Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Arielle]

Could someone explain "mossy"--really not sure what color this is. Not sure Snowbird is on very often to see my post.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
Ok I think I can help with that...

This is my young pullet when she was growing several were mossy... sorry not the best pic

to me mossy is flecks of copper where the are NOT supposed to be. In the pic you might be able to see she has red flecks on most of her feathers. She has out grown that... most of my girls are either black or almost black.

 

[VillageChicken]

When Don refers to mossy, he is usually referring to the adult color after the juvenile molt. There's a good picture of mossy at the Aussie Marans website here . Scroll down about 1/3 of the way, it's under then hens with straw hackle and shafting that look like brown leghorns.

Juvenile feathering is often the opposite of what adult feathering will be. I've found that my blackest chicks have the most correct copper as adults, and the chicks with the most white at hatch end up the blackest. (Just look at pictures of Sumatran chicks - they have tons of white and they are a VERY black adult bird). When chicks fledge out they will often have brown in their wings, and white tips on their primaries. These almost always disappear after the juvenile molt. Some of my hens with best hackle color have had brown in their wings at a couple weeks, but they end up with nice intense black all over, with good hackle color.

Different lines also fledge out differently. If you take pictures and mark your chicks, you will eventually be able to predict what your adult birds will look like based on their chickdown and juvie feathers.

The copper spot on the head is different than the brown chickdown that covers the whole head at hatch. It came up a few times on this massive thread, but I don't remember if there was any link to consistent adult trait/coloring. The brown head/chest at hatch is the result of genes that will restrict black in the adult birds - mossy hens or overcoppered roos.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I'll try to help you out here.....

Mossy refers to the bleeding through of color where it should not be. With Black copper marans hens . .... the birds should be solid BLACK except at the hackle area.
The hackle area is where the copper should be..... However, if a hen has copper OR brown on a feather somewhere else on the body this is mossiness.

 

[guard278th]

This is one of six fbc chicks I have in the brooder he is 3 1/2 weeks old he tried to Crow this morning is this normal or what his comb is 3 times has big as the others and already shows waddles and hackle coloring I'm just wondering if Its possible if the parents were giving some type of steroid

 

[rirbrahma]

I really want these!!!

anyone wanna send some to me in maui?
Someone sells them here but its $48-$50 a chick. So sad. Haha
BTW: beautiful Birds!!

 

[Christie Rhae]

Quote:
I managed to hatch one male and one female this summer. Gonna try to breed my own with this pair next year. I am on the Big Island. Maybe I could help you out in a year. Lol!

 

[Wynette]

Folks, I noticed something recently. On some F3 babies, I have one male that is VERY correct and has it all goin' on, as they say. Except....his legs are PINK. I've double checked records to be sure that I haven't mis-marked parentage or something. This is the first one I've seen. I've not looked too awfully close yet, but was looking over my cockerels from last hatch this a.m. when I picked him out as being one of the nicest from the hatch...then, noticed his shank color wasn't slate over pink as it should be...appears to be totally missing the "slate" and legs are solid "pink" - anyone else notice this in an F2 or F3 breeding?

 

[flgardengirl]

That's wierd. I have a bcm cockeral from bayhorsebonnie line that has shanks close to the wheaten color shanks and also a black tailed buff male that I got from the same line also has those same light shanks. It could be some wheaten or BTB influence somewhere back in the genetic pool?

 

[shesaredroan]

Quote:
Hey Wynette,
No pink legs here, but I will look more closely just to be sure. My eggs are beautiful!!! Sometimes I think they are too pretty to eat. LOL The birds are big, and have wonderful leg feathering. Looking forward to fall & winter, after suffering through our past miserable summer.
Lost my 15 year old mare due to founder, two 80 ft tall, 100 yr old oak trees, 18 yr old pine tree and many rose bushes.....it's been a year of lose. The extreme heat & drought has been harsh on everything.......people/animals/plants & machines!!! Lost a few chickens, but your BCM bitties I hatched have held up beautifully and have grown into fine hens & roos.