Breeding Question - Reguarding my BCM

[MIKE555444]

I waited a long time for my BCM from Bev Davis stock. I have 18 chicks that are about 4-5 weeks old and I have them mixed with 35 layers or so. I was thinking I would leave these together long term and just make sure I have no roos other than BCM's. Does anyone see a problem with a breading program that stays this way long term?

Having many breeds hens but only BCM roos should work well so long as I only hatch my BCM eggs... right?

Is there other reasons to separate them if I only intend to hatch my BCM eggs?

 

[Spangled]

A few of your crossbred hens will lay eggs that are rather dark ... or at least mine did. The color was close enough that I couldn't be sure whose was 1/2 BCM and whose was BCM x BCM. Sure some of my BCM hens laid very dark eggs and there was no mistaking them. I separated during breeding season so that I could be sure.

 

[MIKE555444]

I wouldn't have any crosses if I only hatch the copper eggs...

 

[Habibs Hens]

if you have BCM males and BCM females with other birds then as long as you only hatch the chocolate brown eggs from the BCM Females you should get only BCMs hatch

just ignore the other eggs and use them as consumable eggs

perfectly fine to eat

just make sure you take em out soon as they get layed so not to start the incubation process

 

[Spangled]

I wouldn't have any crosses if I only hatch the copper eggs...

Hmmm. I'm wondering what I'm not understanding.

Oh, you aren't going to hatch any of your other hens' eggs? Okay. When you typed "Having many breeds hens ..." maybe I read it as "Having many breeding hens." Sorry about that, but it's difficult to translate those four words together in that order.

So you are saying that you would never ever hatch any egg unless it was a Black Copper Marans dark brown or copper egg? If so, then you'll never have any crosses as you say.

Totally superfluous info: Some on my crosses have laid eggs that were as dark as BCM eggs. So I had to move them before collecting eggs for pure BCM chicks. Big pain. But the initial crosses lay so many more eggs than BCMs that it's difficult to not let the chickens cross. I love my BCMs (they are my sweetest hens), but they are not as productive as some of my other chickens when I've been doing the daily counts of eggs. And yes, I have to separate them out to count the eggs. Someday I'm going to get some trap nests.

You also asked "Is there other reasons to separate them if I only intend to hatch my BCM eggs?" I would say, "Yes." You may want to look into line breeding and inbreeding and the different systems and charts that breeders use to keep improving their flock and use to avoid inbreeding depression. You don't necessarily have to bring in any new chickens into your program, but you will probably want to avoid mating any brothers and sisters from your first generation (those hatched from this group of chicks you have now). So for the first mating, you're fine. But after that, you won't want to mate brothers and sisters because that concentrates any flaws whether they be breed related or just chicken related like split wing or crooked back or any weakness.

You may also want to save at least three roosters so that you will have enough genetics to make sure you don't get stuck with all of your chicks having white feathers at the base of the tail or on the toes, or short outer toes (brachydactyly), or white wing feathers, or squirrel tail, slow feathering, black eyes, or any of the other problems that crop up in BCMs like the E^R/? Black Copper Marans. Yes, you are likely ahead with Bev's chickens, but you're not out of the woods because they are still BCMarans.

Come to think of it, do you think you should do any test matings to make sure your BCMs are E^R/E^R?

For some reason, I am thinking you're aware of all of this since you waited so long for Davis birds. Anyone who did enough research to find Davis birds would probably have done enough research to know all the stuff I just mentioned. Don't let people talk you out of keeping some roosters that may not be perfect. Under that little bit of imperfection (like too coppery of hackle) is plenty of variation for you to get perfectly colored and shaped chicks depending on how many you hatch out. A squirrel tail may be a problem, but not all the chicks hatched from a squirrel tailed male are going to have squirrel tails. Again, I think you know all this already. So I should end this.

 

[MIKE555444]

Somehow a coon appears to have broken my latch and killed all of these chick....

I cannot explain my frustration......

 

[Habibs Hens]

oh thats sooooo sad

im very sorry

 

[Spangled]

Shocked. Sorry for your huge loss. That is just so sad.