International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[marchick]

Here are a few pics of some of the 10 week old pullets. A few pullets are expressing nice copper.

Very nice! Can't wait to see them as adults. Nice job!

 

[Offshoreorca]

You guys all make me so envious with your lovely birds. I cannot for the life of me find anyone near me with Marans. One person has some, but their eggs are not even a 4, and their pullets are almost all black. Since Covid, and the border closure, being in Canada I may as well be on an island.. LOL I guess I will just have to do my best with my 3 pullets and be happy with making some CLB babies and Olive Eggers... and keep on searching.
I got a fairy egg yesterday.. I am hoping it isn't from one of my Marans pullets,(because it wasn't very dark) but I think it probably is. It was a fair size for a first egg, but looked just like a Welsummer egg. None today. I will have to try and catch her in the act to see who it is. My Marans are just 21 wks, and my Easter Eggers/Olive Eggers are 17 wk. So It could be anyone.
Would 21 wks be early for a Marans hen to lay? Sound too early, right? Im hoping its one of my Welsummer/Marans/EE mixes that are 17 weeks.
Here it is. Hmmp. Dont know how it ended up sideways. Sorry.

What do you think? Marans? Was hoping for darker...

View attachment 2352556

A little late jumping on this thread, but there are several places in Canada to get decent quality BCMs. Many of the best you do have to drive to, but there are a few that ship hatching eggs (season for them might over now). I’m relatively new to the breed and had to drive deep into the back woods of Nova Scotia to find some hatching eggs that had a good colour. Unfortunately only one of five that hatched was a pullet (I had bought seven eggs total, with one infertile and one early quitter), but I think she’s showing promise. Waiting on the cockerels to mature more to choose one and then I’ll be on the lookout for more new blood next year. There was someone who had amazing birds in northern Nova Scotia, but she sold her flock last year and I unfortunately wasn’t able to get in touch with the current owner. All the best with finding Marans to add to your flock!

 

[chickengr]

Agree with you, we can make it too stressful on ourselves. We provide a good sterile hatching environment then it is up to the chick to develop and hatch. I don’t assist either - if the chick cannot hatch on its own then it lacks the vitality that I’m looking for in my chooks.

if you have a good incubator with good humidity you don't need to help.

I had to help the chicks to hatch even under the broody. it happened in june with no humidity at all. I had to wet the eggs until the chicks were able to get out.

 

[Minky]

A little late jumping on this thread, but there are several places in Canada to get decent quality BCMs. Many of the best you do have to drive to, but there are a few that ship hatching eggs (season for them might over now). I’m relatively new to the breed and had to drive deep into the back woods of Nova Scotia to find some hatching eggs that had a good colour. There was someone who had amazing birds in northern Nova Scotia, but she sold her flock last year and I unfortunately wasn’t able to get in touch with the current owner. All the best with finding Marans to add to your flock!

Hello @Offshoreorca
I have (finally) located someone who is willing to sell me some hatching eggs in spring. ... I will have to wait until then. For the time being I will use my CLB cockerel over a few of my hens this winter, need practice using my homemade incubator. It'll be its maiden hatch.

My favourite pullet got stepped on by a goat last month. I have been hoping it will heal in time (she is in a confined space -4 wks now). It hasn't much improved. I didn't put a cast on it, because it didn't appear broken.. Had a vet confirm what I have been suspecting- its out of the socket at the hip. He said if I have patience, I should give her 3-5 more months to heal.... perhaps he body will build itself a new socket of sorts...Poor thing. She was SO WELL behaved. Not a peck or a cluck. Apparently she may never be able to be mated or even go back into a large flock....he said she may get pecked to death... will see how and if she heals first I suppose.

My favourite part of the day is when I open the hen house and all the pullets go racing/running/flying out in celebration. Sometimes the hens even get a little excited too.

 

[Minky]

Styptic powder will help to stop bleeding. Leave the scabs (natures bandaid) and put some polysporin or neosporin on his comb after he goes to roost. There is a lot of blood in the comb so it will bleed quit a bit after an injury.

