International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[KF0002]

hey guys i've been trying to keep up with the thread!! @kfelton0002 I give you a lot of respect for your outlook on working with your birds. I think that is how you learn about the breed the best and I hope to have the same progress you've had.



I have this problem too, contemplate taking building things/runs into my own hands but then I'll get yelled at later for my execution lol




~~ Things here on the farm have been sad and interesting. Lost my beloved dog. The mulberry tree is in bloom and there are chickens all over the place. My birchen male is no more, my male was taken at dusk before the coop was closed. My only chance is a birchen female bred by him who may have just hatched 3 of his chicks. Night of the snatching All females left alive. Hm. I have my two copper male grow outs who I've posted on here about before. My black coppers are hatching out all over the place!!!! LITERALLY! every time I go out to the coop there is another chick. It's almost like they have the eggs on this shared rotation system. It's a slapdash setup. Normally I would have been removing the eggs but with my dog, I just, idk. So the hens set up this whole prayer circle broody session- 5 hens just sitting on a crazy amount of eggs. The one day the hen had 19 eggs. They are co-sitting and co raising the chicks. My roo kinda just walks around and pecks because he has no one to hump. Every now and then he will dance around a momma but hes not trying to mate them. Wondering when the baby flood stops. I hate to throw out eggs- what if they are a day away from hatching and it's not like I couldnt need the birds next season but idk. It's a mess!! and SO HOT here. Lol fascinating to see bird behavior wise like the way the shared sitting and raising works out.

Thank you for your nice complement! That really brightened my day.

And I'm so very sorry you lost your beloved dog. May I suggest making your next dog a Great Pyrenees or Anatolian Shepherd? With those breeds you can raise them up with your chickens and make fine LGDs out of them. You can leave them to guard your birds so you can rest easier. We have 2 GPs but my next dog will be an Anatolian so I dont have to fight with another GP coat.

The broody season is upon us in full swing. The birds will lose the desire to set once the weather cools. The heat makes them want to go broody. Go out at night with a very bright LED flashlight and candle the eggs your broodies are setting on. If there are chicks inside the eggs will be dark and shadowed under the air cell. Clear eggs can be tossed. It is good practice to check because this heat will cause bad eggs to rot quickly and can explode leaving a stinky mess. I had a broody I didnt realize was sitting on a rotten egg the other day and it must have exploded under her. Bleh!!

Its funny you say that though about taking the building into your own hands. Ive talked about doing stuff myself and my husband says I redneck things together, so he'll build the pens so its "done right." I think Im quite impressive with my mad drill skills. Hmmph.

Sometimes it feels like a large dark cloud has settled in right above me and nothing goes right. I know how you are feeling. I hope you have great progress and do very well with your breeding program. Progress is progress regardless of how small. Sometimes you just have to be happy with the little things.

 

[KF0002]

This was my favorite early on and I still like him. He’s a little straw colored on his hackles but his color is great everywhere else. His carriage is great but will not have the length and width of the other two. He has the best head and has perfect eyes. I think I have a solid three birds to watch.

The straw hackled one is most definitely a line B (FRF).. he looks just like mine. I like the darker coppered one with the good comb but its still early. I really hope one of the 3 makes a good breeder. The inverted comb definitely isnt getting better.. lol. It is wicked looking!

The pullet is looking good.

 

[shepherd6567]

Thank you for your nice complement! That really brightened my day.

And I'm so very sorry you lost your beloved dog. May I suggest making your next dog a Great Pyrenees or Anatolian Shepherd? With those breeds you can raise them up with your chickens and make fine LGDs out of them. You can leave them to guard your birds so you can rest easier. We have 2 GPs but my next dog will be an Anatolian so I dont have to fight with another GP coat.

The broody season is upon us in full swing. The birds will lose the desire to set once the weather cools. The heat makes them want to go broody. Go out at night with a very bright LED flashlight and candle the eggs your broodies are setting on. If there are chicks inside the eggs will be dark and shadowed under the air cell. Clear eggs can be tossed. It is good practice to check because this heat will cause bad eggs to rot quickly and can explode leaving a stinky mess. I had a broody I didnt realize was sitting on a rotten egg the other day and it must have exploded under her. Bleh!!

Its funny you say that though about taking the building into your own hands. Ive talked about doing stuff myself and my husband says I redneck things together, so he'll build the pens so its "done right." I think Im quite impressive with my mad drill skills. Hmmph.

Sometimes it feels like a large dark cloud has settled in right above me and nothing goes right. I know how you are feeling. I hope you have great progress and do very well with your breeding program. Progress is progress regardless of how small. Sometimes you just have to be happy with the little things.

Careful on the Anatolian. The ones I’ve had in the past had terrible temperaments, to the point I had to put them down. Research the parents before get one to make sure they have a good disposition

 

[shepherd6567]

The straw hackled one is most definitely a line B (FRF).. he looks just like mine. I like the darker coppered one with the good comb but its still early. I really hope one of the 3 makes a good breeder. The inverted comb definitely isnt getting better.. lol. It is wicked looking!

The pullet is looking good.

Line B, seems like that egg color was one of the darkest?

 

[KF0002]

Line B, seems like that egg color was one of the darkest?

