Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[omas biddies]

My marans are not from a hatchery.look for farms that raise and breed great chickens for the eggs

 

[DMRippy]

My marans are not from a hatchery.look for farms that raise and breed great chickens for the eggs

I will say that usually those 2 things don't go hand in hand. You either breed for eggs or SOP. Not saying you can't do both but the bird I have seen with dark egg color I would not want. I don't cull based on egg color. NOW if they are laying a reg brown egg they need to go. but a lighter Marans eggs with good type....not going anywhere.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I will say that usually those 2 things don't go hand in hand. You either breed for eggs or SOP. Not saying you can't do both but the bird I have seen with dark egg color I would not want. I don't cull based on egg color. NOW if they are laying a reg brown egg they need to go. but a lighter Marans eggs with good type....not going anywhere.

Just a question, though, from someone who is a Rock n' Red breeder and otherwise ignorant of the Marans, but doesn't the Marans have a requirement for a dark egg? In other words, isn't the egg shell color integral to the bird being bred to the standard? Excuse the dumb question, perhaps.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
Not in the SOP no. It a trait that makes them unique but not require by the SOP. You can get egg color back. It will be lost if you bring in new birds and such so not a cull point at my farm.

 

[DeltaBluezTess]

I was cruising on ebay and decided to look at Black Copper Marans...wow, one rooster had pretty much a solid copper chest and the hens had lost of coppers on their chests as well.....then I found some superb ones.

 

[Zanna]

Just a question, though, from someone who is a Rock n' Red breeder and otherwise ignorant of the Marans, but doesn't the Marans have a requirement for a dark egg? In other words, isn't the egg shell color integral to the bird being bred to the standard? Excuse the dumb question, perhaps.

It is my understanding that to be considered a marans the bird should lay at least a "4" on the standardized marans egg chart. This is not checked for at shows and not stated in the SOP. Last year I hatched many and currently have about 40 pullets culled down to. This season I am only breeding the 5-8 darkest layers back to their dads. I plan to show birds and to work at darker egg colour. Maybe I am reaching for the stars but I figure i've got a few years left. With enough birds on the ground I see no reason to breed one that lays a light egg unless it is all you have to work with. I have 8 pullets from a single mated pair. All have good type and lay a slightly different shade of egg. Only the darkest two will be bred forward. Some say you must breed for show or egg colour. Why not both? Maybe I can say in a few more years

 

[omas biddies]

I dream of both

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Why are black copper marans considered rare?

BCM are really still new to the APA. They have a lot to overcome what with the wheaten bred into them (by design or mistake) and the popularity of the darker eggs. There seem to always be things cropping up at first as we find out just what genetics our first breeders are carrying. It takes years to get any consistency I think. There are a lot of dedicated people working on developing good lines of BCM.

 

[johnderosa1]

BCM are really still new to the APA.  They have a lot to overcome what with the wheaten bred into them (by design or mistake) and the popularity of the darker eggs.  There seem to always be things cropping up at first as we find out just what  genetics our first breeders are carrying.  It takes years to get any consistency I think.  There are a lot of dedicated people working on developing good lines of BCM.

A few of them right here!

 

[johnderosa1]

I was cruising on ebay and decided to look at Black Copper Marans...wow, one rooster had pretty much a solid copper chest and the hens had lost of coppers on their chests as well.....then I found some superb ones.

Be careful with ebay... I am not saying you couldn't get eggs from superb stock there but things are not always what they appear to be... That really pertains to any egg/chick purchase. Do your homework before you buy! Ask the right questions and make sure you know the sop and what your goals are. I started out with ebay eggs and was quite naive as a novice. I did not fare well. There were a lot of unsubstantiated claims in those listings.... There are some excellent people who contribute to this forum so you can learn much of what you need to know by following this string and asking questions.