Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[snowbird]

I have discovered I was wrong. I do have mossy chicks. Darn it! Now to decide what to do with them.

If you need some dark egg layers the Mossy usually lay the darkest egg.

 

[Wynette]

I have discovered I was wrong. I do have mossy chicks. Darn it! Now to decide what to do with them.

Do not use for breeding.

 

[snowbird]

Do not use for breeding.

Wynette, I plan on breedig two real Mossy pullets from bought eggs . Will breed them to the old BC Marans male in my avatar.

I bred him over my best Wheaten hen just to see what would happen as I had never made the cross. I might get a picture tomorrow.

 

[Oil Patch]

Wynette, I plan on breedig two real Mossy pullets from bought eggs . Will breed them to the old BC Marans male in my avatar.

I bred him over my best Wheaten hen just to see what would happen as I had never made the cross. I might get a picture tomorrow.

I wonder if you bred a male from a dark egg line with dark egg laying,mossy, pullets if you could establish a line dark egg layers. Would the moss increase with generations or could you then cull to decrease moss while maintaining egg color? Personally, all I want is an SOP flock that lays #8 eggs... That's not too much to ask for!

 

[snowbird]

I wonder if you bred a male from a dark egg line with dark egg laying,mossy, pullets if you could establish a line dark egg layers. Would the moss increase with generations or could you then cull to decrease moss while maintaining egg color? Personally, all I want is an SOP flock that lays #8 eggs... That's not too much to ask for!

What has always worked for me is you can breed two dark egg laying flocks together but the first generation pullets will usually lay lighter eggs that parents. What I have found you must breed the pullets back to one of the original Males and one of the young males back to the old females and the color will darken up the second year.

 

[ashandvine]

Right now it looks like two cockerels maybe one pullet or a slow showing cockerel. Question: what creates the mossiness? What is it? If its linked with the dark egg then why aren't these birds valuable? I know they aren't SOP but it is almost like you are culling the dark egg genes out by getting rid of them

 

[flgardengirl]

Right now it looks like two cockerels maybe one pullet or a slow showing cockerel. Question: what creates the mossiness? What is it? If its linked with the dark egg then why aren't these birds valuable? I know they aren't SOP but it is almost like you are culling the dark egg genes out by getting rid of them

My mossy girl is not the darkest layer at all. I have darker girls (as in a bit over-melanized girls) who lay the very very darkest eggs...

 

[Alaskan]

My mossy girl is not the darkest layer at all. I have darker girls (as in a bit over-melanized girls)  who lay the very very darkest eggs...

What is the difference between your mossy girl and your over-melanized girl?

Can you post pictures?

 

[salt and pepper]

Over melanized Marans will not show enough copper, mossy marans with show too much copper, and has copper all over the body.

 

[Alaskan]

Over melanized Marans will not show enough copper, mossy marans with show too much copper, and has copper all over the body.

Thank you, that is clear.

Do you think that the over melanized Marans tend to lay darker eggs? Or, do you think that there is no connection between the feather color and the egg color?