International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[BlueTheBrahma]

Just after posting all his pictures yesterday I’ve found Napoléon dead today…
That’s a real shame, I was really excited about his breeding prospects. I’ve still got one marans cock at least.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Just after posting all his pictures yesterday I’ve found Napoléon dead today…
That’s a real shame, I was really excited about his breeding prospects. I’ve still got one marans cock at least.

Sad news to hear, so very sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful boy. Any idea of the cause?

 

[chickengr]

Just after posting all his pictures yesterday I’ve found Napoléon dead today…
That’s a real shame, I was really excited about his breeding prospects. I’ve still got one marans cock at least.

sorry for your loss. hope the rest are ok.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Sad news to hear, so very sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful boy. Any idea of the cause?

I took his no-crow collar off when I buried him and found mites and eggs under it. That’s my best guess but he has no other mites and he was still very heavy and healthy looking.

I’m just hoping it wasn’t the collar in a worse way. He’d been fine for ages with it though so I assume not.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

I took his no-crow collar off when I buried him and found mites and eggs under it. That’s my best guess but he has no other mites and he was still very heavy and healthy looking.

I’m just hoping it wasn’t the collar in a worse way. He’d been fine for ages with it though so I assume not.

(I’m doubling down on diatomaceous earth and making sure the other boys don’t have issues).

I think now I’m going to focus on getting GCMs quickly by typical flock breeding and I’ll use clan breeding later down the line. DoW (Duke of Wellington) cross Channel might be a promising cross, since she was Napoléon’s dam. It would be nice to get a few more offspring from her before she gets too old.

I’m thinking in the new year I hatch silver cuckoo pullets by crossing DoW to copper hens, and keeping the best a S/s+, B/b+ cockerel to get golden cuckoo pullets the next season.

Then I may buy new BCM boys and breed them to Mole etc later down the line to create a second line.

 

[Chicken_overlord]

Any suggestions on which BCM rooster to keep? I recently lost my splash marans boy and have these two boys as possible replacements. The second one was purchased based one his sale pictures (he ended up looking much different in person, unfortunately) and the first one was included with two hens and was supposed to become dinner. Both boys have their flaws.
The first cockerel is my least favorite personality wise. He's cowardly, currently middle in the flock (hens boss him around), doesn't tidbit the hens, and doesnt stick with them when free-ranging. Despite being 5-6 months old, he has not once crowed that I've heard or attempted to mate the hens even when he was the only rooster in the pen for a week after my main rooster passed.
However, he has the best color, leg feathering, tail carriage, and body type. He does have one white wing feather (might molt out, he's still young), a bad looking comb, and a comb spur.

The second cockerel seems good so far personality wise (I've only had him two days). He is a gentle breeder, tidbits, and sticks with the hens. He also has a lovely comb.
He does not have good body type, tail carriage, tail feathers, or coloring (darker red, some red shaft coloring on his chest, etc.)
Both roosters came from dark egg lines and are unrelated to each other and the hens.

Rooster 1:

Rooster 2:

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Any suggestions on which BCM rooster to keep? I recently lost my splash marans boy and have these two boys as possible replacements. The second one was purchased based one his sale pictures (he ended up looking much different in person, unfortunately) and the first one was included with two hens and was supposed to become dinner. Both boys have their flaws.
The first cockerel is my least favorite personality wise. He's cowardly, currently middle in the flock (hens boss him around), doesn't tidbit the hens, and doesnt stick with them when free-ranging. Despite being 5-6 months old, he has not once crowed that I've heard or attempted to mate the hens even when he was the only rooster in the pen for a week after my main rooster passed.
However, he has the best color, leg feathering, tail carriage, and body type. He does have one white wing feather (might molt out, he's still young), a bad looking comb, and a comb spur.

The second cockerel seems good so far personality wise (I've only had him two days). He is a gentle breeder, tidbits, and sticks with the hens. He also has a lovely comb.
He does not have good body type, tail carriage, tail feathers, or coloring (darker red, some red shaft coloring on his chest, etc.)
Both roosters came from dark egg lines and are unrelated to each other and the hens.

Rooster 1:
View attachment 4262371
View attachment 4262370

Rooster 2:
View attachment 4262369
View attachment 4262378
View attachment 4262379

1, hands down for me.