International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[KF0002]

Pardon their run. They have picked all the grass in their run down to the dirt. They will be getting fresh straw to scratch this weekend.

 

[Chooks man]

These birds were a special purchase for me, from a friend. Don Lee has been breeding BCM for awhile and I would like to call him a mentor. He recommended that I get my start from Brian Parks. I am very honored to have these birds. However, Brian has a Bev Davis line, a Little Peddler line and his own farm line that he breeds pure and keeps separated and marks chics and eggs accordingly. I understand that the decisions that I make now will make them my own. I am truly honored to own these birds. We will see what we have in 6 months to a year. Thank you Chooks Man for your comments. Tom

I m not saying they don t come from a good breeder ,

chooks man

 

[KF0002]

These birds were a special purchase for me, from a friend. Don Lee has been breeding BCM for awhile and I would like to call him a mentor. He recommended that I get my start from Brian Parks. I am very honored to have these birds. However, Brian has a Bev Davis line, a Little Peddler line and his own farm line that he breeds pure and keeps separated and marks chics and eggs accordingly. I understand that the decisions that I make now will make them my own. I am truly honored to own these birds. We will see what we have in 6 months to a year. Thank you Chooks Man for your comments. Tom  

You will not be disappointed. Brian Parks has very nice Marans. Congrats on your chicks! Cant wait to see pics of them as they grow.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: I read this on Brian Parks website. I thought it was excellent. My take on this is that again it is a balancing act and we have to weigh between the SOP, egg color and what is important to us as individuals with our birds. It is a love of the breed and the passion for them that will win out. There was a woman on the Marans Facebook page that impressed me so much. Her birds were beautiful, her eggs unbelievable and she started 7 years ago with ebay eggs. She is a real poultry breeder. She grew up on a poultry farm.

I bought Cream Legbars from GFF. I was really a beginner then. I thought because I bought birds from Jill Rees line I was going to have perfect birds. I didn't. The beginning of our flocks are just that the beginning.... where we go from there is up to us. We can breed 2500 birds for a couple of show birds. We can create a line that lays beautiful dark eggs but can't win in the show ring. Maybe we will do both. Regardless..... we are way better off starting with a batch of chicks from an established breeder with a good line.

FCF Hatchery Brian Parks

Here at Frasier Creek Farm we specialize in the Marans breed of chicken. We maintain and are actively working with several distinct colors and breeding lines of this wonderful breed.
If you are just getting started with Marans chickens, you'll quickly learn that although the birds are no more or less difficult to raise than other breeds - the genetics behind their unique traits can be a real challenge for breeders to maintain over multiple generations. In some regards, finding the 'perfect marans' -- one that lays superlatively dark eggs and shows outstanding qualities in the other traits (e.g., plumage, body shape, eye color, etc) is a hunt for the holy grail (and once you have it - it can be hard to hang on to)!
In general, our lines are from stock that has primarily been bred for egg-color - the trait of preference for many backyard chicken fanciers.
That is not to say that our birds are not show quality -- indeed they are (well, some of them). The challenge has been that selecting for adult conformation has repeatedly been met with a reduction in the egg pigment, resulting in beautiful marans that unfortunately have lighter eggs. I think you'll see from our website that the FCF, BD and LP lines of marans all produce beautifully dark eggs -- but because this is the primary trait on which these lines are built, the hens and cockerell can occasionally show undesirable traits (a.k.a., allelles) that have been reduced or even eliminated in lines chosen primarily for adult conformation.
What does this mean for you? Well, it means that if you're looking for marans that will likely lay dark eggs or you are seeking to start your own breeding flock that will likewise be bred for dark eggs -- these birds are ideal. If on the other hand, you wish to use these birds to create a line of marans for show, then you'll want to order a large number of eggs/chicks - and plan on culling any birds displaying undesirable traits (such as mossy feathering, poor posture, dark eyes, etc). As already said, our lines do produce some spectacular hens and cockerels - however these are less common than you'd find from lines that lack the dark eggs -- it's a trade off. One of our goals (and that of the other breeders that select for dark eggs) is to continually work on the adult conformation traits, but do so without reducing the egg color we love so much.

 

[KF0002]

I read this on Brian Parks website. I thought it was excellent. My take on this is that again it is a balancing act and we have to weigh between the SOP, egg color and what is important to us as individuals with our birds. It is a love of the breed and the passion for them that will win out. There was a woman on the Marans Facebook page that impressed me so much. Her birds were beautiful, her eggs unbelievable and she started 7 years ago with ebay eggs. She is a real poultry breeder. She grew up on a poultry farm. I bought Cream Legbars from GFF. I was really a beginner then. I thought because I bought birds from Jill Rees line I was going to have perfect birds. I didn't. The beginning of our flocks are just that the beginning.... where we go from there is up to us. We can breed 2500 birds for a couple of show birds. We can create a line that lays beautiful dark eggs but can't win in the show ring. Maybe we will do both. Regardless..... we are way better off starting with a batch of chicks from an established breeder with a good line.
FCF Hatchery Brian Parks

