Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[rungirl]

Opinions please... I have 5 BCM cockerals to chose from and I've narrowed it down to 2. This is my first attempt with this breed and I've noticed some white tips on the primary wing feathers in a few. So I'm assuming I should eliminate those birds completely, correct? They are 10 weeks old now and I don't know if the white is temporary or not. I bet not.
Also, I've noticed some wry tails and I don't like that, so they are eliminated. Please take a look at my two favorite boys and tell me what you think.


#1- Orange legband- He is the largest and shows no white feathers in his wings. I like him, he's nice and tall, straight tail, nice coloring. I'm not crazy about his comb.

#2- Yellow legband- I think he's nice looking. Very classic look. I like his head. BUT, he has white on his wing tips. Also he's smaller than #1.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Could we get a chest view of # 2 the yellow band PLEASE....

At 10 weeks it is TOO EARLY to worry about any white.....
The age to worry is after 20 - 25 weeks....

 

[TDM]

Quote:
I bought some BCM eggs too from an online auction here last year. Paid top dollar for them too. What I received were pullet eggs that were four or less on the Marans scale. Only two hatched out of twelve.

Next year I'm selling my BCM chicks for two dollars each at the swaps. I sell LIVE chicks, and include the shells. I stay away from the egg sellers these days.

 

[Noymira]

Are Black Copper Marans still considered very rare in the US? I was doing some searching on the internet and keep finding references of them being very rare, but those are usually from someone selling hatching eggs. I had no idea the price some people could get for hatching eggs!

I'm new to chickens and did not know much about BCM before I got a chance at 5 local pullets (thanks Keara!), so I'm trying to do some research now that I have them.

I've read that some people sell the dark eggs to chefs for cooking at a premium price; is there actually a difference between these eggs and those from other breeds besides the color?

Does anyone have a good link or description of the Marans scale for egg colors?

I love my 5 BCM's as a part of my flock of layers, and don't really have any intentions other than eggs for my family and friends, but should the average backyard flock person be worried that they need to continue the bloodlines by breeding if they have good birds?

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
I bought some BCM eggs too from an online auction here last year. Paid top dollar for them too. What I received were pullet eggs that were four or less on the Marans scale. Only two hatched out of twelve.

Next year I'm selling my BCM chicks for two dollars each at the swaps. I sell LIVE chicks, and include the shells. I stay away from the egg sellers these days.

I can't complaint about the size I received as they were all extra large or jumbo except 1 medium egg which I figured was the extra. Also the eggs I received were pretty dark. I have just PM'd the seller to inquire about the yellow shanks.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Here are our 2 cockerals, they are 10 weeks old tomorrow. Both have a wave in the front part of their comb so only time will tell how they turn out.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Since we're sharing pictures of youngsters - here are my 9 and a half week old cockerels. I only have one black and 1 blue worth sharing but I believe they are both pretty decent for making future generations of Marans. The blue does not have feathered legs and at the present time, the pullets I have are lean on feathers so I think the black will get to make the next generation and hopefully, pass on feathered legs which will then give my blue something to do! Let me know what you think of them. (They hatched out of very large, fabulously dark brown Canadian eggs.)

Black

Black

Black

Black

Black (still a lap baby; he had just been zinged by one of the hens)

Blue

Blue

Blue

 

[Hens and Roos]

It's interesting to see pictures of the different babies, especially those that are close in age. Looking at the pictures I posted and the ones BarnGoddess01 posted you can really see the difference in the amount of coppering they have. Very neat!

 

[VillageChicken]

Quote:
I bought some BCM eggs too from an online auction here last year. Paid top dollar for them too. What I received were pullet eggs that were four or less on the Marans scale. Only two hatched out of twelve.

Next year I'm selling my BCM chicks for two dollars each at the swaps. I sell LIVE chicks, and include the shells. I stay away from the egg sellers these days.

I can't complaint about the size I received as they were all extra large or jumbo except 1 medium egg which I figured was the extra. Also the eggs I received were pretty dark. I have just PM'd the seller to inquire about the yellow shanks.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g46/sgtmom52/Chickens/P1130081.jpg

I'm glad you decided to do that... maybe the seller doesn't even know their stock carries, or they just switched roosters. There's a really cool Wheaten Marans breeder on BYC who just found out his stock carries yellow, and his flock has been closed for 2 years... so even careful breeders can have surprises in their flock. Let us know how they respond, and if they compensate somehow.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Ditto!