Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Keara]

WOW ...... those are some nice dark eggs ..... Congrats !!
What number do you think they are ?
Thanks ,
Shannon

Not sure, really need to buy an egg chart (thought I was getting one for xmas but, no) I would guess a 5.

 

[math ace]

Wrong Thread, but I had to share...



I had to dodge another body bump from my buff leghorn cockerel tonight. I do so love my marans and delaware cockerels and roosters. These guys are confident in their own being and usually feel no need to challenge me. They are GREAT from birth...



This guy is 1 month old and spoiled rotten. I am sure you got that hint from the pics above LOL...
I have been hand raising him inside the house because he was the sole survivor of my first hatch of the season.

 

[flgardengirl]

Very cute boys Lisa!! I also love little cockerals they always have so much more personality than most of the girls lol. My cuckoo marans boys are like a bunch of kittens the way they play and act. Sometimes one will jump out at me and each other from behind a tree then run away. They aren't being mean at all just silly. If I sit down in a chair they run up and fight over who gets to sit on my lap lol.

 

[ashandvine]

The "global" (i.e., British) standard spell these words with an 's' whereas the American standard uses 'z' as in, for instance, 'hybridize' vs. 'hybridise.' At times I think it looks strange when I see a word spelled that way ('organisation'), but I guess people in Canada, Australia, the UK etc. feel the same about our spelling. What really irritates me, though, is when I see British spelling used to gain some sort of "upper class" snob appeal status (harbour, centre, theatre, metre, and -- worst of all -- cancelled as opposed to canceled). So MELANIZE works fine, go for it. Happy New Year.

I find this really funny. I read a lot of British literature when I was younger so I was always misspelling everything and still have moments where I do this. Theatre always looks better than theater. I didn't want to be misunderstood and thought one might be a verb and another a noun. (ps- love your first name)

Sorry, I thought that you were talking about how early they laid, as in those that laid later in age were likely to be darker laying hens. The clarification is appreciated.

 

[macgeoghagen]

I found that my BCM rooster is growing some new tail feathers. They are coming in white. I'll keep an eye on it and see if they turn black.

 

[Zanna]

I found that my BCM rooster is growing some new tail feathers. They are coming in white. I'll keep an eye on it and see if they turn black.

How old is he?

 

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

I found that my BCM rooster is growing some new tail feathers. They are coming in white. I'll keep an eye on it and see if they turn black.

Often a problem with many breeds (Welsummers, Barnevelders, Brown Leghorns, Marans, and others), a defect expressed in the male plumage more so than in the female (I guess she "hides" it better). As for Welsummers, I ended up holding back on using males until they had finished their second adult molt (as the white becomes more pronounced with age) although it became a crazy situation in which I had to keep numerous males for 2 years before using them in the breeding and I finally had to stop doing it. Yet, I do think I was able to make some headway in my attempt to deal with the problem. My Light Brown SC Leghorns have similar issues but I don't have the space necessary to keep a large number of cockbirds for that long before using them in the breeding, so there the problem persists. I often wonder how the Dutch and the Germans are able to produce such superior birds (incredible color, yellow shanks, etc. etc. without this defect). It's the combination of yellow legs and black that is behind it all. (Why couldn't the world be simpler?)

 

[Dr Bjorn Netland]

Ooooops! Sorry, I meant to say that the combination black/yellow legs is ESPECIALLY prone to this issue with white in the black feathers. Marans are not immune to it but I think may have less of a challenge than yellow legged breeds.

 

[mottranch]

Our small flock of Black Copper Marans just started laying beautiful dark chocolate eggs. Love how dark they are compared to our Barred Rock and Welsummer eggs. We are located in Arizona.

Here is a picture of a few of our Black Copper Marans. Such beautiful chickens.


We are looking around for a good breeder of Black Copper Marans. We were hoping to find someone in Arizona. But we haven't found any yet. We have found lots in other states. Any suggestions for good quality breeders? Thanks.

I also just posted more pictures of some of our chickens on my FaceBook page Mott Ranch. We have Black Copper Marans, Welsummers, Black and Red Sexed Link, Barred Rock, Silver Laced Wyandots and Ameraucana - Easter Egg chickens - Blue LegsBlue Legged
We are located in Arizona. www.ranchmott.com
Mott Ranch FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mott-Ranch/125205932236

 

[macgeoghagen]

How old is he?

About a year and a half. The new white feathers are at the front of his tail, near where his oil gland is.