Here at Frasier Creek Farm we specialize in the Marans breed of chicken. We maintain and are actively working with several distinct colors and breeding lines of this wonderful breed.
If you are just getting started with Marans chickens, you'll quickly learn that although the birds are no more or less difficult to raise than other breeds - the genetics behind their unique traits can be a real challenge for breeders to maintain over multiple generations. In some regards, finding the 'perfect marans' -- one that lays superlatively dark eggs and shows outstanding qualities in the other traits (e.g. , plumage, body shape, eye color, etc) is a hunt for the holy grail (and once you have it - it can be hard to hang on to)!
In general, our lines are from stock that has primarily been bred for egg-color - the trait of preference for many backyard chicken fanciers.
That is not to say that our birds are not show quality -- indeed they are (well, some of them). The challenge has been that selecting for adult conformation has repeatedly been met with a reduction in the egg pigment, resulting in beautiful marans that unfortunately have lighter eggs. I think you'll see from our website that the FCF, BD and LP lines of marans all produce beautifully dark eggs -- but because this is the primary trait on which these lines are built, the hens and cockerell can occasionally show undesirable traits (a.k.a., allelles) that have been reduced or even eliminated in lines chosen primarily for adult conformation.
What does this mean for you? Well, it means that if you're looking for marans that will likely lay dark eggs or you are seeking to start your own breeding flock that will likewise be bred for dark eggs -- these birds are ideal. If on the other hand, you wish to use these birds to create a line of marans for show, then you'll want to order a large number of eggs/chicks - and plan on culling any birds displaying undesirable traits (such as mossy feathering, poor posture, dark eyes, etc). As already said, our lines do produce some spectacular hens and cockerels - however these are less common than you'd find from lines that lack the dark eggs -- it's a trade off. One of our goals (and that of the other breeders that select for dark eggs) is to continually work on the adult conformation traits, but do so without reducing the egg color we love so much.

I know who you are talking about and I agree, her birds and eggs are beautiful. She has done an amazing job with them. I have talked to several people who got birds from Brian and say his birds are great quality. But like you said, out of a batch of hundreds of chicks you might get lucky and have a handful good enough to breed, even if the parents were good quality.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote:

I know who you are talking about and I agree, her birds and eggs are beautiful. She has done an amazing job with them.

I have talked to several people who got birds from Brian and say his birds are great quality. But like you said, out of a batch of hundreds of chicks you might get lucky and have a handful good enough to breed, even if the parents were good quality.

If I was going to be culling for show I don't know if I have a BCM that would pass the muster but.... I have some decent birds and I can decide the fate of my flock. I have seen some really beautiful birds on this thread and the other Marans threads.... I always like to see them. I have also learned to look at them with a different eye. I used to be very dismissive, that was just my inexperience, I thought you bought beautiful birds and you bred them and your birds would be beautiful. There is a saying in the horse world, "It costs the same to feed a good one as it does to feed a bad one". Someone on a Marans thread used that line but it really doesn't apply to chickens. With horses everything is expensive it makes no sense to feed an unruly, out to kill you sum buck. I also have bred and show dogs, I knew you got one maybe two or maybe none out of a litter that would be show quality but this is very different. Dogs and horses don't lay eggs, they can't be changed in one generation (21 days). You don't ride chickens and they are relatively cheap to feed, no vet bills. The real expense is if you keep throwing away the birds you have hoping to find better.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

hello, just wanted to post a few pictures of the marans I'm going to use to start my breeding program. ok let's do this.
6 month old BCM cockerel

6 month old BCM pullets

6 month old French black marans pullet

6 month old french black marans pullet

I know they are not the best but I'm positive I can name something decent with them. I been reading the whole thread for the last week and really learned alot. I hope yall enjoy the pictures.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

the four pullets are the best I could find with out having to drive 300 miles . I got the 1 BCM pullet and the 2 black pullets. they have nicely feathered shanks and good eye color, they haven't started laying yet so I'm not sure about egg color but I think overall I can work with them. and the rooster I luckily found in the same state, I know his tail is a little high and hasnt got the best mahogany color on his chest and wings, yet. I hope it starts to come in soon. if any body would be willing to help me with some fertilized eggs I would be so grateful.

 

[Red Banks]

hello, just wanted to post a few pictures of the marans I'm going to use to start my breeding program. ok let's do this.
6 month old BCM cockerel

6 month old BCM pullets

6 month old French black marans pullet

6 month old french black marans pullet


I know they are not the best but I'm positive I can name something decent with them. I been reading the whole thread for the last week and really learned alot. I hope yall enjoy the pictures.

Thank you for the pictures. I like the pullets especially the last one. Could you post pictures like the examples in post #1407. That will help us describe your BCMs better. When we look at some more pictures and then keep in mind the strengths and weaknesses it helps you plan. Chooks man says body mass comes from both hens and roosters. We will have to ask him about that.

I am so glad you are reading the thread..... it has helped me so much.

Chooks Man recently posted this:

what comes from the hens =
Body type .
Comb type
eggs size .form and shape /color too .
body mass .

what comes from the roosters =
Body color .
eyes colors .
eggs color
Barring gene.
body mass .

 

[Red Banks]

Hey everyone! Took a few pics of a couple of my Black Coppers yesterday just for fun. For reference, I will be referring to my Louisiana cockerel as Cooper and my favorite FRF cockerel as Rusty.

Rusty - his tail is FINALLY coming in. It's going to be high set but he's still handsome!
Rusty

LA pullet and Cooper

Cooper


Cooper

Love the pictures of Rusty and Cooper! Good names. Rusty has a lot of copper just like my cockerels. I think you are right about his tail but I really like him. He is consistent with my birds, a lot of copper and high tail set. We will have to see though cause he has such a little tail! LOL

Cooper is very nice. Are they the same age? That is a beautiful pullet!