Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[starlingdaly]

Hey! I haven't posted here in quite some time! Mobile app and mobile site version are giving me trouble hence the three word post earlier.

But I wanted to check in and say I found a young FBCM rooster (my guess is around 4-5 months) but he has hen feathering! Is it common for some roosters to have a late final molt? I know it's a rooster haha, definitely not a hen.

 

[starlingdaly]

I've got a lot of catching up to do here and am excited to get back into breeding FBCMs. Had to stop last year due to predator attacks.

Anyone have any huge news in the past 9 months?

 

[dutchbunny83]

Hello all!

I haven't been on here in about 6 months so I've got quite a bit of catching up to do.
Last time I was talking to you it was about my search for BCM's with dark eggs, feathered shanks, and nice coloring which I hadn't really found what I had liked through hatching eggs.

We live in town so I couldn't keep a rooster I wasn't completely in love with, so they've all been culled for meat up until now because no one wants to buy a rooster here no matter the breed for more than $5 since we're not a rural area.

Anyway, the eggs I bought were a nice dark shade (though we know they cycle), but I really like this rooster. He's young, just about 5 months old. His hackle and saddle feathers recently started coming in.


I was wondering what ya'll thought of him, since I've never been a breeder of any sort. Don't mind his neck feathers fluffing out, he wears a crow collar. I have a couple turquoise laying Easter Eggers, a couple Olive Eggers, a blue copper marans, and 2 pretty black copper marans hens. I was thinking about breeding him?

 

[starlingdaly]

Hello all! I haven't been on here in about 6 months so I've got quite a bit of catching up to do. Last time I was talking to you it was about my search for BCM's with dark eggs, feathered shanks, and nice coloring which I hadn't really found what I had liked through hatching eggs. We live in town so I couldn't keep a rooster I wasn't completely in love with, so they've all been culled for meat up until now because no one wants to buy a rooster here no matter the breed for more than $5 since we're not a rural area. Anyway, the eggs I bought were a nice dark shade (though we know they cycle), but I really like this rooster. He's young, just about 5 months old. His hackle and saddle feathers recently started coming in. I was wondering what ya'll thought of him, since I've never been a breeder of any sort. Don't mind his neck feathers fluffing out, he wears a crow collar. I have a couple turquoise laying Easter Eggers, a couple Olive Eggers, a blue copper marans, and 2 pretty black copper marans hens. I was thinking about breeding him?

Hey! I posted right before you about a rooster with hen feathering but I bet he is just the same age as your guy! Very handsome! You chose well Does he have a side sprig on the back of his comb? I have an exchequer leghorn pullet with that (first bird of mine to develop one!)

 

[dutchbunny83]

Hey! I posted right before you about a rooster with hen feathering but I bet he is just the same age as your guy! Very handsome! You chose well

Does he have a side sprig on the back of his comb? I have an exchequer leghorn pullet with that (first bird of mine to develop one!)

Haha I don't know what that is?
I am very new to roosters.
I know for SOP his coloring is way off, but I think the copper will come in some more as he matures.
I don't sell or show or anything like that.

I think he could make some pretty Olive Eggers for me as long as his crow collar works!

 

[JediJinx]

Hello Marans folk, I am starting to fall for these beauties... . At first I did not even consider Marans, but ended up taking home a BCM pullet from a breeder nearby just for fun, and she is such a sweetie! Then, I ended up getting another BCM pullet at a swap. The first pullet I purchased has very dark eyes, but I think her breeding is probably better (her aunt was Best in Show in the county fair, and her father is very nice too) and her leg feathering is nice and even. The other pullet has a nicer Marans shape, beautiful face and orange eyes, but the leg feathering is weird - there is just one long feather on each outer toe, no even feathering on the whole leg. Other than this one thing, she looks very promising. I do not know her breeding (dang it!). So what should I look for in a cockerel? I would like to start a small flock of these even though I need more chickens like a hole in the head.

