Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[sabella]

Hey guys,
I need to take pics as my blues are 16 weeks and my blacks 14 weeks. Sherman the roo (blue) hasn't started crowing yet!! Is he "special" or am I lucky? Also, is it time to build nesting boxes or should I wait till the first egg? The girls combs have pinked up a bit this past week so I think they're getting close to point of lay.

 

[enggass]

Quote:
Can I see a pic of your roo at 4 weeks?
Thanks...

 

[groominginla]

Ok...I bought a dozen FBCM and a dozen Cuckoo Marans eggs, also bought a dozen call duck eggs. Met the guy and picked them up, eggs had condensation on them, i didn't think anything about it. Hatch was terrible, only 8 chicks survived the hatch, chicks were dying after zipping and quitting early. Anyway, to the point...I opened the eggs that quit and I had about 4 yellow chicks in what were supposed to be FBCM and cuckoo eggs. Now the surviving chicks, 4 of which are supposed to be FBCM are getting feathers and look nothing like the older chicks I have. They have what appears to be red lacing/barring on their feathers, my others are black with white on their wings. Have I been hoodwinked? Should these chicks have red lacing/barring at 2 weeks on their wings? having gotten yellow chicks in some of the eggs, I will probably NEVER buy from the guy again, but if these aren't what I paid for, then i'm going to be really mad.

 

[jarodw45]

Quote:
I feel like you are talking about "mossy" it should molt out after first molt but the fact that you found yellow chicks leads me to believe they have wheaten in them which from my understanding was used to improve that all black chest.... several pages back on this thread they talk about mossy chicks and melanizers and all that stuff you may wanna refer back to. Even has pictures. I am no genetics person but maybe that can point you in the right direction as far as more research.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
You are WAY LUCKY. . . . I have had them start crowing at 2 - 3 weeks. By 14 weeks, they are stomping the ground and doing the one leg wing dance. . .

 

[VillageChicken]

Quote:
If you had chicks develop fully and then quit at hatch or die after pipping, it wasn't a problem with the eggs. Condensation should also not be a problem. When I collect eggs in the winter they get condensation on them as soon as I bring them in the house. They all hatch with no problem. Problems at pip/zip have more to do with humidity settings, usually.

I've had a few chicks initially feather out with brown barring, but not what I would call red. Your cuckoos should be black with white on the wings/belly and a small spot of white on their head.

As far as the 4 yellow chicks - if they were in the BC and cuckoo eggs then I think your seller had a mixup, and gave you some wrong eggs. I would find out what other breeds he sells, and ask if there could have been a mix-up. It happens quite easily. Not too many cuckoo (silver not golden) lines are known for throwing wheatens, so it sounds more like a mixup in egg sorting vs. some genetic crossing going on.

 

[ChicksterJo]

Quote:
Sure, here he is. Sorry they are a bit blurry. He is always jumping and trying to fly. ETA: One of his toes is bandaged. His legs are very feathered, but the feathers are so big that it looks like more than his outer toes are feathered. Only his outer toes are feathered..My blue girl has a couple of feathers on her middle toes and the black one has very little feathering.

This shows his coppering. The lighting makes my camera take grainy pictures.

 

[flgardengirl]

Wow he has snow boots

Cute little guy.

 

[sabella]

Quote:
You are WAY LUCKY. . . . I have had them start crowing at 2 - 3 weeks. By 14 weeks, they are stomping the ground and doing the one leg wing dance. . .

He has not shown any aggression toward me. He gets upset when I pick him up but chills out quickly. He "talks" constantly, but has yet to crow even though he can hear the roo across the street. I'm uploading pics now, will post when they're done.

 

[sabella]

Sherman and the girls. Sherman and the blue girl (#1) are 16 weeks, the BCM girls are 14 weeks.

Sherman

Sherman and #1

#1

#1 and #4

#3

#4