Blue Copper and Splash Copper Marans Discussion

[jbruner51]

That is the EXACT reason I toe punch now.  Only sure fire way to make sure you have the right bird.

Toe punching?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Yes. You get a punch and punch the webbing between the toes. I toe punch and cut the webbing... give me the biggest variety of patterns. Plus I couldn't find a punch I could use with ease till after I started so I cut most webbing and some get a punch too.

https://www.google.com/search?q=toe...v&sa=X&ei=n3-YU5KXAdCiyASdzYDwBA&ved=0CB4QsAQ

 

[DMRippy]

This is what I use for the hole punching..... it works really well. They come in all kinds of sizes and you can get them at the craft store. I think mine is smaller but I can't remember the size.... It was probably the smallest size they had at the store.

http://www.jewelrytools.com/eurotoo...hFHwmci8vvNcP8guVT7LQcvaVZC2nszdwqONTeHbw_wcB

 

[snowbird]

This is what I use for the hole punching..... it works really well. They come in all kinds of sizes and you can get them at the craft store. I think mine is smaller but I can't remember the size.... It was probably the smallest size they had at the store.

http://www.jewelrytools.com/eurotoo...hFHwmci8vvNcP8guVT7LQcvaVZC2nszdwqONTeHbw_wcB

Donna, That is a nice Punch going to look for one next time I get into town, If anyone is interested I have a marking Chart picture on my profile page for anyone interested to make a copy. This has all the combinations. I have used this method all my life. This is the Gamefowl breeders Chart. Don

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Thanks Don. It is small enough to fit between the toes and I don't feel like I will break a toe LOL. Work just fine. I got mine at Hobby Lobby and use a 40% off coupon they have those all the time and you can get a coupon from the web.

 

[blackbirds13]

What tone of blue is preferable or does it matter. I have been looking at the chicks I've hatched this spring and I have some that are a dark almost black blue and some that are much paler. As they feather out the darker blues seem to have some nice lacing. I just hatched a blue that has darker down but very little whitish areas to the down. It's almost solid blue down with dark shanks as opposed to having any light areas on the toes. I am going for a blue boy that hatched out of a dark egg but sired by a Splash rooster who was out of an egg that was about a 5. The photo below has the 2 blues that hatched in my last hatch. They are at the top. There are also 2 blacks and then the rest are Cream Legbars. I no longer have any male Marans roosters yet as I am either going to keep a male from my current batch in the brooder and grow out and breed him back to my current hens next year or outsource one so I can keep a few a blue and black girls and breed them forward next year. If I kept a black rooster and bred him to his blue half siblings (possible same hen) would that pose too many issues? The blacks are all black with no blue copper bred in them so far.

 

[BCMaraniac]

What tone of blue is preferable or does it matter. I have been looking at the chicks I've hatched this spring and I have some that are a dark almost black blue and some that are much paler. As they feather out the darker blues seem to have some nice lacing. I just hatched a blue that has darker down but very little whitish areas to the down. It's almost solid blue down with dark shanks as opposed to having any light areas on the toes. I am going for a blue boy that hatched out of a dark egg but sired by a Splash rooster who was out of an egg that was about a 5. The photo below has the 2 blues that hatched in my last hatch. They are at the top. There are also 2 blacks and then the rest are Cream Legbars. I no longer have any male Marans roosters yet as I am either going to keep a male from my current batch in the brooder and grow out and breed him back to my current hens next year or outsource one so I can keep a few a blue and black girls and breed them forward next year. If I kept a black rooster and bred him to his blue half siblings (possible same hen) would that pose too many issues? The blacks are all black with no blue copper bred in them so far.

I was wondering the same thing yesterday as I was looking at my 9 week old juveniles. Mine were from a splash birchen/black copper mating, but one cockerel in particular looks very dark. He was almost black at hatch and difficult to tell from the blacks in the same hatch. He looks like he is going to have some very nice lacing as well.

 

[DMRippy]

My understanding is a Medium color of blue is preferred.

To me that is about this color

 

[BCMaraniac]

My understanding is a Medium color of blue is preferred.

To me that is about this color

Beautiful fella. Did you say that the blue to blue breeding produces the best shade of blue?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: That is what the experts say. With that said you can also produce good color with splash to black or black and blue. I think the logic is breeding blue x blue with both about the same color would yield more blues of the same tone. You might have more culling for color with the other breeding combos.