Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[katie1015]

This is a very special day! my blue marans finally is starting to get copper! I thought this day would never come!

 

[TheWineMaker]

Hey there everyone. Kinda new here and wanna know if a water change is needed every day when treating flock with Demagard.

 

[happyfrenchman]

My new black coppers have come into lay.... so far, I am very disappointed. The egg looks like a rhode island red shade of brown, with tiny flecks of dark brown, like flicks from a tiny paint brush... is this normal? I have read alot that says, what they lay at first only gets lighter... if that is the case. I need to get some better stock... My Blue Coppers are laying darker than that. I am hoping they just need a little time to get the coating mechanism firing.... .
The birds look great... they are healthy... I don't want to have to go back to the drawing board from square one.

 

[collgoss]

Hello! New to chickens, and have three Rhode Island Reds, Two Ameracaunas, three Black Copper Marans. (two Roosters so far)
My problem is, the RIR's have been laying for almost three weeks, and my Marans (who are at least two weeks older-and fully combed) are not laying? Although the oldest of the Marans does sing shortly after leaving the coop to range. I have looked through the woods and cant find any nests though? Now the Ameracaunas, who are almost a full month younger, are beginning to lay... QUESTION- do Marans lay later than the average hens?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hello! New to chickens, and have three Rhode Island Reds, Two Ameracaunas, three Black Copper Marans. (two Roosters so far)
My problem is, the RIR's have been laying for almost three weeks, and my Marans (who are at least two weeks older-and fully combed) are not laying? Although the oldest of the Marans does sing shortly after leaving the coop to range. I have looked through the woods and cant find any nests though? Now the Ameracaunas, who are almost a full month younger, are beginning to lay... QUESTION- do Marans lay later than the average hens?

Short answer- yes. Some of my BCM hens have been 30 weeks before I get my first egg.

 

[Wynette]

Welcome, collgoss!

Another opinion for you - mine lay around 24 weeks, average.

 

[DeltaBluezTess]

Mine just started laying at 6 months....my first homebred FBCM, nice color and eggs 4/5 scale......but I had to do severe culling due to too much copper, not good conformation etc and the one I kept are quite nice! The regular layers (Barred Rocks EE, etc) all started about 2/3 weeks prior....last year I got some chicks that started laying at 7 month mark......

 

[doxies1]

Do hatchlings always have feathering if they are going to be feathered and do clean legged hatchlings always stay clean legged?

 

[Wynette]

Do hatchlings always have feathering if they are going to be feathered and do clean legged hatchlings always stay clean legged?

yes and yes.

 

[happyfrenchman]

I am repeating this question in hopes someone will know before it gets buried. I have three pullets that are about 5 months old... Yesterday, two of them laid a pair of Rhode Island Red brown colored egg with tiny brown speckles on it... They are new chickens so I wanted to know if this was normal? The birds look just like the black coppers in all the pictures. They have feathered legs. White skin and feet. Their parents looked great although, I never did see any eggs during my trip to the breeder. The egg is bottom heavy like the Marans in the standard. These birds look great by everything I have been able to gather. I was just wondering if this is something commonly seen when a hen first starts to lay. I noticed some anomalies with my blue copper pullets at first, but they are laying quite a dark caramel colored egg now.