International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[kcrandall]

Feed question? I get my feed from local farmer. Very nice feed, tested at 16% protein. Hens lay nice big eggs. All are doing fine. I pay .16 cents a lb for this feed. That is $120 for 740 Lbs of feed. Nice to live in Eastern Washington. The question is how soon can I switch my young chics to this feed. Purina chic feed is $20 per 50lbs that is .40 cents per Lb!!! The label says to feed until point of lay, which for a Marans can be 20 to 30 weeks old. Thanks Tom

Is the local feed pellets or crumbles? Also, are you feeding your chicks the medicated or unmedicated?

I normally don’t switch to a pelleted feed until they are 3 months old. When switching feed I blend the pellets with the chick crumbles until they get used to eating and digesting the crumbles so as to avoid any crop issues. Also, I prefer to feed at least an 18% protein feed until they reach maturity. When taking the chicks off a medicated feed I add Corid to their water to prevent coccidiosis.

 

[kcrandall]

This may have been answered on here before, but I'm not reading through all 1623 pages

Has anyone been breeding blue copper marans to black copper marans? Do you feel there is a difference in egg color, or enough difference to matter? I understand that resulting chicks should be 50% black and 50% blue. I bought a black copper hen from Meyer, but can you believe it, they were out of roosters! Plus, reviews frequently noted the roosters were mean. So I bought a blue copper maran rooster with the intention of breeding the two, and also creating my own generation of olive eggers and f2 olive eggers. I have a blue Americauna and I think her and the blue copper's babies have potential to be gorgeous.

The feather color doesn’t have anything to do with egg color. In the USA BCMs are generally considered to lay the darkest egg but I believe thats because more people raise them than the other varieties. I’ve seen other Marans varieties (e.g., Wheatens, Blue Coopers, etc.) that lay just as dark as BCMs. Also, I’ve seen some BCMs that can barely lay a #4. It’s all about the breeder and how they manage their breeding program.

 

[chickengr]

Purina All Flock 18% Purina Flock Raiser 20% according to the label I feed it to Cocks when they are molting, makes nice feathers. They also have one that is a Feather Fixer with even more protein. My original Question was( when can I take my chics off $.40 cents a Lb to $.16 cents a Lb feed Chic feed is 18% local feed is 16%. TOM

feed we have here is mostly 16% and chickens grow fine with it. just don't feed them too much calcium if they don't lay.

 

[RoosterML]

Purina All Flock 18% Purina Flock Raiser 20% according to the label I feed it to Cocks when they are molting, makes nice feathers. They also have one that is a Feather Fixer with even more protein. My original Question was( when can I take my chics off $.40 cents a Lb to $.16 cents a Lb feed Chic feed is 18% local feed is 16%. TOM

You can put birds on layer feed when they start laying. Before that keep them on starter and then grower.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

The feather color doesn’t have anything to do with egg color. In the USA BCMs are generally considered to lay the darkest egg but I believe thats because more people raise them than the other varieties. I’ve seen other Marans varieties (e.g., Wheatens, Blue Coopers, etc.) that lay just as dark as BCMs. Also, I’ve seen some BCMs that can barely lay a #4. It’s all about the breeder and how they manage their breeding program.

Thank you for than answer. The internet always pushes the BCMS and I couldn't understand of Blue coppers and black are the same breed, how can black be the ones laying the darker eggs? Never thought about it in terms of availability.

 

[Bantambird]

I'm loving the cape on the pullet in front. She's looking fancy!

Representing the black silver marans

 

[Bantambird]

Chiming in about selecting breeders: reverse image search. I use pictures of my birds that I take myself, I never use stock images or someone else's bird pictures. If someone uses pictures that aren't of their own birds or eggs, that's a bad sign.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Chiming in about selecting breeders: reverse image search. I use pictures of my birds that I take myself, I never use stock images or someone else's bird pictures. If someone uses pictures that aren't of their own birds or eggs, that's a bad sign.

I never knew that was a thing. Ive always thought pictures people put up would be theirs. Thats crazy.
And wrong.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Please tell me im not seeing what i think im seeing...

This is Glen from line #1. My favorite chooks.

Vulture hocks?!?!

@Chooks man you spotted this when they were younger and i said no it isnt.

The flock that i had earlier in the spring had what looked like vulture hock but it seemed to go away. But those chicks never made it to this age. I had to cull all my birds due to illness, remember?

I bet they would have looked like this too if they lived to be this old. Same parents.

This is awful. My favorite birds.
Line#1.
3 pullets, 3 cockerels. My "Walking Dead" chooks.
So Glen and Negan both have vulture hocks.

That leaves Rick as the only usable cockerel and pullets Maggie, Judith and black eyed Carol.

And they are all over feathered on their shanks and bad combs. Ugh

 

[kcrandall]

I never knew that was a thing. Ive always thought pictures people put up would be theirs. Thats crazy.
And wrong.

Unfortunately it happens more than we’d like to think. The people that do that (I don’t call them breeders) are just trying to make a quick buck off the Marans Craze in the USA. The people flood eBay, Craiglist and other for sales sites with substandard Marans which does nothing to move the breed forward.