International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Punkybrewster]

He’s not just slow feathering but he’s really not growing much (still growing but just little bit), he was half the others’ size and now he’s about a third of their size. He’s eating and drinking, the same feed as every other chicks, and otherwise seems healthy, so I don’t know if it’s genetics. The Welsummer Rooster died of heart failure likely related to old age about a fortnight after the egg was laid, if he was the sire I don’t know if old age could affect the offspring like this.

He could just be failure to thrive. It happens sometimes.

 

[Punkybrewster]

today I switched on 2 of my river s incubators to let them adjest them selves for few days .they have been off for a couples of years now . took few adjestement to get them going but they are spot on now .in 2 days I think I ll have enough eggs to fill them up .start getting excitted .been a very long time I haven t hatched chicks .
View attachment 3624201View attachment 3624203
they reached the correct temperature of 37.7 DC. great
I switched on the hatcher too to see if still working .all good reached a proper temperature of 37,2 DC happy about that
View attachment 3624205View attachment 3624209
I ll be using a lot of eggs to get few chicks for sure , I don t mind it as long as I get few chicks I ll be happy other wise I m just going to eat those eggs or give them away .
chooks man

Happy hatching @Chooks man !

We're going into our fall season so no more hatching until spring. (I hope!)

Your just getting started for your spring

As always, I love seeing photos of your chooks.

My goal is breeding mine to look as good.

 

[Punkybrewster]

First egg from the pullet pen.

Jr. Sire, 3 or 4 hens who lay the darkest eggs.

I plan to do a heavy cull soon.

From my older hen pen, I will cull all except Lovesong, Moonshine, Betty White, Judith #2.

Everyone else will go even though they lay dark. I have no room.

A lot of squirrel tails in chicks this spring from some of these girls. They all lay beautiful dark eggs though.

I will see what the pullets egg colors are like and select a few from them to replace the older hens.

 

[Chooks man]

First egg from the pullet pen.

Jr. Sire, 3 or 4 hens who lay the darkest eggs.

View attachment 3624640

I plan to do a heavy cull soon.

From my older hen pen, I will cull all except Lovesong, Moonshine, Betty White, Judith #2.

Everyone else will go even though they lay dark. I have no room.

A lot of squirrel tails in chicks this spring from some of these girls. They all lay beautiful dark eggs though.

I will see what the pullets egg colors are like and select a few from them to replace the older hens.

Stunning . Agree with you need to cull the older hens
Chooks man

 

[Punkybrewster]

I have not culled the younger chick selection yet.


We went away for a couple of weeks and I lost 3 or 4 to coccidia while we were gone. It's been so hot, I don't want to stress them out right now handling, so I will wait.

For some reason, this year has been bad for coccidia in my young birds. Even my juveniles.
I keep them on medicated feed for about a month after putting them outside but this year I have had to keep them on it for a very long time.

In the next few days I will do the cull but I wonder who died. I sure hope they were the culls. I will know when I look at their wingbands.

I will say, I see an awful lot of high tails in that cockerel pen...they kinda just pop up overnight.

 

[Chooks man]

I have not culled the younger chick selection yet.


We went away for a couple of weeks and I lost 3 or 4 to coccidia while we were gone. It's been so hot, I don't want to stress them out right now handling, so I will wait.

For some reason, this year has been bad for coccidia in my young birds. Even my juveniles.
I keep them on medicated feed for about a month after putting them outside but this year I have had to keep them on it for a very long time.

In the next few days I will do the cull but I wonder who died. I sure hope they were the culls. I will know when I look at their wingbands.

I will say, I see an awful lot of high tails in that cockerel pen...they kinda just pop up overnight.

High tails from MS babies or LS ?
To get ready of coccidia you need a larger broody box , dry bedding and a lot of ventilation. Hope you haven t lost the good ones.
Chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

dark Angel egg .still laying number 6 at her 4 th laying cycle .hope some of them will hatch .I have seen the rooster mounting her .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

some of the eggs I m selecting to incubate . I have 6 and half DZ need one and half more for 2 incubators ( 49 each )

photos doesn t show the right color of the eggs . they are 5 and 6 color
chooks man

 

[bigsurfwaves]

I wanted to say hello over here. I am fairly new to chickens but have a few varieties of Marans pullets and am probably getting a cockerel soon. You see, I was apparently destined for Marans... My mom's maiden name is Mauze. The family is traced back to a Templar Knight from the First Crusade named Guillaume the Bastard (illegitimate son of the Count of Champagne). He challenged and won a feudal Lordship in Aquitaine (France) at the Chateau of Mauze. Many subsequent generations became the "Lords of Mauze and Marans" until they were removed from their swampy lands and persecuted. They came to Britain and America known as Huguenots, leaving their Marans chickens behind on the blood soaked French soil. But the French breed we still know today is the direct result of the Templar ships bringing their chickens ashore near the village of Marans and mating with feral French poultry!

 

[wrathsfarm]

Welcome to the Marans thread @bigsurfwaves. Any info you need just ask away. We have some great experts here eager to help and please post pics of your Marans.
Anything you ever want to know really is in this thread if you take the time to read from the beginning. Super friendly group here