Cockerels

[Pinkaboo]

Thank you and thank you for not laughing at my question, I'm still blushing!
Its 2.50 am here in the UK and I'm drinking tea and eating toast!
I really should sleep!

 

[keesmom]

Both questions have been asked many, many times on this site. And neither is a silly question - inbreeding in most cases is a bad thing. In poultry some inbreeding is beneficial. As for the fertilized egg issue some people have had bad experiences with improperly stored fertilized eggs. It's not something I would like to see! An egg will not begin to develop unless it is under a hen or in an incubator at a temperature just under 100 degrees F, so as long as you collect eggs daily nothing will form.

 

[Pinkaboo]

That's good to know thanks again x

 

[donrae]

There's no reason not to keep five except that they will harm your one hen by mating with her too much. They will destroy her feathers and could hurt her. They would also fight over her. You generally want at least five hens to a rooster, more if possible. Ten hens per rooster is the magic number. However, it sounds like all those people were talking out of their butts anyway. As far as I know there is no way to sex marans by head spot.

If they have a head spot, I'm thinking they must be cuckoo Marans. Cuckoos can be sexed by head spot size and shape just like any other barred breed, it just takes a practiced eye.

 

[Pyxis]

Ah, okay. They said the were black marans, so I was thinking black copper and that's what I was talking about.

 

[Pinkaboo]

I think they are just black Marans, not the copper ones and not sure about cuckoos Marans

 

[donrae]

I think they are just black Marans, not the copper ones and not sure about cuckoos Marans

If they have a white spot on their heads, they're barred or cuckoo birds. Not solid colored. Maybe some pictures?

 

[Pinkaboo]

They are not solid black chicks the up have a white spot on the heads
Yellow Brest
And white strips on the wings

Another dim question... I thought my chick had a scab on its back but looking closely they all have them
Looking at the back they have the two normal wings
Then shoulder level tow tiny mini wings
Under these mini wings are two bumps
Skin coloured in the same place on all the chick?

 

[Pinkaboo]

I've just looked at images online and apart from one site saying cockoo Marans have pink legs, mine have yellow
They do look like cockoo Marans
Than means I'm not going to get a solid black chicken : (