International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[marchick]

I m telling you my friend .it is too early culling for plumage color yet . you are just stressing your self . take it easy let them grow and molt few time to see if it is just short parasitic term or permanent ,
I had mossy chicks many time as chicks but pure and clear plumage at adult stage .
Mossy plumage is caused by Autossomal red genes . can be carried by both sexes hen and rooster .
it is a reason I always say ,we need to know witch egg come from witch hen . so when trouble appear we know where chick come from ..
sorry to hear about your BC pullets .what happen to they legs? how old are they now?

chooks man

I think what happened was we had bricks on the floor of the hen house. Through the winter the mice Dug up under the bricks and now it is very very uneven in there. I need to do the whole floor over. The 2 BC I am not really sure how old they are they where the last 2 that came from Harvey. The combs are not pinking up yet.

 

[Chooks man]

I think what happened was we had bricks on the floor of the hen house. Through the winter the mice Dug up under the bricks and now it is very very uneven in there. I need to do the whole floor over. The 2 BC I am not really sure how old they are they where the last 2 that came from Harvey. The combs are not pinking up yet.

when you got them they where about 3 months old I think . has been a long time .it is a spring now .
hope they are not late bloomer .
chooks man

 

[marchick]

when you got them they where about 3 months old I think . has been a long time .it is a spring now .
hope they are not late bloomer .
chooks man

I think it has more to do with me giving everyone artificial light all winter. I turned the lights off everyone shut down. I saved combs but at the expense of laying this spring. Just starting to get eggs. Not even my turkeys are laying. Lesson learned. Won't do that again!

 

[Chooks man]

I think it has more to do with me giving everyone artificial light all winter. I turned the lights off everyone shut down. I saved combs but at the expense of laying this spring. Just starting to get eggs. Not even my turkeys are laying. Lesson learned. Won't do that again!

artificial light is very bad for them .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I think it has more to do with me giving everyone artificial light all winter. I turned the lights off everyone shut down. I saved combs but at the expense of laying this spring. Just starting to get eggs. Not even my turkeys are laying. Lesson learned. Won't do that again!

my dear friend @marchick . the artificial light is design for a commercial hens ,they are only needed for one year than thrown away .
chooks they need they 4 season to produce recording to them . some season is for producing ,other season are for molting and resting .
small hen house with a deep bedding system will help to increase the temperature inside and help against frost bite .
all by hens houses are deep bed system .I topped them up when needed . and I only clean ones a year ,when the chooks are molting .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

for me I have made a decision no more artificial light for my chooks ,only dark heat lamps for the chicks when they are small .only natural light .I will only hatch Spring time .
I had a lot problems with tail picking last hatching season .no more .
my new working plan is =
1-hatch in spring
2-use a dark heat lamp
3=group them into small group 50 max
4-put them on grass after 2 weeks time .free ranging outdoor broody pens system .
5- start giving them probiotic and organic apple cider vinegar @ 3 weeks
6-separate cockerels from pullets @ 2 months .
7-feed a cockerels differently .future breeders ration and a cull ration .

it is my goal to breed healthy and strong,happy chooks .
chooks man

 

[marchick]

my dear friend @marchick . the artificial light is design for a commercial hens ,they are only needed for one year than thrown away .
chooks they need they 4 season to produce recording to them . some season is for producing ,other season are for molting and resting .
small hen house with a deep bedding system will help to increase the temperature inside and help against frost bite .
all by hens houses are deep bed system .I topped them up when needed . and I only clean ones a year ,when the chooks are molting .

chooks man

I just wanted to save their combs from freezing. Every year the roosters combs freeze. Even with bedding and plastic on the windows. We get below 0 temperatures. I learned my lesson though. I won't do it again. I will be forced to do a later hatch from my two BC. They haven't started laying yet. I am hoping they get better.

 

[marchick]

Chooksman, I still have two extra Blcm hens that I kept in a pen with the original rooster. Should I hatch any from them as a backup? I also have one BC hen that had the longer tail. I haven't moved her out of Nimbus pen yet. She is laying. Black pullets eggs in picture.

 

[wolfwalker]

Okay, I grabbed a few pics, but did not grab the hens to read the leg tags to see who is who.

 

[wolfwalker]

And the second hen.

She jumped up next to me after I let number 52 down as he decided to jump on the back of my feet as I was walking out of the pen. she is also not happy as she is a little hot. I finished the outside pens just after this and now they can go out where it is a lot cooler