Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[scflock]

The tail is high, but I don't know if it's too high. The hackles have the halo that some folks stay away from. Some say it's wheaten influence and others say it's not.

Also looks like a few extra points at the rear of the comb. I bred my rooster with that, and every single cockerel he threw has the same fault. The one pictured also looks to have crooked toes

 

[NatureChica]

That are only supposed to have five points, correct?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Thank you everyone for the critiques. I did notice the halo but I have doubts now too on that being a definite sign of wheaten. I do believe that it could indicate it. I was told that he's only 6 months old. Maybe his tail will grow in a bit more and be held lower? Maybe I'm just wishful thinking here? Lol. I do have a young wheaten hen that i could test breed to to rule out wheaten influence. He looks like he has good shank feathering. I see the extra points on his comb. Maybe it's something I could work on. Is it worth giving him a chance?

 

[Zanna]

Thank you everyone for the critiques. I did notice the halo but I have doubts now too on that being a definite sign of wheaten. I do believe that it could indicate it. I was told that he's only 6 months old. Maybe his tail will grow in a bit more and be held lower? Maybe I'm just wishful thinking here? Lol. I do have a young wheaten hen that i could test breed to to rule out wheaten influence. He looks like he has good shank feathering. I see the extra points on his comb. Maybe it's something I could work on. Is it worth giving him a chance?

Can you get an eye level side view pic. of this cockeral? You can not tell the tail or back angle from this photo. Tails typically get higher as they age. The crooked toe could just be that he is standing funny. There are a lot of things I like about this fellow but need a better pic. At only 6 mos. old he will change/fill out a lot. He looks to be fairly wide and like he might have a nice rounded chest. Too hard to tell though from this pic.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Can you get an eye level side view pic. of this cockeral?  You can not tell the tail or back angle from this photo. Tails typically get higher as they age.   The crooked toe could just be that he is standing funny.  There are a lot of things I like about this fellow but need a better pic.  At only 6 mos. old he will change/fill out a lot. He looks to be fairly wide and like he might have a nice rounded chest.  Too hard to tell though from this pic.

Unfortunately, this is the only pic the guy has of him. I don't think he cares enough to go out and take more pics for me :/ he's fairly nearby and for $10 I think I'll just go get him. I'll be able to post pictures myself then for a better review of him.

 

[cyborg]

The first thing I noticed was his deeply serrated comb, that is normally one of the first things I look at, as it's hard to correct. The color isn't too bad, but I think the tail is very close to a squirrel tail now.

 

[scflock]

Unfortunately, this is the only pic the guy has of him. I don't think he cares enough to go out and take more pics for me :/ he's fairly nearby and for $10 I think I'll just go get him. I'll be able to post pictures myself then for a better review of him.

Take the advice of someone who has lost an entire breeding year to a hopeless flock. If you want SOP, take your time and find the best rooster you can. I got impatient and bought the first ones I found. My rooster has multiple faults, that coronation comb is an immediate DQ, and every single one of the 18 roosters I have hatched from him has the same comb. Individual faults are hard enough to breed out, but multiple severe faults aren't worth the time. If I had it to do over, I would have been better off to buy a $150 rooster from a show

 

[GaryDean26]

any explanation for this colour?


she comes from a bcm pen. her legs are not yellow as it seems (pic is not good quality).

How long have BCM's been in Greece? What if the origin of your bloodlines?

Every blood line has a different portion of the Marans Gene pool. Some of these bloodlines have recessive color color patterns under the main black copper color patterns. As juveniles when the birds is growing quickly these recessive color patterns show through because the black pigment doesn't keep up with the fast growth of the feather. They often look fine as mature birds though. Other lines have many have color enhancing genes or pattern modifying genes. To find out what you line holds you really need to test mate them to other breed to she what recessive traits come out.

 

[Zanna]

Take the advice of someone who has lost an entire breeding year to a hopeless flock. If you want SOP, take your time and find the best rooster you can. I got impatient and bought the first ones I found. My rooster has multiple faults, that coronation comb is an immediate DQ, and every single one of the 18 roosters I have hatched from him has the same comb. Individual faults are hard enough to breed out, but multiple severe faults aren't worth the time. If I had it to do over, I would have been better off to buy a $150 rooster from a show

Agreed but....... I bought a lovely $150/Cockeral from a show and unknowingly incorporated a recessive white gene into my flock which has taken 3 years to discover, single mate to get rid of and get started again. After working with this breed for over 7 years now, you learn to pick your battles. A judge that I was clerking for at a show recently said you can breed out just about anything but you have to breed numbers and cull hard. Not the first time I have heard this.......... After time you will find what you will accept and what you just won't and work into your own rhythm. No perfect bird out there.

 

[chickengr]

How long have BCM's been in Greece? What if the origin of your bloodlines?

Every blood line has a different portion of the Marans Gene pool. Some of these bloodlines have recessive color color patterns under the main black copper color patterns. As juveniles when the birds is growing quickly these recessive color patterns show through because the black pigment doesn't keep up with the fast growth of the feather. They often look fine as mature birds though. Other lines have many have color enhancing genes or pattern modifying genes. To find out what you line holds you really need to test mate them to other breed to she what recessive traits come out.

I don't know for how long bcm have been in greece. I noticed that at the breeder some marans hens have floppy combs. is that ok?