Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Ivytwilight]

We just delivered him to his new mommy this afternoon. He will have a whole bunch of hens, who are at the moment a few weeks behind him, to take care of! I wished we could have kept him too. He was a very chill/ nice guy, but I know he is in a wonderful place at his new home! Her rooster died while at urgent care, so anyone who is willing to go the extra mile for their birds is a perfect home for him in my book! It was sad to see him go though.

 

[Bweis13]

So happy for you! What a relief to find a good home for him.e

 

[blackbirds13]

My Wynette BCM pullets are laying - not sure which one but the egg color is better than I could have hoped for. I think the medium is my Splash Marans but I have a couple of Barnevelder and Jubilee girls so not sure who as they are all lumped in the same coop. Happy morning.

 

[abmaddox1981]

Hey! My auction birds layed for me!

 

[omas biddies]

Good morning
Lucky you....but.now I want some

 

[One Chick Two]

I like , i don't know how to deal with the ticking though, if it was me i would pair him up with some of my nice females and see if you get ticking on all of the babies or just a few or none?? Also, maybe you will get a cockerel who looks like him but without the ticking.

Thank you so very much for your thoughts and advice on the dark roo, Runawaylobster! Your feedback is gratefully appreciated.


All our new FBCM are still in quarantine lockdown as we'd discovered roundworm.

The original Bev Davis line cockerel (I'd posted earlier with the coppery chest) had become extremely lethargic, depressed, listless and sleepy (with abnormal droppings) a few days after being wormed. He's since refused food and water, and has lost weight. He is now being tube fed. We've been able to regain, and maintain some of his lost weight for a few days. However, he still has a surprisingly healthy-looking comb and wattles, which seems odd. The black spots are from being pecked and dirt.


Still crows on occasion and can still walk and stands occasionally. It's just a good thing that he has a very sweet temperament, as we didn't raise him from a chick- tube feeding is not fun. Tube feeding to a strange, unfriendly roo would even be that much more difficult!

We think he must have had a large intestinal worm load, then become blocked. With the brand new, clean quarters where he was quarantined at (no chickens or other birds had been there.) Cocci makes little sense. Hopefully he will get through this... Even though he's not SOP, he's still super sweet and we think attractive... so we were hoping eventually to place him Head honcho in charge of olive eggers, lol

Anyway, if there is any advice I'd give to newbie people purchasing FBCM adult birds from a show, breeder (or anywhere) is:

Have a safe quarantine area away from your main flock available for at least 1 month.
(If you have to worm, then that can take 10 days to worm, then 10 more days for a second dose.) Then, wait at least 5 more days after that for hens laying eating eggs. (So, expect 25 days for hens after worming, 20 days for roos.) Have worming meds readily available so you don't have to wait even longer. Believe me, if something goes wrong you only want to contain the issue within a few birds.

Find out when your birds were last wormed, and re-worm if it was more than a few months ago.
You do not want to bring in new worms or different worms to a healthy, established flock. Our birds were from a professional breeder who seemed to be involved and care for her flock, so this situation can happen anytime, to anyone.

Just because you purchased birds from a reputable source doesn't always mean issues can't arise. Stuff happens.

Keep the seller's contact number handy- just in case...
Honest sellers will often work with you if an overlooked problem crops up. Or, sometimes you forget to ask important questions. Eiher way, a good breeder usually will want to help.

Have a list of written questions ready, and write down replies:

Health of the bird/flock, last worming date.

What wormer was used?
This can be very important- if Wazine is used, it only targets Roundworms and you may need more of a full spectrum wormer.

Any vaccinations?
(Mareks/ Cocci, etc.) Also, check for lice and mites at vent, and Scaley Leg Mites which have raised leg scales.

Are feathers shiny and well kept?
If the feathers look dirty, dull and unkempt the bird's health should be closely assessed. Some birds are freerangers who love mud.

What line is this bird?
(If any)

Age, and are any of the bird(s) related? If a hen is over two years old she may not lay much, and life expectancy for this breed as I am to understand is not usually high.

Disposition of bird (especially roos.) Have they been handled much?

Any SOP questions you have...
White feathers on tail, face or wings, Feathered slate shanks, overly colored chest, Pumpkin orange eyes, mossiness, excellent type conformation, etc.

If you can, ask to see samples of a hen's egg.
If and when I ever do a show with adults I am going to bring egg samples of each bird. This may be tricky, but each bird has a "signature paint style" and it stays pretty similar although egg sizes can change. Eggs need to be at least a 4 on the egg chart to be a Marans egg.

But also make sure to check over birds CAREFULLY!
Do not rush this step, even at a show where everything is busy. This is a very tricky breed with lots of things to watch for, and you need to be aware of issues that are acceptable to you, or DQ or cull. If you are looking for a pet or eggs this may not apply at all.

Have the breeder look over the bird as well.
Breeders might be honest, but they still may forget that a particular bird had a white feather, a feathered middle toe or other issue, etc.

Avoid DQ genetic issues such as side sprigs and curled toes.

Then after purchasing, be patient and hope nothing goes amiss while waiting. lol
Enjoy your new birds!

 

[Wynette]

My Wynette BCM pullets are laying - not sure which one but the egg color is better than I could have hoped for. I think the medium is my Splash Marans but I have a couple of Barnevelder and Jubilee girls so not sure who as they are all lumped in the same coop. Happy morning.

CONGRATS! By the way, that is a BEAUTIFUL blue egg in the pic!

Hey! My auction birds layed for me!

Congrats! I tell you, I look forward to collecting eggs so much, even after so many years...it's still a great source of joy for me to go to the nest boxes and see what little gems have been left!

 

[abmaddox1981]

I'm awful about it! If I see a hen in the nest, I'm out there like, didja lay it, didja lay it?! Drive my husband crazy.

 

[Wynette]

I know what you mean; my husband is home during the day & collects several times a day for me for my hatching eggs. It's great knowing they're getting collected often, but I always secretly hope somoene lays very late in the day so I can collect the egg when I get home from work!

 

[SoManyHats]

This is Lincoln. He is 13 weeks old, and I'm wondering when he's going to start getting his "big boy" feathers? You know, the pointy saddle feathers and the classic Roo tail feathers.