BlueTheBrahma’s thread!

[wrathsfarm]

View attachment 4306562

I found this GCM hen posted online, by a French account. I’m so jealous, she’s pretty much perfect (if you ignore the leg feathering I’m not allowed).

Next week I’m hoping to set some F1s under a silkie. These will be Duke of Wellington (Silver cuckoo) over black copper hens, hopefully Channel too if she starts laying again after a random egg last week.

A Wellington x Channel cockerel would be a brilliant start to the GCM project. If the blue/splash allele gets passed along I would welcome the variety, even if it’s not recognised, Golden blue cuckoos can look nice.

It's nice hearing you saying 'projects' again, my friend. Hope all has been well in your world.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

And then these are some boys I’ve saved pictures of because they struck me as the ideal I want to achieve (can’t remember where from now). I like the lack of black in the hackles and bluish undercolour of the first one, but the barring is probably better overall in the second.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

It's nice hearing you saying 'projects' again, my friend. Hope all has been well in your world.

Still an unfortunately limited in males project, I will probably only keep one F1 boy, unless I like two equally, then I’d rehome Wellington to make up for it.

It’s rained almost every day of the year until last week. Randomly decided to turn into a summer’s day today, a welcome change if it stays.

Some chicks for Easter would be nice, even if it’s just small hatches this year.

I keep looking around for actually good silkie bantam, SD Welsummer, or Brahma males, but really I should just focus on marans this year.

 

[wrathsfarm]

View attachment 4306563View attachment 4306564And then these are some boys I’ve saved pictures of because they struck me as the ideal I want to achieve (can’t remember where from now). I like the lack of black in the hackles and bluish undercolour of the first one, but the barring is probably better overall in the second.

I like the looks of the second better than the first.

 

[2ndTink]

View attachment 4306562

I found this GCM hen posted online, by a French account. I’m so jealous, she’s pretty much perfect (if you ignore the leg feathering I’m not allowed).

Next week I’m hoping to set some F1s under a silkie. These will be Duke of Wellington (Silver cuckoo) over black copper hens, hopefully Channel too if she starts laying again after a random egg last week.

A Wellington x Channel cockerel would be a brilliant start to the GCM project. If the blue/splash allele gets passed along I would welcome the variety, even if it’s not recognised, Golden blue cuckoos can look nice.

Wow, she is gorgeous!

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

A bit of an update:

To avoid noise complaints, I sold Wellington the other day. I’m collecting eggs from my marans this week, really only want the darkest French Copper Marans eggs as these will hatch the F1 GCM stock.

I’ve also bought a dozen lavender silver marans. These are from stock from a class breeder with very recent import lines from France, Italy and Belgium. These will introduce more recent European blood to my line, even though I’ll select away from feathered legs. The pullets will cross to my F1 GCM cockerels and their pullets will be 25% Golden cuckoos, 25% Silver cuckoos, 25% Black coppers, 25% Black silvers. All carrying lavender.

I don’t plan to start a lavender line (though I might sell lavender eggs next year), but I’d happily have the lavender gene sitting recessively in my GCM line to occasionally throw an Isabella cuckoo.

I’d see it kind of as a marker gene. Anyone whose GCMs throw Isabella would know their line is from mine.

I’ve finally bought a decent incubator to set all the Marans eggs in, 12 Lavender and 14 of my own F1s. I’ve filled the silkie nests with dummy eggs to encourage them to go broody, hoping they can adopt the chicks.

If enough silkies go broody, I’m also going to buy some Old English Pheasant Fowl eggs, as they are my number one most wanted breed.