Blue Copper and Splash Copper Marans Discussion

[DMRippy]

Thanks! I have 5 BCM hens, all clear breasted that I will be breeding him with this spring, I will look at tail angle Can't wait to see babies from this guy! He is about 5 months in this picture.

I would not breed that rooster. He has way too much copper bleeding through to help you with anything. He hackles and saddle feathers are too light, his eyes are too dark his tail is too high. He just looks OFF to me.

A little copper on the breast is OK but your roo has copper all the way down to his legs...... Your roo is 50% of your genes in the chicks and you NEED THE BEST ROO YOU CAN GET!

 

[Lkanawha]

I see we live in near enough proximity to each in Virginia. I too have BCM and Blue CM from the Wade/Jean line. I've had 3 hatchings from this line. This weekend, I'm butchering the ones that do not have good characteristics, 22 in all. I'm working on the Blue & Splash lines…just think they are prettier!! I'm learning as I go. I'm one not to waste a bird so I do raise them to eat if I don't want them for breeding purposes. I have 3-4 roos that are good possibilities but I want a few more month's growth on them (hatched Aug - Oct) to see their full form, and personalities. The hens are good and I'm waiting to see their egg color.

So far, I have 1 splash roo, 4 blue CM roos, 12 BCM hens, and 8 Blue CM hens. I've been selling the Black hens and roos. Gorgeous birds…love em!

 

[malndobe]

Where does this breed stand on the aggression scale? I have 4 blues, 1 cockerel and 3 pullets. Yesterday I moved them from my large brooder pen to a grow out pen with some other youngsters about 2-4 weeks older. Don't know if it matters, but they were in the brooder pen with these other birds until I moved some of them out about a week ago to make space for some younger ones. I have small brooders, then a larger pen with a heat lamp I call the brooder pen, then my grow out pen, and as chicks grow they go from one pen to the next.

Anyway, as soon as I put them in the grow out pen the little cockerel ran up to the nearest bird, chest bumped it, and started mixing it up. At one point he was fighting all 3 of my Rhodebar cockerels at once, and he was the instigator of every fight. He'd go after another cockerel, sometimes it was one on one, other times if that cockerel has buddies like the Rhodebars, they would all get into it. The other birds initially were just curious about the new arrivals, the normal little bit of pecking, but he kept things riled up until they finally kicked the crap out of him. After about 10 minutes he seemed to get the point and retired to the safety of the new group, but then I noticed the other birds were really picking on the Maran pullets. They were leaving the others alone and just going after the Marans who wanted no part of it and were just trying to hide in the various hiding spots (brush piles and other areas) in the grow out pen. It was almost dusk when I put them in the grow out, so things quieted down shortly after as everyone headed to bed, but is this typical of a Marans cockerel/rooster?

I bought the chicks straight run from a local breeder, don't really have plans to breed them other than maybe for olive eggers, so I don't need to keep him around. If he keeps this type of behavior up he may head to the freezer when he gets older, it will depend on if he's only aggressive with other cockerels/roosters or if he starts to show aggressive behaviors towards the girls or myself.

So is this typical of a Blue Copper or Maran in general?

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Where does this breed stand on the aggression scale? I have 4 blues, 1 cockerel and 3 pullets. Yesterday I moved them from my large brooder pen to a grow out pen with some other youngsters about 2-4 weeks older. Don't know if it matters, but they were in the brooder pen with these other birds until I moved some of them out about a week ago to make space for some younger ones. I have small brooders, then a larger pen with a heat lamp I call the brooder pen, then my grow out pen, and as chicks grow they go from one pen to the next.

Anyway, as soon as I put them in the grow out pen the little cockerel ran up to the nearest bird, chest bumped it, and started mixing it up. At one point he was fighting all 3 of my Rhodebar cockerels at once, and he was the instigator of every fight. He'd go after another cockerel, sometimes it was one on one, other times if that cockerel has buddies like the Rhodebars, they would all get into it. The other birds initially were just curious about the new arrivals, the normal little bit of pecking, but he kept things riled up until they finally kicked the crap out of him. After about 10 minutes he seemed to get the point and retired to the safety of the new group, but then I noticed the other birds were really picking on the Maran pullets. They were leaving the others alone and just going after the Marans who wanted no part of it and were just trying to hide in the various hiding spots (brush piles and other areas) in the grow out pen. It was almost dusk when I put them in the grow out, so things quieted down shortly after as everyone headed to bed, but is this typical of a Marans cockerel/rooster?

I bought the chicks straight run from a local breeder, don't really have plans to breed them other than maybe for olive eggers, so I don't need to keep him around. If he keeps this type of behavior up he may head to the freezer when he gets older, it will depend on if he's only aggressive with other cockerels/roosters or if he starts to show aggressive behaviors towards the girls or myself.

So is this typical of a Blue Copper or Maran in general?

Not typical in my experience at all. Calm and quiet temperament of cock/erels is one of the main reasons I chose Marans.

Young cockerels will mix it up but not to the level you are describing...usually one chest bump and they walk away. You don't say what age these birds are. Perhaps he was defending "his" pullets in the new situation? Individual birds can be outside the statistical average on both ends of the spectrum. I would cull him if the behavior continues or worsens, but it seems he "got the point" as you say.

 

[malndobe]

Not typical in my experience at all. Calm and quiet temperament of cock/erels is one of the main reasons I chose Marans.

Young cockerels will mix it up but not to the level you are describing...usually one chest bump and they walk away. You don't say what age these birds are. Perhaps he was defending "his" pullets in the new situation? Individual birds can be outside the statistical average on both ends of the spectrum. I would cull him if the behavior continues or worsens, but it seems he "got the point" as you say.

The pullets weren't being targeted until after he got things all riled up, and then he did nothing about it, so I don't think he was truly trying to defend them. Claim turf, definitely. The ages range in the grow out pen but they are all around 3 months old give or take a few weeks. They don't move to that pen until they are fully feathered and have been for a few weeks, plus are large enough to defend themselves from any birds who are already there. The grow out pen is inside the main layer pen, since eventually that's where they all end up, so it gives everyone time to get to know each other before moving on to the next pen.

 

[LuvinBlueBirds]

I had a blue rooster that ended up being very aggressive towards people. He started with my daughters then me when I wasn't paying attention to where he was. Then went out of town and hubby took care of everyone, and he attacked him too. So he got sold the Latinos down the street.

With kids around there is no excuse to keep an aggressive rooster. Hopefully he made good tamales! ;-)

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

I have had blue copper Marans chicks that are "blue-r" than this one. I thought it was a splash, but the down was a light ashen color and other splashes I've had were more of a white down. Now at a week old this super dark blue feathering is coming in. It has been suggested this might be a blue wheaten down/feathering? Calling all experts...cuz I'm a newbie.

 

[DMRippy]

I have had blue copper Marans chicks that are "blue-r" than this one. I thought it was a splash, but the down was a light ashen color and other splashes I've had were more of a white down. Now at a week old this super dark blue feathering is coming in. It has been suggested this might be a blue wheaten down/feathering? Calling all experts...cuz I'm a newbie.

I don't think it is wheaten. I am no expert on this.... looks to me like it has some white too but that is all I would guess..... strange.

 

[Runawaylobster]

I have had blue copper Marans chicks that are "blue-r" than this one. I thought it was a splash, but the down was a light ashen color and other splashes I've had were more of a white down. Now at a week old this super dark blue feathering is coming in. It has been suggested this might be a blue wheaten down/feathering? Calling all experts...cuz I'm a newbie.

well i don't know but it looks really cute! maybe it will be a dark splash!!

 

[carriebain]

What color is she considered?