Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Zanna]

Everyone has their favorites, but I always like the big full figured pullets myself. Getting that "type" and nice copper hackles is a challenge, but well worth the work. Both pullets are nice, but I prefer the big girl.

We have both lines here and use them to breed back and forth with each other. Some of our friends cringe when we say that, but it works for us. Whether it is goats, cattle, rabbits, or dogs we have always breed to produce what we like and hope that others like them too.

Smiling,
Ernie Haire
Arp, Texas
www.Marans2XL.com

Thank you Ernie for the compliments on my girls. I prefer the chunkier girls too, I have her Mom and two more of her sisters I have chosen to breed this year. The 2nd pullet came as a package with her Dad and Full Brother who I will be doing single matings with this year. Yes, hope to keep the chunky look, get some copper on the necks and maintain or improve current egg colour. Not hoping for a lot am I???

 

[BantamWhisperer]

What's the difference between French Black and Coppers?

 

[Zanna]

What's the difference between French Black and Coppers?

French Black Copper Marans used to mean that that they had feathered legs as opposed to the British Standard (I believe) that were clean legged. Now that they are admitted to the APA, the standard states that they should have feathered legs and we just call them Black Copper Marans here in the USA. There are also Black Marans, they have no copper on them. Hope I have explained this correctly.......... Anyone else?

Most of my Black Copper Marans pullets/hens have no copper on them or very little but they are pure Black Copper Marans, not Black Marans as they are from a Black Copper Marans breeding.

Hope this answers your question!

 

[BantamWhisperer]

I'm in the US. I bought a breeding pair of young French Black Copper Marans about a month ago and they're now 4 months old. I bought them from a pure breeder. He's got magnificent birds! The female has no feathers on her legs, but the male does. So the female shouldn't or should have feathered legs? The males getting his copper necklace and she's just black right now. I also hatched 10 black copper marans and they're about 2 1/2 weeks old now. They've got white on their wings and around their beaks. All of the black Copper maran chicks have feathered legs.

 

[xlboergoats]

I'm in the US. I bought a breeding pair of young French Black Copper Marans about a month ago and they're now 4 months old. I bought them from a pure breeder. He's got magnificent birds! The female has no feathers on her legs, but the male does. So the female shouldn't or should have feathered legs? The males getting his copper necklace and she's just black right now. I also hatched 10 black copper marans and they're about 2 1/2 weeks old now. They've got white on their wings and around their beaks. All of the black Copper maran chicks have feathered legs.

Like Zanna posted earlier, there are two different types of Marans. The French bred for feathered shanks, the English did not want feathered shanks so they bred them off through selective breeding. Here in the United States, we see both types. There are only two varieties of Marans fully accepted by the American Poultry Association at this time. They are the Black Coppers and Wheatens. The APA Standard calls for them to be lightly feathered down the outside of the shank and onto the outside toe. It is not uncommon for clean legged chicks to show up when breeding birds with feathered shanks. In order to show, Marans have to have lightly feathered shanks.

Clean legged Marans can be used in a program to produce feather legged offspring. It is all done through selective breeding. It is a decision that the breeder has to make based on his/her goals for the future. We have enough show and breeding Marans that we would never keep a clean legged chick. If numbers were limited, I would use one in an effort to produce feather legged offspring. In those hatches, I would only keep feather legged birds to build my breeding program around.

Males usually color out before females. It is not uncommon to see Black Copper Marans females with little to no copper in the hackles. This too is something that can be worked with through selective breeding.

Black Copper and Blue Copper chicks hatch with white trim. As they feather out, most of the white is replaced with Black or Blue feathers. Some juveniles will keep white in their wing feathers until they go through their first molt. If your chicks have white in their wings, don't worry about it. The white feathers will probably be replaced by black when they go through their first molt.

JMO,
Ernie Haire
Arp, Texas
www.Marans2XL.com

 

[maryhysong]

I would love it if some of you more experienced folks could post photos of different birds and point out their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how close to the SOP they are. I am still learning to translate what the SOP says with what it actually looks like in real life. Some pics from above to show the shape of the body as well as straight on side and rear shots would be wonderful to give us beginners something to compare our own birds to.

