and #2 has a pretty yellow chest. My guess to sex right now is actually #1 female and #2 male.

 

[Arielle]

COngrats Mary on your first two. My first group of 10 chicks I bought from a breeder. Then I was buying eggs, too. You might do better with eggs in the spring, more fertile then in general and buy from a number of sources.

I read all the threads too, took a few weeks!!

Enjoy the chicks!!

 

[maryhysong]

Thanks Arielle; really I don't know if I want to try shipped eggs again; they were basically scrambled by the time they got to me. Just not worth the money; I'd rather save up and buy chicks or juvies and have them shipped; at least they should be alive when they get here ;-)

 

[DMRippy]

Thanks Arielle; really I don't know if I want to try shipped eggs again; they were basically scrambled by the time they got to me. Just not worth the money; I'd rather save up and buy chicks or juvies and have them shipped; at least they should be alive when they get here ;-)

I feel the same way with some of the breeds I have. Seems some breeds eggs travel better than others for some reason.

 

[Arielle]

I hear you. I suggest getting on waiting lists now.