International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[chickengr]

Hello my friends! Sorry I have been MIA! Everything decided to fall apart all at once. House pump, water heater, drain lines, water lines inside house and outside from pump house to house. They all have to be replaced. Dishwasher has short now. This has been dragging on for what seems like forever! Not anywhere near done. I hope you are all well! Blessings my friends!

sorry for your trouble! I hope you will finish works soon

 

[Shadrach]

I was thinking to breed greek crested chickens and to work on the sop. people rejected my idea exactly for the reasons you said. they say the application of a standard will result in sick and weak birds. I gave it up. I am going to breed them anyway but there will be a colourful flock like so many landrace chickens. the only thing I will care about will be single comb and non feathered feet.

It's the same here. Nobody I've heard of here breeds for looks.
It's almost impossible to explain to breeders in general that their breeding practices and lack of knowledge is in fact killing off the very breed they think they are preserving.
The way things are going in the US it won't be many years before a perfectly healthy breed will have it's lifespan reduced to less than half of what it is capable of through breeding for looks or maximum egg production. You can't fix stupid as they say.
A classic example of breeds that have been left alone (In this case because they are not in a standards register and are small filighty birds) are Fayoumies. It seems that Fayoumies and a number of North African and Persian breeds have developed immunities to a number of the diseases that the bred production and looks birds haven't.
There is something to be learned there.

 

[Bantambird]

It's the same here. Nobody I've heard of here breeds for looks.
It's almost impossible to explain to breeders in general that their breeding practices and lack of knowledge is in fact killing off the very breed they think they are preserving.
The way things are going in the US it won't be many years before a perfectly healthy breed will have it's lifespan reduced to less than half of what it is capable of through breeding for looks or maximum egg production. You can't fix stupid as they say.
A classic example of breeds that have been left alone (In this case because they are not in a standards register and are small filighty birds) are Fayoumies. It seems that Fayoumies and a number of North African and Persian breeds have developed immunities to a number of the diseases that the bred production and looks birds haven't.
There is something to be learned there.

While standards may provide goals, it isn't unreasonable for good breeders to select the most robust among their keepers. Americans have received breeds from Europe on the verge of extinction and brought them back from the edge through sheer determination. Not every breed from Europe is a landrace, either, and there are breed clubs that help direct the goals for groups of breeders. Poultry showing started as rich dude fashion in Europe, and spread to the United States, because we do share many cultural roots. Marans history tells us they haven't been a landrace for a number of years, and that interest by Americans may have revived the breed from the verge.

A good breeder prizes the health of the bird first. To do otherwise is not best practices.

Also fayoumi are prized in the deep South for their heat resistance. I would never keep them here because they would be too cold in winter.

Also also: this thread follows french standard over American standard. They are similar, but not the same. Many of these birds are from France.

 

[marchick]

sorry for your trouble! I hope you will finish works soon

Thank you! Me too!

 

[kfelton0002]

I am so sorry! That just sucks! I hope you have a good replacement. Sorry my friend!

Thank you! I think I have chosen some good replacements but it is hard to fill Malika's shoes.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

Unfortunately I have devastating news. I went out yesterday afternoon and found that Malika was dead in her pen. Upon closer inspection she had a quarter sized gash in her neck. I am unsure what happened as it didn't seem like a predator attack. My husband's theory is that Dark Angel was mean to her, but I just can't see him ripping a large gash in Malika's neck. I am very saddened by this. Malika was my best hen. I had such high hopes for her offspring this year, and now my hopes are dashed. I lost all of last year's white legbar pullets in a grow out pen to a possum the other night also.

I spent yesterday combing through my Marans pullets and I have caught up 3 as possible breeders. I will take some pictures as soon as I can.

Sorry to hear that, it's always my best birds that get killed also. Go Figure!

 

[kfelton0002]

Hello my friends! Sorry I have been MIA! Everything decided to fall apart all at once. House pump, water heater, drain lines, water lines inside house and outside from pump house to house. They all have to be replaced. Dishwasher has short now. This has been dragging on for what seems like forever! Not anywhere near done. I hope you are all well! Blessings my friends!

I hate to hear that! Im sorry you've had a rough time lately. That's how my luck runs too it seems. When it rains, it pours.

 

[kfelton0002]

Sorry to hear that, it's always my best birds that get killed also. Go Figure!

Yes thats always how it goes!

 

[kfelton0002]

Oh, the silly hen who made herself sick overeating hay is doing very well, although she will have a slightly pendulous crop for quite a while. It has shrink to the point that I just check every few days on the crop but the surgery site has healed up and she has fully reintegrated. She went down a bit on the social ladder, but she is definitely doing good

Yay thats such good news! Im glad she us doing better.

 

[RoosterML]

Holy cow are the BCM eggs difficult to candle! Day 6 with a strong light I can’t make anything out but the air cell and a darker spot. No seeing veins like with other eggs. I did the next best thing “smell test”.
If no odor they stayed in. What do you guys do? Any tips would be great.