My birds are still babies but it is fun watching them grow out and make some guesses about them. I have noticed that even in chicks a couple months old there is a difference in body build. Since Marans are a dual purpose breed I am thinking that they should be built like a brick, with the body being as wide near the tail as it is at the shoulders. And Zanna has already shown us the 'gravy boat' underline on her pullets.

 

[ashandvine]

I prefer the big girl.

Ditto, but I have to say I do see that they are the ones who don't have the nice copper. I just attended the Poultry Congress in Mass and was surprised at what I saw. There were Marans and some nice eggs. None as dark as I thought I would see so maybe my standards are too high... fantasy maybe. I was surprised that the Marans that were there weren't better colored-- over all. There were a couple nice ones but I felt that most were... not sop. Sorry if I am hurting anyone's feelings. Marquesilla sold out so I lost out Still hoping for a few more hens/pullets so I can breed these boys to at least see what happens and then make real choices.

I would love it if some of you more experienced folks could post photos of different birds and point out their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how close to the SOP they are. I am still learning to translate what the SOP says with what it actually looks like in real life. Some pics from above to show the shape of the body as well as straight on side and rear shots would be wonderful to give us beginners something to compare our own birds to.

There is another thread with pics started to show sop. It doesn't seem complete but its a good start. I will have to find it later... running into bed time for the one year old. I will look again if someone else doesn't find it before me.

 

[xlboergoats]

Ditto, but I have to say I do see that they are the ones who don't have the nice copper. I just attended the Poultry Congress in Mass and was surprised at what I saw. There were Marans and some nice eggs. None as dark as I thought I would see so maybe my standards are too high... fantasy maybe. I was surprised that the Marans that were there weren't better colored-- over all. There were a couple nice ones but I felt that most were... not sop. Sorry if I am hurting anyone's feelings. Marquesilla sold out so I lost out Still hoping for a few more hens/pullets so I can breed these boys to at least see what happens and then make real choices.
There is another thread with pics started to show sop. It doesn't seem complete but its a good start. I will have to find it later... running into bed time for the one year old. I will look again if someone else doesn't find it before me.

Please give us the details when you get time. I would like to know what varieties were represented. I hope that you enjoyed the show.I have not gotten the results from The Poultry Congress. Do you know who are what won Best of Breed and Reserve Best of Breed? Please give us the details when you get time. I would like to know what varieties were represented.

Many of us are still working on color. I would almost say that all of us are still working on color, but I can't speak for everyone. I see alot of nice Marans that I would change something about if I could. I have birds that I love, but would change something if I could. We have hatched alot, shown alot, won alot, seen alot, but still have not seen perfect. I guess we will just have to continue working with as close as we can get until we achieve Perfect. There may be some truth to the old saying that nothing is perfect. Oh well, it gives us something to work toward.



Regards,
Ernie Haire
Arp, Texas
www.Marans2XL.com

 

[Zanna]

Doing some culling soon........ The majority of my girls are overmelanized so one of the goals for this year is to develop more copper on the offsprings necks. I think it was on this thread, maybe the Marans thread and I think it was Ernie talking about brown (copper) vs black ear tufts as a correlation with producing more copper on the girls. Most of my young roos have very dark ear tufts so I am thinking they are culls for what I am wanting to work on. My new young cockeral currently in the breeder pen with a hen and pullet has nice copper tufts. Thoughts, experiences???

 

[Chickengirl1304]

Doing some culling soon........  The majority of my girls are overmelanized so one of the goals for this year is to develop more copper on the offsprings necks.  I think it was on this thread, maybe the Marans thread and I think it was Ernie talking about brown (copper) vs black ear tufts as a correlation with producing more copper on the girls.  Most of my young roos have very dark ear tufts so I am thinking they are culls for what I am wanting to work on.  My new young cockeral currently in the breeder pen with a hen and pullet has nice copper tufts.  Thoughts, experiences???

What do you do with your culls? Work on egg color or other things? Or sell them?