International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[LaFleche]

They are adult hens not pullets. Over a year old at least.
She said she does get darker eggs and she is using artificial light.

@Chooks man, i am looking with a novice eye and trying to apply everything i have learned here but i dont think i did a very good job of it if im getting a bad vibe about the whole thing.

I THINK the body type and color are correct. I THINK the chicks looked good.
That doesnt mean they are. Ya know?

But im so unsure.
I do know that the white underfluff is awful to breed out and that would be adding a bad fault to my line.

Line #2 has no parasitic white so far.

I am so embarassed and mad at myself.
But humble enough to show you all the dumb mistake ive made.

When i make an ass of myself, its always nice to share the experience.

Don't despair and don't be hard on yourself.

The young cockerel looks quite nice to me.
What you want and what you get is often not met in the first generation, you can work with it, that is what finally matters.

As you will not really now the true genetics of these still to hatch birds until you selected and bred them to several of your own, there is no need to give up on them just yet.

I hope you have enough space to house them for experimental breeding, as it often takes several years of breeding them and their offspring to understand their genetics and find the perfect match.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Each to their own, but I consider the selling of hatching eggs a service among serious and sincere breeders. So I do not see this as a source of income and do not charge such a high price.
But not every prospected buyer will get the eggs of my birds no matter the amount of money they offer. Those carefully chosen will give information about the hatching rate, the overall development and send fotos not only of the offspring, but of their eggs as well. I still have nice connections s with most of my buyers and even friendships, some already lasting more than 15-20 years.

Having spent $20 per chick in the past on a very good line, i did not think $7 per egg was too bad at the time considering their lineage. But now i think it was way too high considering.

I saw pictures but did not ask the right questions before making the trip.

Finding good marans in my area is very hard.

IF she can learn how to breed out the parasitic white and not use a light in the coop at night to produce more eggs, I do think she would have a very good market in the southeast US.



That being said, i did pay too much.
I wanted their nice tails.

But i am going to relax now, grow them out, and enjoy the ride.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Don't despair and don't be hard on yourself.

The young cockerel looks quite nice to me.
What you want and what you get is often not met in the first generation, you can work with it, that is what finally matters.

As you will not really now the true genetics of these still to hatch birds until you selected and bred them to several of your own, there is no need to give up on them just yet.

I hope you have enough space to house them for experimental breeding, as it often takes several years of breeding them and their offspring to understand their genetics and find the perfect match.

We are now in the process of finding a home with more land so i can set up bigger and better coops.

This will allow more space to house them for breeding.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Yes, I do, but they tend to have a lighter eye colour.
Wait and see when I upload pictures of the actual birds.



A bit of patience, please. I will take some new pictures as some of those pictures of a few month ago still show already sold birds.

Uploading is quite cumbersome due to my ancient and partially destroyed equipment.

I love your marans.
Looking forward to seeing more too

 

[LaFleche]

I am getting la fleche

Great decision!

What colours do you have in mind? Normal or bantam sized?

 

[LaFleche]

Looking forward to seeing more too

At present I am trying to get my Bluetooth to work, but it just would not transfer the pictures I took some hours ago.
Sometimes it just does not connect...

 

[LaFleche]

Haha, Bluetooth finally gave in. Here are some pictures taken this afternoon (it is rainy here in Germany):

His left wattle and comb were ripped in a fight last year but healed nicely. In this fight (predator) he also lost a peace of flesh on his lower back.

Hen from 2019.

 

[LaFleche]

Some of the older hens just finished moulting.

The one hen in the middle facing the camera is the mother of the rooster and will be 7 years old coming this March.

 

[RoosterML]

Having spent $20 per chick in the past on a very good line, i did not think $7 per egg was too bad at the time considering their lineage. But now i think it was way too high considering.

I saw pictures but did not ask the right questions before making the trip.

Finding good marans in my area is very hard.

IF she can learn how to breed out the parasitic white and not use a light in the coop at night to produce more eggs, I do think she would have a very good market in the southeast US.



That being said, i did pay too much.
I wanted their nice tails.

But i am going to relax now, grow them out, and enjoy the ride.

Don’t forget the beer

 

[LaFleche]

As you can see, there is no perfect bird, but all of them have various precious traits for my breeding program.
Even if you breed a rooster stemming from a very dark and otherwise perfect egg over a hen from likewise egg, there is no guarantee that their offspring will lay a nice egg colour as well.