Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[snaffle]

I had a white chick hatch out and thought that I must not have removed my white cochin banty rooster soon enough. As it grew I decided I must have included a red star egg with the batch because it is growing red feathers.



This weekend I had another white chick hatch out. ... again I am pretty sure I had the white rooster out of the hen house when these eggs were saved. My husband thinks so too.

Now I am questioning myself.I did not have white chicks hatch out last year. I DID have one chick that grew to look like a poor quality cochin banty with maran coloring.

Is there too much white on the eyebrows and wings of of these chicks? Am I worrying too much or should I assume I kept another red star egg by accident? My maran eggs are pretty dark.. some of the red star eggs are pretty dark too... just not as dark brown.





My eggs

 

[FVRM]

I had a white chick hatch out and thought that I must not have removed my white cochin banty rooster soon enough. As it grew I decided I must have included a red star egg with the batch because it is growing red feathers.



This weekend I had another white chick hatch out. ... again I am pretty sure I had the white rooster out of the hen house when these eggs were saved. My husband thinks so too.

Now I am questioning myself.I did not have white chicks hatch out last year. I DID have one chick that grew to look like a poor quality cochin banty with maran coloring.

This is a recessive wheaten maran. Your coppers were crossed with a wheaten maran roo at some point. I had 2 hatch out and one made it to adulthood, she's a cute little cream colored hen now.

 

[Zanna]

I had a white chick hatch out and thought that I must not have removed my white cochin banty rooster soon enough. As it grew I decided I must have included a red star egg with the batch because it is growing red feathers.



This weekend I had another white chick hatch out. ... again I am pretty sure I had the white rooster out of the hen house when these eggs were saved. My husband thinks so too.

Now I am questioning myself.I did not have white chicks hatch out last year. I DID have one chick that grew to look like a poor quality cochin banty with maran coloring.

Is there too much white on the eyebrows and wings of of these chicks? Am I worrying too much or should I assume I kept another red star egg by accident? My maran eggs are pretty dark.. some of the red star eggs are pretty dark too... just not as dark brown.





My eggs

The older white chick looks wheaten to me. Are the legs feathered? Are you breeding Mother to Son or Dad to Daughter(s)? If so you have most likely discovered a recessive wheaten gene in your flock. Takes a gene from each parent to produce the wheaten chicks if this works the same as recessive whites which I am currently dealing with. I am well versed on the recessive white but not on the wheaten so maybe someone else will chime in and correct me if I am wrong.

 

[ochochicas]

The good news is that your "surprise wheaten" is feathering in brown, so it should be a pullet. Might make a nice layer even if she isn't breeding quality. If you were closer I'd buy her from you.

She's cute!

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

My Cha-Cha, a sweetie of a Marans Roo is being mated with Black Orpingtons, Blue Orpingtons and two Welsummers. I lack girl Marans. The purchased eggs had not hatched and I substituted.my question is how bad is it that I have done this? Will I be able to breed the off spring girls back to my Cha-Cha?

 

[Zanna]

My Cha-Cha, a sweetie of a Marans Roo is being mated with Black Orpingtons, Blue Orpingtons and two Welsummers. I lack girl Marans. The purchased eggs had not hatched and I substituted.my question is how bad is it that I have done this? Will I be able to breed the off spring girls back to my Cha-Cha?

As a breeder you can do whatever you like. Just know you will never have purebred Marans doing this but may get some nice dark layers from the two Welsummers. They will be 'mutts' though even if some by chance look like a purebred Marans.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

As a breeder you can do whatever you like. Just know you will never have purebred Marans doing this but may get some nice dark layers from the two Welsummers. They will be 'mutts' though even if some by chance look like a purebred Marans.

X2 ^^ If you sell any of them, just call them "mixed layers" and don't even mention any breeds at all.

 

[snaffle]

Well I feel a bit better knowing that it wasn't that I didnt remove my cochin banty rooster from the henhouse too late.

However...since I am now getting a couple of wheatens in my hatches (yes they have feathered legs) doesnt that mean my black copper marans are not pure? What happens when someone buys chicks from me and they have wheatens show up?

I dont want to breed wheatens...so this could pose a problem next spring ... I would have to separate out any wheatens...

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Well I feel a bit better knowing that it wasn't that I didnt remove my cochin banty rooster from the henhouse too late.

However...since I am now getting a couple of wheatens in my hatches (yes they have feathered legs) doesnt that mean my black copper marans are not pure? What happens when someone buys chicks from me and they have wheatens show up?

I dont want to breed wheatens...so this could pose a problem next spring ... I would have to separate out any wheatens...

They are Marans, but not pure black copper Marans if in fact those chicks are wheaten outcrops. You wouldn't be able to sell them as BCM. I am like zanna in that I know about recessive white, but if recessive wheaten chicks showing up looks the same, then your BCM are carrying wheaten from both sides. Believe me, it is exhaustive to single mate and identify which of your BCM are carrying the recessive unwanted genes and then culling them from your breeding flock of BCM. But it's what you have to do, unless you want to start all over with new BCM that don't have these unwanted genes.

 

[snaffle]

They are Marans, but not pure black copper Marans if in fact those chicks are wheaten outcrops. You wouldn't be able to sell them as BCM. I am like zanna in that I know about recessive white, but if recessive wheaten chicks showing up looks the same, then your BCM are carrying wheaten from both sides. Believe me, it is exhaustive to single mate and identify which of your BCM are carrying the recessive unwanted genes and then culling them from your breeding flock of BCM. But it's what you have to do, unless you want to start all over with new BCM that don't have these unwanted genes.

No...I would not sell any wheaten chicks as 'black copper maran' lol