Cocks will fight especially if they do not know each other. Also, fighting cocks were used to create BCMs many many years ago so its in their DNA. You may not be able to pen these cocks together.

I have a lot of wild turkeys that live around where I live in North Texas. They are fascinating to watch for sure. Glad you had a Happy Thanksgiving! We have to wait another 5 weeks before our Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the tip. I have looked for that in the past (styptic powder) and wasn't able to find it. (tried Walmart, Drug store, grocery stores etc) I should try and get some on line.

Oh geez...I was hoping to pen all my roosters together until mating time. Looks like I need to do some more dividing of spaces!

 

[kcrandall]

Hello @Offshoreorca
I have (finally) located someone who is willing to sell me some hatching eggs in spring. ... I will have to wait until then. For the time being I will use my CLB cockerel over a few of my hens this winter, need practice using my homemade incubator. It'll be its maiden hatch.

My favourite pullet got stepped on by a goat last month. I have been hoping it will heal in time (she is in a confined space -4 wks now). It hasn't much improved. I didn't put a cast on it, because it didn't appear broken.. Had a vet confirm what I have been suspecting- its out of the socket at the hip. He said if I have patience, I should give her 3-5 more months to heal.... perhaps he body will build itself a new socket of sorts...Poor thing. She was SO WELL behaved. Not a peck or a cluck. Apparently she may never be able to be mated or even go back into a large flock....he said she may get pecked to death... will see how and if she heals first I suppose.

My favourite part of the day is when I open the hen house and all the pullets go racing/running/flying out in celebration. Sometimes the hens even get a little excited too.

Sorry to hear about your pullet! Hopefully she will recover in time. It always seems our favorites are injured or die somehow. I think the chicken gods don’t want us to have nice chickens.

 

[Offshoreorca]

Hello @Offshoreorca
I have (finally) located someone who is willing to sell me some hatching eggs in spring. ... I will have to wait until then. For the time being I will use my CLB cockerel over a few of my hens this winter, need practice using my homemade incubator. It'll be its maiden hatch.

My favourite pullet got stepped on by a goat last month. I have been hoping it will heal in time (she is in a confined space -4 wks now). It hasn't much improved. I didn't put a cast on it, because it didn't appear broken.. Had a vet confirm what I have been suspecting- its out of the socket at the hip. He said if I have patience, I should give her 3-5 more months to heal.... perhaps he body will build itself a new socket of sorts...Poor thing. She was SO WELL behaved. Not a peck or a cluck. Apparently she may never be able to be mated or even go back into a large flock....he said she may get pecked to death... will see how and if she heals first I suppose.

My favourite part of the day is when I open the hen house and all the pullets go racing/running/flying out in celebration. Sometimes the hens even get a little excited too.

That’s good that you’ve found a source of Marans! And I’m sorry to hear about your pullet - I lost my favourite Cochin hen a couple weeks back, just dropped dead out of no where. It seems to always be the best ones that are injured or die.

I’m anxiously awaiting the first egg from my BCM pullet! Hoping for nice colour.

 

[chickengr]

Thanks for the tip. I have looked for that in the past (styptic powder) and wasn't able to find it. (tried Walmart, Drug store, grocery stores etc) I should try and get some on line.

Oh geez...I was hoping to pen all my roosters together until mating time. Looks like I need to do some more dividing of spaces!

cornstarch stops bleeding too.

 

[chickengr]

Sorry to hear about your pullet! Hopefully she will recover in time. It always seems our favorites are injured or die somehow. I think the chicken gods don’t want us to have nice chickens.

bad neighbors (my case) don't want us to have chickens at all.

 

[kfelton0002]

bad neighbors (my case) don't want us to have chickens at all.

If it is your property and not in an area where there are zone restrictions then who cares about what the neighbors want. What you have and do on your property is your business. Just make sure the chickens are confined and cant wander over to the neighbors.