International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

Yes.
For their short, low tails and long backs.
I may try again because they are beautiful, correct chicks and are fully feathered at 2 weeks.
Maybe.

I would not drive but have them shipped.

you don t need more chooks ,what you need is to breed the one you have ,you have now enough genetic diversity ,don t keep adding .
work with what you have ,you have very nice hens from 3 different lines plus cockerels from 2 different lines .what else are you looking for .I don t understand it .
you are saying you have a couples of hens that are laying number 8 eggs ,so where is problem . we need good cockerels for them ,the heaven are listing to me i wished that all the eggs you collected by driving should be cockerels .so we can do very great selection of great looking cockerel or 2 to mate to these gorgeous hens you have .

you still remember the first post when I sad we only keeping pullets from this line because of the parasitic white .BUT you forgot the post that come after when I said we need cockerel with a long back and low tail .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

more chicks are hatching ,splash ,buff ,BC and BLC. very hard to take photos of them with they mama,

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

my dark cuckoo Shamrock #2 is working his hens ,in a weeks time we start collecting the eggs to incubate , I m going to activate my incubator not enough broody hens ,

chooks man

 

[Punkybrewster]

you don t need more chooks ,what you need is to breed the one you have ,you have now enough genetic diversity ,don t keep adding .
work with what you have ,you have very nice hens from 3 different lines plus cockerels from 2 different lines .what else are you looking for .I don t understand it .
you are saying you have a couples of hens that are laying number 8 eggs ,so where is problem . we need good cockerels for them ,the heaven are listing to me i wished that all the eggs you collected by driving should be cockerels .so we can do very great selection of great looking cockerel or 2 to mate to these gorgeous hens you have .

you still remember the first post when I sad we only keeping pullets from this line because of the parasitic white .BUT you forgot the post that come after when I said we need cockerel with a long back and low tail .

chooks man

I wouldnt be adding another line, just more chooks from line #3 to choose from.

I thought my only breeding hen was Georgia. ?

I have never done this before and I am taking all your advice.
It gets confusing sometimes so bear with me.

I know, Im driving you nuts.

 

[Punkybrewster]

how old are they now? can you post some recent pics?

I have to work today.
I will get some pics soon.

 

[Chooks man]

I wouldnt be adding another line, just more chooks from line #3 to choose from.

I thought my only breeding hen was Georgia. ?

I have never done this before and I am taking all your advice.
It gets confusing sometimes so bear with me.

I know, Im driving you nuts.

there is a saying " if you focus looking at one tree ,you will not see the forest " or some thing like that .
we can not breed hens in or out ,but we can breed they good traits in and breed they bad traits out .
all you guys are so focused too much on the faults of your marans but you forgetting you have marans laying nice dark eggs ,maybe they will not win any show but they are the marans breeders flock we are going to work with .
each hens or rooster excel in some traits and are lucking in others .
I keep telling you guys build a house first ,than start thinking about painting it , not other way around .
all hens are breeders if we can find them they real genetic much .

Georgia is type and low tail breeders plus mass too .
other hens maybe are dark eggs breeders or combs breeders or some thing else .
it is our job to see what each hen or rooster need as genes to produce superior next generation .
I m trying to help . I told you if you want to breed a great marans ,you need stock to start with and fat note book, camera ,tagging material and time to sit and watch your chooks ,so you will know them .

I do not live in my farm ,I m100 km away ,go there every week most of time but some time I don t see my chooks for 3 weeks ,I have 96 hens and 38 roosters .I know them one by one , what traits they excel in and what traits they are weak , I know them like I know my self . I watched them growing for last 16 months . Now I can breed them properly because I know them . have 100 and 100 of photos of each chooks ,from egg till now ,month by month .
slow thing down ,stop thinking about breeding them ,just watch them get to know them ,they eggs ,every thing ,than when all fully mature .than make plan to breed them ,

you have enough blood lines . let see line 4 how they turn out ,having a great hope for nice cockerel or 2 ,
line #2 you only kept pullets .chunky ones .
line #2 you have few pullets and 2 cockerels with high tails .
line #3 Georgia .{ you are mixing it with line 2 ,but she is not }
line #4 new chicks .
correct me if I m wrong .
chooks man

 

[Punkybrewster]

there is a saying " if you focus looking at one tree ,you will not see the forest " or some thing like that .
we can not breed hens in or out ,but we can breed they good traits in and breed they bad traits out .
all you guys are so focused too much on the faults of your marans but you forgetting you have marans laying nice dark eggs ,maybe they will not win any show but they are the marans breeders flock we are going to work with .
each hens or rooster excel in some traits and are lucking in others .
I keep telling you guys build a house first ,than start thinking about painting it , not other way around .
all hens are breeders if we can find them they real genetic much .

Georgia is type and low tail breeders plus mass too .
other hens maybe are dark eggs breeders or combs breeders or some thing else .
it is our job to see what each hen or rooster need as genes to produce superior next generation .
I m trying to help . I told you if you want to breed a great marans ,you need stock to start with and fat note book, camera ,tagging material and time to sit and watch your chooks ,so you will know them .

I do not live in my farm ,I m100 km away ,go there every week most of time but some time I don t see my chooks for 3 weeks ,I have 96 hens and 38 roosters .I know them one by one , what traits they excel in and what traits they are weak , I know them like I know my self . I watched them growing for last 16 months . Now I can breed them properly because I know them . have 100 and 100 of photos of each chooks ,from egg till now ,month by month .
slow thing down ,stop thinking about breeding them ,just watch them get to know them ,they eggs ,every thing ,than when all fully mature .than make plan to breed them ,

you have enough blood lines . let see line 4 how they turn out ,having a great hope for nice cockerel or 2 ,
line #2 you only kept pullets .chunky ones .
line #2 you have few pullets and 2 cockerels with high tails .
line #3 Georgia .{ you are mixing it with line 2 ,but she is not }
line #4 new chicks .
correct me if I m wrong .
chooks man

Thank you for this @Chooks man.

You are right.

I am looking for perfection to breed from instead of working toward it.

And your help is what I value.
My notebook is getting fatter every day and I am tagging.

Yes, this would be line #4 not 3.

We have bought a home with flat land and should be moving beginning of April. I will have more room for pens. There will be a lot of test breeding!

 

[RoosterML]

was it her first egg? I had a few pullets that laid too early so the colour did not have time to spread. but the colour improved when they started to lay properly.

No it’s not her first few eggs. The reason I know is because she lays in the bin where I put the goat hay for the day

 

[RoosterML]

are you sure is here full brother or just a hatch mate?
chooks man

Good point. I do not know for sure. I ordered the eggs from a breeder and they were all from the same dozen that is all I know.

 

[RoosterML]

double yolks come from over weight hens .does happen to all chooks breed .
Marans are not heavy layer ,so we can t just give them layer feed ,it is too strong . I add 20% wheat or black sun flower recording to the season /
Wheat is added in Spring and summer .
black sun flower seed are added during Autumn and winter .

chooks man

For my Chooks,
I mix 50/50
Layer feed 16.5% protein and
Gamebird grower 20% protein
Combination give about 18% protein
And 2.5 % calcium.