Black Copper Marans discussion thread

Hello, I'm sorry I think I forgot how to post a new question.... Where can I find the SOP on Marans? BCM in particular.
I want to keep a small flock that is as close to correct as I can and can't seem to get definite answers to a few questions. Thanks in advance!
 
If you have 2 bcm parents and you get one Wheaten chick
and the rest BCM black chicks, what does that say about the 2 parents? I'm still confused if Wheatens are desirable or not? Have been told both.
 
So is it generally accepted as true that darker eggs mean more time spent pigmenting the egg, thus less eggs per week in general? In that sense, by selecting for darker eggs you're selecting for a slower, less efficient layer?

I also recall reading that there was a hypothesis that the pigment occured more often when calcium was low, so running a low calcium diet may encourage darker eggs throughout the season.
 
So is it generally accepted as true that darker eggs mean more time spent pigmenting the egg, thus less eggs per week in general? In that sense, by selecting for darker eggs you're selecting for a slower, less efficient layer?

I also recall reading that there was a hypothesis that the pigment occured more often when calcium was low, so running a low calcium diet may encourage darker eggs throughout the season.
I have never heard either of those hypotheses. My Marian’s start out very dark and taper off end of season. They always lay 4-5 per week.
 
I have never heard either of those hypotheses. My Marian’s start out very dark and taper off end of season. They always lay 4-5 per week.
Well that's good news, I have since read (in this thread) that some are getting darkness in the 6-7 range and getting 5 eggs a week, which sounds awesome! Previously I'd been a bit hesistant to try out Marans due to those concerns above.
 
I bred a line of BCM for about 3 years. I didn't have anything to compare the quality of egg from my flock with, but people on I talked to at chicken events and what not would say things like if your hen ever produces an egg even once that is not a No. 4 or darker that you should cull her and thinks like I only dark from eggs that are darker than a #8 and so I don't ever get anything lighter than that, etc. My hens pullets were starting lay at 23 weeks would lay 5 eggs a week and I never say egg darker than a no. 5. and over the laying cycle they could fade to a #3. So after the 3rd year I decided to get eggs from these people that never see anything lighter than a #8 and see what the difference was. I got stock from 5-6 different flocks and grew them all out. All of them except for one line was worse that what I had been working with for 3 years. The one line that was better was not very consistent. My original line had even colored eggs that didn't get spots on them and every hen in the flock laid about the exactly same color of eggs. The line that was in consistent has some eggs that were an ever color, some that were spotted, the shades of drown were different to where some were more red, some more orange, some more brown. Also the egg color was all over the map. Some would never lay darker than a No. 3 or 4 (while my original line wall all come in at a No. 5 with out anything much lighter or much darker). But....there quite a few that were laying darker than a number 5 including one that came in laying a No 7 and one that came in laying a no 8. That hen that was laying a No. 8 was one in a thousand. She laid jumbo sized eggs and laid 5-6 of them a week. Through her laying cycle her eggs would fade to about a #5 but the beginning of the next laying season she would lay a few really dark #8's again. So...you don't have to have a hen that only lays ever 3rd day to get a dark egg. It will get you a dark egg, but she is not a good hen. I like to think of how much pigment a hen can produce in a week or how much they can produce in a laying season. A hen that is laying 5-6 eggs a week that are a No 4-5 in color is going to produce better offspring in terms of their egg color potential than a hen that is laying 2-3 eggs a week that are a Number 4-5 or even a hen that lays 1-2 eggs a week that are a No 6. To get hen that lay good color focus on the total volume of ink on the volume of ink per egg.
 
This is my guy at 13 wks old. Named Midnight. Was supposed to be a girl but SURPRISE
 

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