Blue Cuckoo Marans, How to get there from here?

[pop57]

Im sure that someone is doing this already, but Im curious as to how/ what types to breed to get blue cuckoo marans? I've raised birds for years but never messed with the genetic side of things. Any help appreciated.

God Bless

 

[Kev]

I think someone does have blue cuckoo Marans.. can't remember who.

In case you want to breed for them yourself, there certainly are Marans with blue- blue birchen, blue coppers, and Valentine has splashes. So you will be able to do this within the breed.. It would be best if you could either get a solid blue or a splash out of a solid blue line and simply cross it with a cuckoo. The barring is sex linked so:

Cuckoo roo x Blue/Splash hen= all birds in both sexes will be cuckoo or blue cuckoo/all blue cuckoo (respectively)

Splash roo x Cuckoo hen= all sons are blue cuckoos, all daughters are solid blue.

The first cross using may be slightly easier.. you are guaranteed a blue cuckoo hen after hatching just a few eggs.. just need one blue cuckoo hen actually, because you can simply breed her to a pure cuckoo rooster and you are set for a line pure breeding for cuckoo plus blue.

Using any other birds from the cross still will work, just take one extra generation at least to get birds pure for cuckoo again.

Also if you already have a good line of cuckoos and find someone willing to sell a blue cuckoo, you can go with getting only one blue cuckoo to breed with your cuckoos. Blue is a dominant gene so to breed them, you have to use at least one blue or splash parent for each generation.

 

[pop57]

Thanks Kev. thats a great start. curious i have blue coppers in the bater figure i'll get a mix of splash blue and black. what would a blue copper roo and a cuckoo hen get me?

 

[Kev]

Not a problem.

That cross will give you black/blue cuckoo sons and black/blue daughters. However it's likely a lot will show the copper or white leaking on their hackles/saddles.

 

[onthespot]

i have a good sized young splash cockerel with what looks like cuckoo in his hackles and saddle feathers, but the splash markings on his larger feathers are not barred/cuckoo. I am not sure if he is a splash cuckoo or a splash with trashy markings, but anyhow, I also have a gorgeous, large splash pullet, an equally large and gorgeous blue, two smaller blues and two smallish blacks in with him. All are this year's birds. Only one of the blacks has started laying, a nice dark (not amazing, but plenty dark) egg.

Keep track of me and bug me in a few months. I should have something hatched that will tell me what I have for a roo. I do not expect very dark eggs from the blues and splashes, just cuz. I bought these birds from someone who bought from all over the country, Bev's, Gabbard Farms, Valentine, and bayhorsebonne, and any and everyone she could find. Somehow, due to family health problems she got busy and lost track of who was who and everything got dumped together. I went down there and picked blind, didn't know what from shinola, but I chose the best I knew how, having just got my first chickens this spring too. Three of the birds I left behind were blue cuckoo feather legged cockerels... (sorry!)

 

[pop57]

Kool , bug you i will

love to see some pics of your birds if you care to share.

 

[onthespot]

Oh, I also have a normal black and white cuckoo cockerel I could put over the blue and splash hens to get blue cuckoos... I don't know what color eggs any of these birds came from, what their breeding is, traits, anything.They all seem to have kind, gentle dispositions, including the roos.
At the very least you could get some babies guaranteed blue and not having the copper hackles to try to breed out for god knows how many generations... I wouldn't go with mixing the CBM and cuckoos... no matter how bad I wanted blue cuckoo. You would just cause yourself to do the redneck hat dance for years to come... LOL That's the one where you throw your hat on the ground and stomp all over it and grind it with your heel because no matter HOW HARD you try to breed out some trait you don't like, it keeps popping up.

 

[pop57]

Thanks for saving me from having to do the "redneck hat dance"

too funny. us Kentuckians dont know nutin bout no rednecks

Im interested in what you might get on your end let me know and keep me updated.

"hollar-ya- hear'

 

[P@P@2four]

interesting ... I have what looks to be a blue maran roo, but there's barring in his head feathers ... I'll post a pic and someone can tell me what to "call" it.

he might even be up for grabs if anyone is interested ...

now I just have to sneak up on him and take his picture without him seeing me.

I haven't named him yet, but heavily leaning towards blueturd.

 

[onthespot]

where did you get him from? What breeder?