Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[jaybobrenn]

ya i was afraid of that, im not really interested in breeding them but i was hoping to get some eggs out of them. hard to do with 3 roos lol. oh well i have 3 Cuckoos that are laying and another that I think is a version of the Blues.

 

[R@ndy]

I have 4 roos, 1 black with no feathering on the legs and 3 Blues, 1 with no feathering on legs and the other 2 have good feathered legs.

The legs look light in the pics but they are a nice slate/dark gray color

I do not belive im going to keep/use the Black roo. Very small frame compaired to the others, small pointy tail and no feathering on leg. Same with the Blue roo with no feathering on legs

 

[Runawaylobster]

ya i was afraid of that, im not really interested in breeding them but i was hoping to get some eggs out of them. hard to do with 3 roos lol. oh well i have 3 Cuckoos that are laying and another that I think is a version of the Blues.

Well I dont know enough about conformation and color for blues and its a hard to see pic, but i absolutely LOVE her color ......correct or not. She is really pretty

 

[Wynette]

Looking for critiques of my newest roo. He is my best option for my breeder at this time. Sorry about the pics...hes not quite sure about me yet. He was sold to me by a breeder...he has birds from cottage hill/wade jeanne and davis lines. Thanks in advance.

It's tough to tell by the pics you've provided, but IMO, this male is only so-so. His tail length is just fine, but it is too upright, bordering on squirrel tail. It should be held at a 45 degree angle. His color balance is only so/so. Hackles ideally should match the saddles in color. It's rare, it seems, to find one that matches EXACTLY, but this is abit too much difference in my opinion. It appears from the 1st pic, if that's how he normally stands, that he has a good topline, though. Underline is a bit lacking in depth, but I think he's young, and could possible fill out more to correct that a bit. I'm not keen on his overall physical balance, front to back. He looks heavier in the back than the front. AGain, though, as he matures, that could change.

This male I would not use for breeding; his tail is much too upright, and would be considered squirrel tail. This is an issue that we used to see years ago, and I thought it had pretty much been resolved, but I'm sure seeing lots of them lately. He's a pretty boy, aesthetically, but in addition to the tail, his topline is not correct - it should not be horizontal, it should go uphill from the base of tail to the base of neck.

When do BCMs start showing copper? I have a 10-11 week old BCM, all shiny black. No sign of copper anywhere. I've done a search and looked through various marans threads, but haven't come across an answer.

They should be showing color by now. Some do take a bit longer. Many breeders have been producing overmelanized (too dark) birds to try to "correct" the white underhackle; it's just not working, and we are seeing many overmelanized birds now - the melanin "covers up" the copper.

Thank ya much

Here are some pics of my Marans. What do you all think about the roos. They were born April 8th if memory serves me correct

From what I can see/tell from the pics, the blue copper male is lovely. He has a proper topline, underline is a bit tough to tell just yet; he appears to have proper shank color & feathering (again, it's a bit difficult to tell from the pics), he coulduse more copper in his saddles, but that also may develop. His tail angle is good. Check eye color - it may be a bit too dark, which is a common issue. It should be bay (or pumpkin colored). The black copper male would be a stew pot male for me; he's much too gamey looking.

I don't mean to cut in but i wanted to post a couple pics of my young BCMs. I have a cockeral and 2 pullets if Im not mistaken. What do ya'll think? I know the pictures aren't the greatest, sorry.

These birds should most definitely not be used for breeding. They are WAY too mossy.

 

[Wynette]

Well I dont know enough about conformation and color for blues and its a hard to see pic, but i absolutely LOVE her color ......correct or not. She is really pretty

I agree! I know that Bev Davis has been working on getting these type of darker variations of blue in her blue line. She had a young pullet at the Newnan, GA show this past February that was just gorgeus, and colored very much like this female. I'd love to see some conformation shots of this female!

 

[redwood]

Im sure this has been covered somewhere but I couldnt find it. Is it kosher to use blue coppers in your black copper breeding program if you are working towards the SOP?

 

[Wynette]

Im sure this has been covered somewhere but I couldnt find it. Is it kosher to use blue coppers in your black copper breeding program if you are working towards the SOP?

Some say it is, others feel the black coppers from a blue copper/black copper cross are not as dark black as they ought to be. As in, more of a charcoal black rather than a jet black. It does improve the lacing in the blues, though.

 

[marquisella]

Quote: Conformation for all Marans is the same, it doesn't change with varieties. Blue Coppers are just like the black, except, blue body instead of black. Should have the same copper hackles, etc. The pullet in the pic is over melanized with black hackles. You could breed her to a black copper with good copper color, and only keep the blue copper chicks. That should increase the copper for you.

 

[jaybobrenn]

Thanks for the compliment on my blue hen. I think she's pretty too. Here are 2 more pics of her that i happen to have on my phone.

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[jaybobrenn]