International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

this egg is from my splash copper pullet .
the good thing she is correct in type and comb .

well happy . she ll be my splash foundation hen.

chooks man

 

[Bantambird]

this guy's pattern could fill in a little more, but he is the right shade of blue, and his head is really good to look at. I just like him when I look at him.

 

[kcrandall]

Can I ask, at what age would you start looking at your bcm Roos and hens to see how close to the sop they are?

Mine right now are only 7 weeks old so I know they are a bit off, but at what point should I start checking them over to decide who stays and who goes?

Also, are there any faults I can start looking for at this age to see if they correct themselves in the future or not?

Thank you, these are my first bcm and I want to do it right.

Hi there .
there is many different traits to select for @ different ages .

first selection start @ hatch .we select for a proper hatch down colour .minimum white possible and not all black .
we select as well for a body type .the plum looking chicks are the right type not the thin tall ones . we select as well for a Blur/green eyes . not brown or black

second selection @ 8 weeks .
@ this stage we select for a body type . we select the chunky .short legged ones .not the tall leggy ones .

third selection @4/5 month old . we select for the body colour { the good one should have a good body colour } .tail and over all look .plus comb .

fourth selection @ laying stage .we select for dark eggs colour ,body colour too . both cockerels and pullets at this stage should have a complete body pattern .

post photos .we can help you select and understand the traits we looking for .
looking forward to see some photos .

chooks man

@TwoChicksChix - Chooks Man is spot on...the only thing I will add is you need to learn the Standard of Perfection (SOP) for your variety(ies) of Marans. It makes evaluating your birds easier as they grow out. If you plan to show your Marans then you’ll want to learn / follow the US SOP. Although I live in the US I choose to follow the French SOP to honor the origin of the breed but that is my choice. The US and French SOPs are very similar but there are subtle differences.

Thanks,
Keith

 

[Chooks man]

View attachment 1866648 View attachment 1866655 this guy's pattern could fill in a little more, but he is the right shade of blue, and his head is really good to look at. I just like him when I look at him.

correct body type .
correct neck and head
correct back ,could be a little longer .
correct body pattern ,the shoulder need a little more silver .but he has enough .
correct blue
correct legs
correct eyes
correct tail angle and size .

his fault are ;
the point on his comb are split .first 3 point are lined up correctly .the last 4 are on a higher line .plus 2 of them are on M type .
second fault is his tail .is open

not far off at all .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

@Bantambird

I really like him in this photo . like the way he stand .solid ; well build ,full of vigour .
Elegant cockerel .

you have done well my friend

chooks man

PS .I can see some parasitic white on his tail feather .no much for the moment but is there .

 

[kcrandall]

Ah starting all over . so not just me .
the line A&B are imported for France in 2018 so they are pure .and they are a cross between A and B so you don t need to cross them to any other line .keep them pure and split them into many cousin lines .

work with line C separately .if you don t have space ,than focus on line A&B. keep as many cockerels as you can ,they will help you to crate different cousin line in the future .

chooks man

@Chooks man,

According to GGF, Lines A & B are pure (free of USA blood) and both lines are bred separately (no crosses). I intend to breed Lines A & B separately for at least 2 years so I understand how these lines work.

I still have my original BCM and BLCM Hens but no Coq from this bloodline so I have no choice but to outcross. I’m thinking I’ll make make multiple crosses to different Coqs to see which pairing(s) produces the best result. It’s going to take a while to sort this all out.

I would like to keep at least 4 Coqs but of course I’ll have to see how they grow out first. Since I’m starting over I’m going to focus primarily on type and egg color so that I have a good foundation to build upon.

The GFF Line A & B Pullets are maturing much faster than the cockerels and they’re showing nice type and rich copper hackles. The Line C Pullets are of decent type but they are half the size of Lines A&B at same age. So far I’m not really liking Line C except for 2 young cockerels - maybe future breeders for my original Marans Hens.

Take Care,
Keith

 

[Chooks man]

@Chooks man,

According to GGF, Lines A & B are pure (free of USA blood) and both lines are bred separately (no crosses). I intend to breed Lines A & B separately for at least 2 years so I understand how these lines work.

I still have my original BCM and BLCM Hens but no Coq from this bloodline so I have no choice but to outcross. I’m thinking I’ll make make multiple crosses to different Coqs to see which pairing(s) produces the best result. It’s going to take a while to sort this all out.

I would like to keep at least 4 Coqs but of course I’ll have to see how they grow out first. Since I’m starting over I’m going to focus primarily on type and egg color so that I have a good foundation to build upon.

The GFF Line A & B Pullets are maturing much faster than the cockerels and they’re showing nice type and rich copper hackles. The Line C Pullets are of decent type but they are half the size of Lines A&B at same age. So far I’m not really liking Line C except for 2 young cockerels - maybe future breeders for my original Marans Hens.

Take Care,
Keith

I see .line A and line B are pure not outcross .
good news that your pullets from A&B are showing great type and good hackle marking .
love to see some photos of them

chooks man

 

[marchick]

I was kind of disappointed in my Black Copper Cockerel. He was quite a bit smaller than my Blue Copper cockerel. I was going to post that but have been so buisy. I went out today and realized he has almost caught up. So far so good but he has a long ways to go. He is my only hope for a Black Copper rooster.

 

[Chooks man]

I was kind of disappointed in my Black Copper Cockerel. He was quite a bit smaller than my Blue Copper cockerel. I was going to post that but have been so buisy. I went out today and realized he has almost caught up. So far so good but he has a long ways to go. He is my only hope for a Black Copper rooster.

View attachment 1870547 View attachment 1870548 View attachment 1870550 View attachment 1870551

he is stunning .love his rich red copper .
I can not find any thing I don t like about him .
Well done my dear friend .
forget about the Blue copper cockerel . size come from the hen not the rooster .
body colour and the stand come from the rooster .your BC cockerel has them both .correct body pattern and colour .plus correct stand

love to see him fully grown up . keep posting photos of him .
chooks man

 

[marchick]

he is stunning .love his rich red copper .
I can not find any thing I don t like about him .
Well done my dear friend .
forget about the Blue copper cockerel . size come from the hen not the rooster .
body colour and the stand come from the rooster .your BC cockerel has them both .correct body pattern and colour .plus correct stand

love to see him fully grown up . keep posting photos of him .
chooks man

Thank you chooks man, It's kind of funny how much they change and so quickly. I was thinking about a month ago that he is only 2/3 the size of the others and probably won't make the cut. I thought I will be trying to hatch more next year. Then boom he is caught up. He still may be a hair smaller but not much if any.