Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I have hear similar about that line. LOTS OF CULLS. Pay top dollar does not assure you of good birds.

You need to look at the chicks are they black and white like they should be?
Are the parents correct?
What is the egg color like?

Don't ask for chicks from only the darkest eggs ( you are probably not going to get the darkest eggs)
Don't ask for the DARKEST layers they have (those are not going to leave there farm anytime soon)

Understand you best bet is chicks BUT you are going to have to cull for the best birds of that group. EVERY breeder has to cull for the best they hatch. If you buy older birds, they are probably culls from their breeding program. That does not mean they are not good birds, just not the BEST that breeder has.

 

[DMRippy]

I too bought some birds from a TOP show breeder. One bird had yellow legs so I had to cull them all from my breeding pens. Sad.... they didn't seem to care either. I guess as long as the birds LOOK the part they show them and don't care they are genetically correct either.

I don't believe that yellow skin SKIPS a generation. I think that you must THOROUGHLY test EVERY bird with a big enough pool to see the yellow legs..... feeding some thing that will make it pop out is also a good idea (more corn or some turmeric in the feed)

Finding good marans is hard. There are lots of good small breeders around, but you have to know what to look for and not be blinded by the EGGS. I think people see the dark eggs and just go for it without looking at the birds. Marans are not just dark egg layers..... they are a work in progress and plenty of people are just trying to make a buck.

 

[heatherbree]

Ok, odd request here. Anyone have a really nice rooster who would be willing to sell me some hatching eggs? I'm not looking to breed them to perfection, and I can't afford to pay for anyone's prize eggs. I just really love this breed. They are so beautiful and I think the dark eggs are so fun. I was really hoping to hatch some this spring but our local hook up fell through. I am just hoping to increase our chances of a gentle rooster because we've had to get rid of two so far for being aggressive with my 3 year old and 18mo old. Thank You!

PS I posted this late last night. This morning I've been reading a little on this thread. Just wanted to say I absolutely respect all the hard work and effort that many of you put into breeding. I just don't have the time or money right now. I hope searching for a less perfect bird isn't offensive to anyone.

 

[scflock]

I have hear similar about that line. LOTS OF CULLS. Pay top dollar does not assure you of good birds.

You need to look at the chicks are they black and white like they should be?
Are the parents correct?
What is the egg color like?

Don't ask for chicks from only the darkest eggs ( you are probably not going to get the darkest eggs)
Don't ask for the DARKEST layers they have (those are not going to leave there farm anytime soon)

Understand you best bet is chicks BUT you are going to have to cull for the best birds of that group. EVERY breeder has to cull for the best they hatch. If you buy older birds, they are probably culls from their breeding program. That does not mean they are not good birds, just not the BEST that breeder has.

The chicks were black and white, and the parents looked like what I had seen online, but I obviously didn't know enough to do a thorough inspection. I don't know which eggs my chicks came from, but he showed me eggs in the nest boxes, and they were beautiful. Most were much darker than my cuckoos, a few about the same color. I didn't expect to have show quality feathering, I knew I would have to cull for that, but the yellow shank thing is devastating. I would work with feathering, but the shanks seem like a terminal flaw. My plan for these birds was to have the darkest eggs for my personal use and to give to friends, but I also wanted to sell the chicks. I never expected to sell them for showbird prices, but I'm so disappointed that they have a major flaw. These are the most docile chicks I have ever had. Even at 11 weeks a couple of them will walk up to me to be held.
I wanted to start with chicks, and I had told my wife that this was going to be the first flock of birds we ever had that I was going to cull, but now I'm not even starting right. What I'm going to do for now is keep these for pets, hope some of their eggs are as dark as the ones at the breeders, and do more research before starting over. You guys have been a great help. I don't FB, so I will be leaning on you guys

 

[snowbird]

I believe the best way to test for yellow legs is single mate with another breed that has yellow legs. Don

 

[desertmarcy]

I believe the best way to test for yellow legs is single mate with another breed that has yellow legs. Don

OK, that is what I'm doing to test all my Black Copper males: I have a Barred Plymouth Rock hen in with each one. Just set about 6 eggs from each one last night. Hoping they are all fertile.

