Blue Copper and Splash Copper Marans Discussion

[marnette]

This is my first Blue Copper Maran, I have seen a lot of pictures and I am wondering if the coloring is correct. She/he is 11 weeks old.
Thanks in advance.

 

[desertmarcy]

This is my first Blue Copper Maran, I have seen a lot of pictures and I am wondering if the coloring is correct. She/he is 11 weeks old.
Thanks in advance.

You mean the one on the left, correct? That is not a blue copper. Looks like a mix of cuckoo and golden cuckoo. See the barring? Blue Coppers don't have that. Blue Coppers should be like a Black Copper but slate blue color where the black is on the Black Copper.

 

[marnette]

Yes the one on the left. We hatched from an egg and the guy told me it was a blue copper. I knew something was up as started seeing those colors coming out. Darn!! Do you think it is a roo or pullet?

 

[FVRM]

Yes the one on the left. We hatched from an egg and the guy told me it was a blue copper. I knew something was up as started seeing those colors coming out. Darn!! Do you think it is a roo or pullet?

There is no way to tell an egg will hatch out a blue copper. it looks like a boy

 

[chicken pickin]

There is no way to tell an egg will hatch out a blue copper. it looks like a boy

Of course you could know an egg will hatch out Blue Copper, atleast in some cases, like shown in the chart below Black X Slash will always result in Blue.

You would only know though if you know parentage of the egg


I agree with FVRM that that barred chicken is a cockerel.

 

[FVRM]

I forgot about the black x splash combination.

 

[ellymayRans]

I have a question regarding the blues. I have a pair I hatched last year. Both have great copper color. .mother has no copper. Now I have another pair and neither have any copper. They were hatched back in April or May..not remembering exactly atm. But is this common? I haven't had any of my Black Copper Marans lacking in copper. . Just interested. I am working towards being able to produce all Blue and Splash with the right pairing but I don't want blues without copper. My all Blue hen I thought pairing her with my Black Copper Marans roo would bring the copper I needed but it didn't as I expected. Granted the latest pair are still young but they are definitely old enough that they should be showing it by now.

Here is an older boy of mine with plenty of copper.

His eyes are darker than they should be as are his mother's but that and feathered shanks are a work in progress. She had none and he has only a couple. .the last hatch has a couple more than that! Sigh...So...
Thoughts? Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[DMRippy]

adding copper to pullets seems to be one of the hardest things. Blues make it even harder.

 

[ellymayRans]

adding copper to pullets seems to be one of the hardest things.  Blues make it even harder.

So try try again philosophy! ?!

 

[desertmarcy]

I'm having the same problem, Blue Copper pullets with no copper. I did get a few this year, so hopefully I'm on my way. But I hatched a LOT of them, and only have one that I really like the color on. I have heard using an over-colored male may help? One that has too much copper on the breast. Then only keep the females from the breeding because all the males will have too much color in the wrong place. Anybody have personal experience trying a breeding like that? I have held back a couple of cockerels this year that I would have culled otherwise because of the breast color. I might try it.