Yes the egg color from my line B hens is the darkest, but they are the farthest from SOP I have. That's the trade off it seems, with the exception of #8 (from line C) who lays a 5-6 which she inherited from the line B. The two pure line B hens have high fan tails and are lean built in type. The cock bird I had didn't have great color, it was more light gold instead of copper with a halo. A trait he has passed to his sons. His disposition was great, like a big pet. Having too many roosters though I opted to cull him because the trio threw lots of mossy offspring. I will keep the line B hens in case I need to cross them back into line C for egg color, but aside from that I am going to focus on my line C and line A birds as they are better for show.

 

[KF0002]

Careful on the Anatolian. The ones I’ve had in the past had terrible temperaments, to the point I had to put them down. Research the parents before get one to make sure they have a good disposition

Good to know. I may stick to GPs then, their temperaments are very mild and mellow. Unless you are a varmint or a stranger that is. lol

 

[shepherd6567]

Good to know. I may stick to GPs then, their temperaments are very mild and mellow. Unless you are a varmint or a stranger that is. lol

I recently bought a 1/2 blood, pyranees x AS, and he is so skittish I can’t even touch him at 4 months old. He barks at me when I go to the barn also, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him. Next dog will be straight bred Pyrenees

 

[KF0002]

I recently bought a 1/2 blood, pyranees x AS, and he is so skittish I can’t even touch him at 4 months old. He barks at me when I go to the barn also, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him. Next dog will be straight bred Pyrenees

Sounds like he wasn't socialized as a pup. It is very important for the breeder to begin socializing the litter early on to get them used to people. If this doesn't happen it is more difficult to earn their trust. If you work with him and keep showing him you are no harm to him he may come around. But he may always be a little antisocial. As long as he does his job, that's fine. Working LGDs aren't normally treated as pets, but we make sure ours are well socialized from get go. My Rosie, even though she is a working dog is my baby. Definitely 110% my dog. She obeys me and respects me and is always under my hand when I am in her yard. There is no better dog in my opinion than a GP. So intelligent and loyal. Rosie is gentle to my 5 year old son and is not food aggressive. She is one of the best dogs I've ever had.

LGDs work best in a pair, one male and one female. If you don't want pups you can have the female spayed. The pair will work together as a team. A pair of males will compete and fight for dominance, same with two females. Varmints like coyotes will lure a single LGD off from the charge, leaving them vulnerable to attack while the single dog is off chasing. My advice would be to find a female GP pup that is well socialized and started around chickens. The female will help keep your male company and even if he doesn't bond with you, he will bond to the female and they will work together to protect your animals. Keep them fenced if you don't want them to roam. They tend to wander otherwise, covering expansive territory.

 

[shepherd6567]

Sounds like he wasn't socialized as a pup. It is very important for the breeder to begin socializing the litter early on to get them used to people. If this doesn't happen it is more difficult to earn their trust. If you work with him and keep showing him you are no harm to him he may come around. But he may always be a little antisocial. As long as he does his job, that's fine. Working LGDs aren't normally treated as pets, but we make sure ours are well socialized from get go. My Rosie, even though she is a working dog is my baby. Definitely 110% my dog. She obeys me and respects me and is always under my hand when I am in her yard. There is no better dog in my opinion than a GP. So intelligent and loyal. Rosie is gentle to my 5 year old son and is not food aggressive. She is one of the best dogs I've ever had.

LGDs work best in a pair, one male and one female. If you don't want pups you can have the female spayed. The pair will work together as a team. A pair of males will compete and fight for dominance, same with two females. Varmints like coyotes will lure a single LGD off from the charge, leaving them vulnerable to attack while the single dog is off chasing. My advice would be to find a female GP pup that is well socialized and started around chickens. The female will help keep your male company and even if he doesn't bond with you, he will bond to the female and they will work together to protect your animals. Keep them fenced if you don't want them to roam. They tend to wander otherwise, covering expansive territory.

I got him from a guy in Oklahoma who raises sheep. He was 7 weeks old and was raised with the lambs he had to bond. Being so he should not have been so hard to get aquanted with. He said the parents are very shy and don’t like to interact with people. I don’t mind him being shy as long as he doesn’t get aggressive. I have him out with my ewes and I’ve really tried to bond with him since the day I got him but he ain’t having it. Not much else I could have done. It probably would help to pair him but I really don’t want two. I have around 40 acres that is hot fenced and have not had much coyote pressure so if he doesn’t pan out I’ll just do without.

 

[KF0002]

I got him from a guy in Oklahoma who raises sheep. He was 7 weeks old and was raised with the lambs he had to bond. Being so he should not have been so hard to get aquanted with. He said the parents are very shy and don’t like to interact with people. I don’t mind him being shy as long as he doesn’t get aggressive. I have him out with my ewes and I’ve really tried to bond with him since the day I got him but he ain’t having it. Not much else I could have done. It probably would help to pair him but I really don’t want two. I have around 40 acres that is hot fenced and have not had much coyote pressure so if he doesn’t pan out I’ll just do without.

Find some treats that he really likes.. preferably some with a good aroma he can smell. If he won't come to you to get the treat you can leave a couple for him each time you go out to see him. He will learn to associate you with the treats and while he may not get completely comfortable with you enough to let you pet him, he will at least have a positive regard for you. Talk to him sweetly and eventually he may come around. Because of is parents' skittishness around people that is a learned behavior then. That coupled with his lack of socialization while he was young has made him very wary of people from the sound of it. They are working dogs and that is how a lot of folks prefer them. Their lack of bond to their master causes them to instead bond closely to the flock or herd they are guarding. As long as he gets used to you being around now, he shouldn't become aggressive. Just be patient and give him time. Even if he doesn't become your best buddy, he can still do his job.