Blue Copper Marans Question

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Some lines of Black Copper Marans carry a reccessive Wheaten gene, so Wheatens do occur out of some Black Coppers.
The little Blue you got happened because there is a Blue parent bird in the mix. Blue birds will only happen if there is a blue or splash bird in the mix somewhere from the beginning. However, having said that it is possible to have a blue bird that appears black and if this is the case then blues will pop up.

Male Wheatens when mature will show a cinnamon colored wing triangle upon maturity....did you happen to see the parent stock?

 

[MicheleC]

Both parents are BCM.. She had some lavender orphingtons, which made me suspicious, but all were penned separately. My "blue" and "Wheatons" are all feathered legs. Thanks for the info

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Trust me if you got a blue chick from her and there is no way that the lavender orps got into the Marans pen then there is a blue bird in the mix....the blue may be so dark that it appears black. I have a very very dark blue copper rooster and the only way I knew for sure he was blue was to test mate him to a genetically black bird (I used a Barred Rock hen to test him on) and I got blue offspring and have been using him as one of my main roos ever since. This very dark blue creates some spectacular blue offspring.

If the Lavender was accidentally mixed in then upon maturity the Blue birds will not show any lacing in the feathers and they will also not show any copper. Lavender will mute all color patterns and lacing effects on a bird, they will simply be just lavender or otherwise known as, self blue.

Here is a photo of him when he was just over 4 months old. He was suppose to be a Black Copper.

Here he is just a little older.

and here he is just a couple months ago, he will be 3 years old in April.

The Wheatens thing....I believe each parent must be carrying a recessive Wheaten gene in order for it to show up in the offspring....which would explain why you have a Wheatens. Black Coppers that carry Wheaten can still look just like Black Coppers, but when young, generally they can and do show small signs that there may be Wheaten influences. It is just something that alot of folks may not be aware of.

Do you have a photo of this Wheatens chick to share?
Is the chicks down yellow or whiteish/silverish? How old are they now?

 

[MicheleC]

Still having trouble with my computer, unable to post pics. The Wheatons are a golden/copper color, one which may be a roo, is quite darker. The blue is a hen, and does have some darker lacing. Hopefully I can post pics by tomorrow, Thanks Everybody, I Love This Group!!

 

[MicheleC]

Oh and they are about 6 weeks old. My first time with this breed and must say they are incredibly social. Out of the ten I have, only one seems to be a little shy. Absolutely Beautiful Rooster, thanks for the pics!