Blue Copper and Splash Copper Marans Discussion

[pinkchick]

Hi all, still looking for opinions on these cockerels. I culled #65 and #50 this past week, so I'm down to 7 now. I am starting to like the last one, #22. He is intermediate in age between the first 4 and the 4 above him. He's around 5 months I think, as the 4 above him are 4 months. I think his earlobes may be a little pale in color, but I think he has potential. How do I go about getting rid of white underfluff in the blue coppers?

Hi Marcy!

Are they all holding their wings kinda low because of the heat? Or do they always hold them like this? #65 didn't seem to hold his wings low....wish he had held his tail a bit lower though, . I had one just like #50 a few years ago and he never did get the right color in the hackle. It stayed that two toned look and very light......too bad to because he was a nice bodied bird.

#22 looks like he is going to have a nice topline and tail set. A bit concerned about how low his wings hang, but will wait for you to answer question above. He is also the only one I see that does not have the white underfluff that you asked about. As for getting rid of the white in the Blue Coppers.....you will treat it just as you would white in the Black Coppers and cull it from your flocks. How much color does he have on his chest?

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi Marcy!

Are they all holding their wings kinda low because of the heat? Or do they always hold them like this? #65 didn't seem to hold his wings low....wish he had held his tail a bit lower though,

. I had one just like #50 a few years ago and he never did get the right color in the hackle. It stayed that two toned look and very light......too bad to because he was a nice bodied bird.

#22 looks like he is going to have a nice topline and tail set. A bit concerned about how low his wings hang, but will wait for you to answer question above. He is also the only one I see that does not have the white underfluff that you asked about. As for getting rid of the white in the Blue Coppers.....you will treat it just as you would white in the Black Coppers and cull it from your flocks. How much color does he have on his chest?

Pinkchick, it was pretty hot out. And it continues to be hot here! It has been too hot for me to sit and study birds, so I can't really answer whether or not they have droopy wings normally. I kind of doubt it. As for the breast coloring, none of them have any except #22 and he has just a little bit, more on the sides of his breast. Now after reading Don's post about using a male with more breast color to get more color on the females, maybe that is a good thing? That is the first time I had heard that, and I have been culling heavily if they have breast color. ALL of my Blue Coppers have white underfluff so I am not sure how to get rid of it other than breed them to a Black Copper that has none and hope for some blue offspring that don't have it?

 

[pinkchick]

Marcy~

I figured the wings droopy are because of the heat there, so probably not a huge deal. I couldn't see white on #22 in the photos. Color on the breast/chest is a good thing, but it needs to be 10% or less, so sounds like he has a good amount. As for breeding out the white.....I wish Don or Vicki would comment on this for you as I don't have enough experience with that. I have had it on all Black Copper males that I have had in the past but the white was only on the hackles and on the sickles of the tail..so I culled them, but remember I am not a Black Copper fancier so I had no reason to keep them to work on breeding it out. I wish you the best and all I can say for sure is to test mate the best one and see what is produced and if it's not right or atleast not better than what you started out with....cull and make a change. Definitely try breeding to back to a Black Copper and breed back to a Blue Copper with single matings and see what is produced. Hope this helps and I will be watching to see if Vicki and Don will comment on this, I learn something everytime they post and share their knowledge. I also have enjoyed watching your progress, don't get discouraged and keep having fun my friend.

Oh and 2500# of feed in a month........HOLY CHICKENPOOH!!!
Reminds me of when I was feeding 150 large fowl...I was definitely chicken poor, no fun at all so I know your pain.

 

[DMRippy]

I buy that much feed a month too. I get anywhere from 2000-2300 every 4 week's for my main buy of feed and I get the chick starter and gamebird feed somewhere else usually about 300 lbs a month.

 

[TimsHens]

 

[slick4591]

Hi! Wanted to drop by and see if I can get some comments on these two girls. They are the first generation of my dark egg project and have taken me from 4/5's to 5/6's, so I'll be a while working on it. Being that it's just an egg project I'm not supposed to care so much about the bird, right? Problem is I do. I'm really partial to the first girl and think a lot of her. The older one that's laying I like but not as much as the younger. My initial thought on the younger girl has too short of a back, but what do I know, Anyway,just looking for some thoughts, please.

Noy yet laying.








Laying a couple of weeks now.

 

[Runawaylobster]

I recently hatched a bunch of blues and I have some that came out an absolutely fabulous
really dark blue color. Problem is that they have no leg feathering but i want to keep them
because of the color, so i am wondering if I cross them with either a blue copper or black copper
roo who has lots of leg feathering I will be able to retain the dark blue in my flock and get
back the leg feathers...

none of my blue girls are showing any copper and it looks like i have not got
it back so far in this next generation .. so this is also an issue, and i am wondering if
keeping the dark blue ones would affect the ability to get back the copper..

but they are an AWESOME color.. i will post pics after work this evening

 

[DMRippy]

feathered legs are relatively easy to add back in. use a roo that is heavily feathered.....even some on the middle toes. the copper....that is harder to get and keep.

 

[Runawaylobster]

feathered legs are relatively easy to add back in. use a roo that is heavily feathered.....even some on the middle toes. the copper....that is harder to get and keep.

I think i am going to try the advice from Snowbird on the copper and find a roo with way too much copper for normal purposes and see what happens... so i guess i need an over coppered roo with street sweepers LOL!!!

 

[DMRippy]

not going to hurt to try. I had a roo with copper on his chest and didn't get pullets with copper. my roos I got from pinkchicks flock the Luther blue roo he gave me lots of compared pullets. he had that halo effects in his hackles. not sure if that is what put the copper in them or not.