Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[scflock]

Most of the time when you have these speckled eggs it is caused by them being too light in color.. I do not believe these will darken up very much.

I had the same experience with my bad Marans. The speckled eggs never had the color of the Davis hens I added later

 

[scflock]

SC, What did you end up sex wise with these. Looks like one male and fail to see another one.Looks like another one in one of the pictures. Do you have any Copper hackle showing up. In the bottom picture looks like you might have more than one Blue Copper.

Don, did you ever see this second set of pictures?

Ok Don, here are some more pics. There is only one blue. I see what you are saying, but that really is the lighting in the pictures. All others are black

Blue is on the far left

Close up of Blue

Best cockerel on the left, mossy on the right. There is one more that I'm still 50/50 on. Could be a slow developing cockerel, or quick developing pullet

Mossy cockerel

The rest are just random shots

 

[snowbird]

SC, they look to be growing really nice for you. Like a lot of feather feet. I hope you do not get a lot of the Mossy chicks, this can show up for a while yet and is related to other colors being involved. We have around sixty hatched and will get some pictures when they go on the floor.

 

[scflock]

SC, they look to be growing really nice for you. Like a lot of feather feet. I hope you do not get a lot of the Mossy chicks, this can show up for a while yet and is related to other colors being involved. We have around sixty hatched and will get some pictures when they go on the floor.

So far just the one is mossy, and it's a cockerel, so he's an obvious cull. The others are looking good so far. Only time will tell what they throw

 

[marchick]

I just got a message from Julie Akers! She should have my Black copper and Blue Copper Marans chicks in 1-2 weeks!

 

[scflock]

I just got a message from Julie Akers! She should have my Black copper and Blue Copper Marans chicks in 1-2 weeks!

 

[sideWing]

I just got a message from Julie Akers! She should have my Black copper and Blue Copper Marans chicks in 1-2 weeks!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Does anyone have an explanation for me on how, when I bred a too dark rooster to a too dark (no copper at all) hen and I'm getting mossy, over colored chicks? One of the boys is showing shafting and too much copper already at 8 weeks old. The pullet is starting to show copper in her hackles but she has a small mossy spot on her wing too. I'm just confused. I had thought that all their offspring would also be too dark. They were an experimental mating.

 

[One Chick Two]

Does anyone have an explanation for me on how, when I bred a too dark rooster to a too dark (no copper at all) hen and I'm getting mossy, over colored chicks? One of the boys is showing shafting and too much copper already at 8 weeks old. The pullet is starting to show copper in her hackles but she has a small mossy spot on her wing too. I'm just confused. I had thought that all their offspring would also be too dark. They were an experimental mating.

When the chicks are expressing mossiness plus shafting, and also too much chest leakage... it is sounding as though you may have Wheaten crossed into your BCM.

Test mating the parents to a Wheaten based bird would help you to determine which, or if both of them are crosses, so you can determine who to remove from your breeding program.

 

[KYBOY]

Man, Im seeing "black copper" breeders come out of the wood work here lately..First let me explain. I breed for egg color and I try to keep the standard but I don't show birds..Still I try to cull and keep it true..I don't care how other folks raise or breed their chickens, that being said........Im seeing a ton of Marans eggs popping up for sale on the various local facebook pages,craigslsist etc that cant be any darker than what my RIR's lay..I don't mean borderline 4's, I mean 2's and maybe 3's...