Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[geebs]

I can only assume it is because they are naturally darker anyway.. The genes involved... Since they naturally have more dark then they would be less affected???

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi

I think you are insulting quite a few breeders of which there are a good few on this group.

Bev Davis

 

[geebs]

MORNING BEV!!! Just taking our brains out and playing with them!!! Nice to see you!!!!

 

[VillageChicken]

I think hens melanize more easily then roosters. That is why while someone is shooting for the perfectly coppered roo, the same line throws overdark hens.

 

[geebs]

Pink I don't know HOW I missed the picture of you holding onto the dinosaur... GEEZ monster is right... Nice feet... I can't even remember what we were discussing.... Sheesh...

 

[pinkchick]

Hi Bev! Good to see you! Hope all is great!

 

[PrettyPoultry]

Quote:
Hey PrettyPoultry. I see that your picture got lost in the discussion . . . I will need to edit this a couple of times to finish it, but I am working on it. NEWBIES, this is a GREAT way to get a feel for what needs improvement in your flock. See if you notice the same things that others do. . .

Rooster:

Head: Nice size as compared to neck.

comb and wattles: 4 points from what I can tell. .. Should be 5 points.
Not a biggie, it is 1/2 point deduction for each missing or additional point.

Eye color is : Looks good from the picture - - red orange (perfect)

Ear coverts: brown/ copper is the standard - I would call his black or too dark. We will have to see what others say.

Beak horn: Dark is the standard - - so its good

Shape of rooster: Very nice shape to rooster. The neck flows into the chest and back smoothly.

Color balance in saddle to hackle area - - The color balance is good.
The color is bordering on too dark for my tastes. This could just be the picture ( low light).
If it is not the picture, I would be very careful no to pair this boy up with another hen that is dark.
I would be afraid the offspring would hit the too dark zone.

Tail: Other than the ONE sickle feather, the angle looks great.

Shank color: Dark Gray - - I am saying OK, but after the recent discussions - - who knows?

Feathering: I think I see a white feather in this birds hackle area - - -

Back (slope and width): Slope looks good. Width can not tell from picture. I think the back may be on the short side. He is walking in this picture and I think it is making the back look longer than it really is. This may effect the normal tail angle too.

Sorry, this took so long. I had to take the kids to the bus in between.

Thanks for the helpful critique. I have another Rooster that I will photograph later today I would like opinions on as well. Here is another picture of this rooster:

Is his red too dark? Alot of the black copper marans I see have a lighter color - which is correct to the standard?

 

[geebs]

Villagechicken: Do you find that it is easier to produce a good female? I find the males hard to produce good color balance..

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi Don

Breeding any breed is a long time process and there is always going to one fault or another. There isn't a perfect bird although I was told by one judge that he had seen one that was almost there. If you take the number of birds in a show that is not a very high percentage and this one bird was in one show of a large number of shows. Chickens are a thing of nature and as such one is different from another just as one human is different from another. Don, you have only been breeding Marans for such a very short time, I think you are expecting a lot in such a short time. Keep breeding and doing what you are doing and I am sure it won't be long before you have some very nice birds but they will be different in some way or another. While breeding don't forget to keep the egg color, this is as important as the look of the bird. Breeding Marans for shows and egg shows is going to be more difficult that other breeds. It's a challenge that I am sure you are capable of achieving.

Bev

 

[Debbi]

Ok, I can get that. But now, even though the pullets "look" over melanised, they are going to throw cockerels with the same problem of the white feather base? Even if bred to a more correctly colored roo? Have you ever seen a pullet/hen with the white feather bases on the hackles, ever? Since I don't have any pullets with good coppering, I just wonder if the gals with the lighter and more profuse coloring will sometimes show the white bases like the roos?

Hi Bev, nice to see you back!