Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Lucky KY Chicks]

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

I'm not sure if you meant this or not so excuse me if I misunderstood you. Unfortunately it's not just the "wheaten" colored chicks that can't be labeled BCMs. Any chicks from the same breeding pen cannot be sold as BCMs, even if they look just like a BCMs, due to the recessive wheaten present. If you test all individuals via pair wise mating and eliminate the wheaten carriers then you can set up a new breeding pen with only 100% BCMs. It would be extremely time consuming but if pure is what you are working towards then that is the only way other than what has been mentioned: acquiring all new stock, from a reliable source, to be kept separate from your current flock.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I agree.... your birds carry wheaten and are a mixed marans. This is a common problem in Marans.

I would really like to see your cockerel. I suspect he might even be wheaten. If you don't know what to look for you would mistake a Wheaten cockerel for a Black Copper.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

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

I'm saying you couldn't sell ANY chicks from that line of BCM as pure BCM until you do the single matings and find which birds are carrying it.

 

[snaffle]

I'm saying you couldn't sell ANY chicks from that line of BCM as pure BCM until you do the single matings and find which birds are carrying it.

No problem. I wouldnt use the word "pure' and thank you for your help and advice.

Another question:

I am not sure what I want to do with the Wheatens. I read on one hatchery site that Wheaten marans are rare and seldom sold thru hatcheries.

Are they something I should keep? Sell as Wheaten Marans with a price higher or the same as the Copper Marans?

Thanks for any thoughts

 

[ochochicas]

Snaffle,
You are right that Wheatens are harder to find and also more expensive. You could sell the chicks for a higher price if you had them. If you want to sell pure Wheatens you will have to get new pure Wheaten stock and start from scratch. The birds you have now are not Wheatens since they are mixed.

You can advertise your birds as Marans crosses that lay dark brown eggs. You should still be able to sell them at a good price.

Can you post a picture of your adult birds?

 

[snaffle]

My copper maran hens have areas around the neck with the red brown feathers

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

Also @snaffle how long did you wait to collect eggs for hatching after taking your white roo out? How many breeds of hens do you run with the Marans hens and rooster?

 

[snaffle]

I dont remember when I took out the cochin banty... bad me.

In my hen house I have 2 copper maran roosters.... 6 copper maran hens...2 cochin banty hens ...and about 14 red stars and americaunas

Infertility is not an issue with the maran eggs.

@Lucky KY Chicks

 

[Lucky KY Chicks]

I just wonder, @snaffle, about the Cochin possibly having been the father of some of the chicks as I have heard that a hen can store sperm for 2 weeks safely and some say that 3 weeks is possible. I have not tested this myself. Also you mentioned that you could have hatched some red star eggs. I would recommended separating all your Marans(maybe only one rooster) and wait three weeks then start collecting eggs and see what you hatch then. This could save you from having to do pair wise mating or from buying all new stock.

 

[ochochicas]

The rooster does not look like a Wheaten to me.