 

[scflock]

Ok, odd request here. Anyone have a really nice rooster who would be willing to sell me some hatching eggs? I'm not looking to breed them to perfection, and I can't afford to pay for anyone's prize eggs. I just really love this breed. They are so beautiful and I think the dark eggs are so fun. I was really hoping to hatch some this spring but our local hook up fell through. I am just hoping to increase our chances of a gentle rooster because we've had to get rid of two so far for being aggressive with my 3 year old and 18mo old. Thank You!

PS I posted this late last night. This morning I've been reading a little on this thread. Just wanted to say I absolutely respect all the hard work and effort that many of you put into breeding. I just don't have the time or money right now. I hope searching for a less perfect bird isn't offensive to anyone.

I'm not trying to offend, either, but I am in the same boat as you. I'm fine with less than perfect birds, but I don't want to start with birds that are blatantly wrong. I didn't know that mine were until I posted pics and asked for criticism. FWIW, the 4 roosters I have are all very docile. If their legs were correct, I would be very happy with them. These chickens have the best temperaments of any that I have had at that age

 

[Metella]

I'm certainly not offended - I think every breed does better with all kinds of keepers - as long as those of us (I don't show or sell) who have them don't claim they are the most wonderful pure Marans around !

If we say pet quality Marans .... that is honest. The earlier poster who thought they were getting high quality eggs may have been a victim of someone who knew they didn't have full SOP standards met in their birds and still sold at the higher price - to me that is fraud and unnecessary as some of us would buy this same quality egg at a slightly lower price .... there is a market out there - and it is a shame that anyone lies about what they have.

It makes it so much harder for those of you wanting to sell show quality birds to add to your flock ... and makes people new to Marans suspect every purchase they may have to make.

I'm still open now for a cull Marans roo for my backyard flock because I have 4 hens - but no roo now. I want them for their body type, feathered feet, dual purpose and dark eggs.

Never sold as a pure Marans, even though they are. 2 of the hens are from Bev Davis lines.

 

[scflock]

I'm certainly not offended - I think every breed does better with all kinds of keepers - as long as those of us (I don't show or sell) who have them don't claim they are the most wonderful pure Marans around !

If we say pet quality Marans .... that is honest. The earlier poster who thought they were getting high quality eggs may have been a victim of someone who knew they didn't have full SOP standards met in their birds and still sold at the higher price - to me that is fraud and unnecessary as some of us would buy this same quality egg at a slightly lower price .... there is a market out there - and it is a shame that anyone lies about what they have.

It makes it so much harder for those of you wanting to sell show quality birds to add to your flock ... and makes people new to Marans suspect every purchase they may have to make.

I'm still open now for a cull Marans roo for my backyard flock because I have 4 hens - but no roo now. I want them for their body type, feathered feet, dual purpose and dark eggs.

Never sold as a pure Marans, even though they are. 2 of the hens are from Bev Davis lines.

I like the thought behind this post, and that's the way I have looked at all of my other chickens. I do sell chicks, cockerels, and pullets, but none of my breeds are any more expensive than the others. I sell cuckoo marans for the same price as barred rocks. I thought I may charge a little more for these, though, just because of egg color. I am always honest when people call me about my cuckoos, and say they want chocolate eggs. They aren't chocolate, but they are a very pretty 4, although sometimes lighter and a rare 5. That's why I wanted the black coppers. I bought my first cuckoos thinking all marans laid the darkest eggs, and although they didn't, they are fabulous layers and sell faster than any of my other chicks. There is a lot of demand for the chocolate egg layers in my area, but very few people have them. That's why I drove 2 hrs to pick up the chicks after receiving pictures of the eggs. I would be perfectly content to sell these chickens for the same price as my other breeds, but this thread made me question whether that was detrimental to the breed. I know that there are good and bad examples of all breeds, and tons of barnyard mixes, but I don't want to be detrimental to a new breed.
For you serious breeders, what does having less desirable birds on the market do to you? Does it hurt your showings or sales because people think that marans are marans, or does it let you command a higher price because you have the optimum birds of the breed?

 

[Metella]

Good questions at the end - I always assume "serious breeders" would like nice back yard flocks to take their culls .. but I could be totally wrong ! By take - I mean buy and still add to the profit margins ....