Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[DMRippy]

So 4 out of my 11 BCM chicks have white feathers in their wings. Can I expect this to change or is this a permanent mismark? They are 9 days old. Pictures taken yesterday









Some of the other non white marked chicks

Normal.... Marans should have white. How old are they? I would think they should not have yellow skin at this point. Keep an eye on that.

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

10 days supposedly @DMRippy

 

[One Chick Two]

10 days supposedly @DMRippy

It is fine to have white feathers in the wings.

However, if you see white like this in breast lacing, keep an eye on this chick. She may eventually lose the white on feathers herself, but may possibly pass a white feather gene down to young. This was one of the chicks from our early test mates. We believe her mother to be Eb (extended black). (And no, her beak isn't that long. lol)



We'd seen some other strange effects from the Eb hen mixed with the BCM rooster, such as this extremely over-colored cockerel on the right. Too bad...he had otherwise nice type and a cute crow.


However, the majority of Eb hen's offspring was jet black, with bright, metallic green feathers and very bright eyes in males and females. Needless to say, we are not using that hen anymore now-, even though she lays nice dark eggs. She and her pullets will only go with the layers.

 

[Metella]

new to this thread - can you explain what the extended black means ?

Thanks !

 

[One Chick Two]

new to this thread - can you explain what the extended black means ?

Thanks !

This subject can be confusing and overwhelming, but... Extended Black is one of the undesirable genes that can pop up in a flock of BCM, being unintentionally bred in at some point. So when we are all starting our flocks, we are ideally, basically looking to sort out the Eb chickens, and/or any other undesirable genes or traits out of our lines by test mating, and not just trusting that the previous breeder bred out issues.

There are other undesirable genes in some lines as well... such as being split for Wheaten (a Wheaten bird being bred to a BCM at some point.) and others.

Here is a good thread that talks in detail about Eb.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/228893/black-copper-marans-vs-black-marans

At first glance, an Eb bird just looks like a very dark BCM- so it not easy to catch them at first. Extended black is not the same genetic makeup as a true Black Marans though- the genes are different. Eb birds have more melanizing (blackening) genes- but this gene can conversely also make colors intensify, such as the cockerel I showed the photo of. He was only about 10 weeks old then- so, that's pretty strong color for only 10 weeks. The other juvies have vivid green feathers- much more than their correct half siblings.

Here is a very good overview thread about Black Copper genetics:
http://maransofamericaclub.com/blackcoppergenetics.php

Pertaining to correctly colored shanks and feet in BCM:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579569/leg-color-in-black-copper-marans

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

Hey guys, I'd like your opinion on the parent stock of my Marans. I do not know anything about this man's stock other than he got them from a breeder in Larue County, Ky. I don't plan to show but always try to cull to SOP so I'm looking for pointers on what to look for.
Thanks and here they are

And can anyone rate their eggs on the Maran scale?

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Hey guys, I'd like your opinion on the parent stock of my Marans. I do not know anything about this man's stock other than he got them from a breeder in Larue County, Ky. I don't plan to show but always try to cull to SOP so I'm looking for pointers on what to look for.
Thanks and here they are







And can anyone rate their eggs on the Maran scale?

How old are the birds shown? To my eye, the cock/erel seems really shallow bodied, though he has a lovely tail angle. The photos are too far away to see much in the way of coloring very clearly. (Do people really keep breeder birds in cages like this? I'm so naive...Our breeder pens have pastures.)

Eggs are just notoriously difficult to judge by photos unless the photo is taken with the Marans egg chart right there, like this:

See the hole punched in the color chart? That's about the only way to judge from a photo, as different backgrounds and lighting will make the very same eggs go from a 4 to a 7 or the reverse.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Are Marans an extra large large fowl breed? Because my Marans rooster is 2 weeks younger then my Colombian rooster and they were raised together on the same feed and yet he is WAY bigger. And my Easter Egger roosters who are just a week younger then him are half his size.

 

[DoubleMM]

Are Marans an extra large large fowl breed? Because my Marans rooster is 2 weeks younger then my Colombian rooster and they were raised together on the same feed and yet he is WAY bigger. And my Easter Egger roosters who are just a week younger then him are half his size.

I have a couple of BCM cockerels 4 weeks old and they are HUGE compared to any other breed I raised, including Jersey Giants. Not sure how big they will get, or whether I'll keep them that long (too many cockerels this season).

 

[Metella]

My two roos ended up being very big bodied - very healthy and big boys ... I think that is why I am really into them for a dual purpose breed - those extra roos make for a big dinner.