Copper question

[yotetrapper]

I'm reading all kinds of conflicting info out here. So my question is, in marans, how does the copper gene work? For example, if you breed a blue copper rooster over blue (non-copper) marans hens, what percentage (if any) would be coppers?

 

[Illia]

You'd get BBS birds that look like Coppers, but with not as much "coppering"

What you're seeing is the crowwing genes, which create Birchen, and the mahogany gene, to get the deep red color in play. Cross them to a standard extended black (what straight blues are) and you still get a bird with copper leakage, however most may have a more gold/brown color than a true reddish copper color. From there, you don't have a proper "Black/Blue Copper" bird, as it is half birchen, half extended black.

 

[yotetrapper]

Thanks for the answer. I thought the Andalusian Blue gene was confusing enough, but these marans are really messing with my head, lol. So... heres another totally different question. If I am reading this chicken calculator right, it says that a Blk copper maran roo x a wheaten maran hen = 100% BCM. Is that correct?

 

[Illia]

In appearance, yes. Wheaten is recessive to Birchen, so you have what look like Black Coppers, but they're missing a mahogany gene and a Birchen gene. Eventually you will end up with sport/fluke recessive Wheatens down the road, which is why we often do, as some people mess up in breeding the wrong colors together.

The Blue gene is pretty straight foreward. Blue birds have one allele, black birds have none, and splash birds have both. You can have this blue allele pop up in ANY color (straight blue, blue wheaten, blue birchen, blue copper, blue duckwing, blue laced, etc) and it will still follow by the BBS rules. But remember, when crossing one blue to another blue, though the rules apply - The base color rules are what change the bird.

(like duckwing x blue wheaten, or blue copper x straight blue - though you still get 50/50 blue and black, the base color changes because of a whole 'nother set of genetics.

)