French Black Copper Marans with very little copper

[Strange Hatter Farms]

Hello, I was hoping to get some advice on my French Black Copper Marans.

I was reading the standard of perfection on the breed but was a bit confused is no feathering a fault?

also, I ordered them offline the eggs were a very dark brown like the breed should be but with 7 hatching their genetic are all so different.

I culled the yellow foot one but I have 1 with feathers and no copper and 1 with copper but no feathers.

The other 3 of copper and feathers but its not much copper compared to my other hatch from a different breeder. This BCM’s are supposed to be from Greenfire farms lines and they are a little older than 2 months.

my other BCMs from the other breeder are a little more than 5 weeks old.

can anyone help explain what’s going on?

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

This is the no feathers but copper one

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

Feathered feet but no copper

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

Then his is from another breeder and a month younger

 

[nuthatched]

The colors will probably show better when they're fully grown. Were exactly did you get them?
Greenfire's quality has significantly dropped over recent years, so I wouldn't be shocked if they aren't sop. I'm not even sure if Greenfire breeds to the sop or they just breed them.

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

The colors will probably show better when they're fully grown. Were exactly did you get them?
Greenfire's quality has significantly dropped over recent years, so I wouldn't be shocked if they aren't sop. I'm not even sure if Greenfire breeds to the sop or they just breed them.

I got the first ones the Greenfire lines ones from ebay and the others I got from a semi local breeder

 

[Strange Hatter Farms]

Do you know if the no feather marans should be culled?

 

[fletchkatie]

Hi - don’t fret too much re lack of copper - we have 2 now 16 week old BCM pullets from different sources. 1 had almost no copper and the other very well marked… up until a couple of weeks ago when our less coppery one developed some beautiful coppery hackle feathers. She’ll never be quite as coppery as the other I don’t think, but she has started to mature very prettily… so give them a bit more time…

 

[afieldssnowyegger]

Hi- I don’t know much about breeding qualities but I just wanted to suggest maybe selling the ones that don’t have enough of the right traits, rather than culling them. For one thing, you’ll lose less $ in the process… I’m also a firm believer in not taking the life of an animal unnecessarily… so if you have the option to sell or even give it away, think about it?

 

[SkiboJeff]

This is Shadow. She is 24 weeks old and is ready to lay her first egg. She has a full copper neck and dark, medium feathered legs. I believe she is an ideal specimen of the SOP. She is quiet, smart, and doesn’t mind being handled.