Here is the one with the dark eyes. She is about 10 weeks old. (Ignore Dominique pullet.) However, I was watching her yesterday walking about in the yard, and I noticed her gait is a bit stilted, and her hocks tilt inward, so I will not be using her for breeding. But I look forward to some brown eggs

 

[nicfischer5]

Hi All!
I have a BEAUTIFUL, awesome, HUGE French Black Copper Marans rooster named Tux that I am going to have to sell, and I would love some help with figuring out what is a fair price to ask for him. He is almost 6 months old and is in perfect health. He has been raised on a fully organic feed diet, corn-free and soy-free, in the Denver, CO area, so he is probably pretty cold-hardy too. He is SO big and strong and he has just now started to become a little more aggressive/assertive. I think he is too much bird for my little flock, and I also have one nasty neighbor who hates roosters. So what do you all think would be a fair price for me to sell him for? Thanks so much for any help you can give!
-Nicole

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi All!
I have a BEAUTIFUL, awesome, HUGE French Black Copper Marans rooster named Tux that I am going to have to sell, and I would love some help with figuring out what is a fair price to ask for him. He is almost 6 months old and is in perfect health. He has been raised on a fully organic feed diet, corn-free and soy-free, in the Denver, CO area, so he is probably pretty cold-hardy too. He is SO big and strong and he has just now started to become a little more aggressive/assertive. I think he is too much bird for my little flock, and I also have one nasty neighbor who hates roosters. So what do you all think would be a fair price for me to sell him for? Thanks so much for any help you can give!
-Nicole

Well since no one has answered you, I will take a shot at it. Price on an unproven cockerel really just depends on the market where you are, whether or not there is someone who wants him for breeding. He has not been shown, I assume, so saying he is awesome is your opinion alone. Not trying to be mean, just that a lot of people think they have the greatest birds in the world but find out otherwise when up against competition in the show world. You did not post a photo showing the front of his breast, does he have a lot of coloration there or is it solid black? He looks to be rather narrow in the rear and his foot/leg feathering is poor---he needs more, especially on the outer toe. But otherwise looks from the photos to be a decent young male. If he is getting color to his breast at this age, then he will probably get more and that would be three strikes against him IMO but a lot depends on what else you or someone else has. Males I don't want for my own breeding program usually are butchered for meat since there are enough poor ones out there, why sell one that isn't quality enough for breeding? Or if I do sell them, I sell them for what I'd get if I butchered and sold as a processed bird which is $5/pound for organically grown chicken. If there is no one who wants him for breeding stock, then he is a meat bird and around here, people don't want to pay much, $10 or $15 tops maybe.

 

[tiedyemommy]

Bootsy (on the left) laid her 1st egg today!

 

[Runawaylobster]

Well since no one has answered you, I will take a shot at it. Price on an unproven cockerel really just depends on the market where you are, whether or not there is someone who wants him for breeding. He has not been shown, I assume, so saying he is awesome is your opinion alone. Not trying to be mean, just that a lot of people think they have the greatest birds in the world but find out otherwise when up against competition in the show world. You did not post a photo showing the front of his breast, does he have a lot of coloration there or is it solid black? He looks to be rather narrow in the rear and his foot/leg feathering is poor---he needs more, especially on the outer toe. But otherwise looks from the photos to be a decent young male. If he is getting color to his breast at this age, then he will probably get more and that would be three strikes against him IMO but a lot depends on what else you or someone else has. Males I don't want for my own breeding program usually are butchered for meat since there are enough poor ones out there, why sell one that isn't quality enough for breeding? Or if I do sell them, I sell them for what I'd get if I butchered and sold as a processed bird which is $5/pound for organically grown chicken. If there is no one who wants him for breeding stock, then he is a meat bird and around here, people don't want to pay much, $10 or $15 tops maybe.

Wow... $10 or $15 is a great price for an excess rooster, i am lucky to get $5! It would be better for me to process them but i just don't like doing it. I have done it and i just didn't want to do it more, so my guys will probably go for free to someone local who does like to process them.

It seems such a shame really because once you grow them out they are such majestic birds (well most of them) even if they don't make the cut for breeding, and unless you grow them out you never see how cool they are as adults. I always think roos are like ugly ducklings and one day you wake up and you see a swan.. but then it's a different story when they hit that 9-12 month phase and their hormones go nuts... that's when i take my rake out to the yard with me, and the roos are and I friends no longer LOL!!!