International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[NanaK]

This morning I caught one of the new pullets in the nest box. It was this one.

The darker brown egg is hers. It even has tiny speckles!
The lighter brown egg is from my Wyandotte for comparison. Not as dark as my BCMs but not too bad for a hybrid. Plus she is a real sweet heart too.

I'll add a few more photos of the others in a bit. You know how it is taking chicken pics. I had to take a ton of photos just to get a few decent shots.

 

[Tstraub]

This morning I caught one of the new pullets in the nest box. It was this one. View attachment 3638145


The darker brown egg is hers. It even has tiny speckles!
The lighter brown egg is from my Wyandotte for comparison. Not as dark as my BCMs but not too bad for a hybrid. Plus she is a real sweet heart too.

View attachment 3638147


I'll add a few more photos of the others in a bit. You know how it is taking chicken pics. I had to take a ton of photos just to get a few decent shots.

Nice egg color I’m still a few months away from seeing my first marans egg. I definitely know what you mean about taking pictures of chickens they always want to stand in the shadows or run away or some other chicken runs in for a photobomb. Good thing digital pictures are free I would hate to try it back in the days of film.

 

[NanaK]

They are 20 or so weeks old now. A couple of them have really red comb, face and wattles. I was still surprised to see eggs so soon. The others look to be a bit a way from laying.

The grate this girl is standing on will soon be planted with winter type grass.

These are some really big girls.

 

[NanaK]

Of course I had many photos like this.
I was trying to get the shot of the girl posed so nicely eating tomato. Then this young lady decided to photo bomb.

So glad for digital photos!

 

[wrathsfarm]

Do you know which hen is laying the soft shell egg? If so you can give her Calcium Carbonate plus D. You can get if from anywhere human vitamins are sold. I have used it with good results. I give 1 tablet per day until the shell strength improves. I have given it for as long as 2 weeks. Those hens have not had a return of the problem.
Soft shell eggs are difficult for them to pass. If they break inside the hen usually doesn't live very long due to infection.

I used something like this. There are other brands and generics.
https://www.amazon.com/Caltrate-Cal...ocphy=9009804&hvtargid=pla-406644763135&psc=1

No I don't know which hen yet. But that's a great idea... thank you for the info.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Of course I had many photos like this.
I was trying to get the shot of the girl posed so nicely eating tomato. Then this young lady decided to photo bomb.

View attachment 3638293

So glad for digital photos!

Beautiful girls and the pics also. So crisp. Morty was our biggest girl also and she laid always identical eggs. Not as dark as a true Marans eggs but always had speckles. I'll see if I got a egg pic on my phone. I definitely want a few more MMM's.
I miss her every time I walk past the rose bush my wife planted on her grave.

 

[NanaK]

Beautiful girls and the pics also. So crisp. Morty was our biggest girl also and she laid always identical eggs. Not as dark as a true Marans eggs but always had speckles. I'll see if I got a egg pic on my phone. I definitely want a few more MMM's.
I miss her every time I walk past the rose bush my wife planted on her grave.

Thank you for the kind words. I'd love to see Morty's egg if you still have a pic.

And yes, it is easy to get attached to these feathered creatures!

 

[Chooks man]

A lovely egg from her.

Beautiful egg. I always love the ones with speckles!

thank you . she is doing well for her age .the photos does not they true colour they are number 5 on the colour chart , with specles .
now I need to blend the dark egg genes with speckles genes ,will be very good .to do that I need to mate LS to Blackgen rooster he is a dark egg gene carrier from the import line English type clean legs .
step 2 I need to DarkAngle with Blackgen too .
step 3 I have to breed LS progeny to DA progeny half sibling mating and that will give me if I m lucky some pullets who lay dark speckles eggs from 3 or 4 year like they mothers .
too much bla bla ......lot to do in next few years .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Egg production has slowed here for their molt. And I've got one hen laying a soft egg on the coop floor, 4th time I've found a soft shell in the last week.
Oyster shell & grit 24/7, we switch off giving them a can of tuna, yogurt and scrambled eggs (raw with shells)every few days for extra protein, calcium, etc. Vitamin/electrolytes mixed water on side.
Anything else I can add for them?
Would apple cider vinegar help in their water? Dosage? What's the advantage of ACV?

I m not sure if ACV will help with soft eggs ,ACV will help the clean the parisites when they are free ranging .
I give mine 20ml by 8 l of water for one week every month .haven t gave them anything last 2 years .except I wormed them couples week ago hey are just healthy chooks ,but I havent introduced any new chooks to my farm for a long time that helped a lot .
in this new place I need to give them some ACV because they where some chooks here before ,I see some of my chooks they having dearty bumbs . I did worm them few weeks back .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Hi! Doing good except for some muscle soreness. I've been busy since last week switching my veggie garden over to fall stuff. Pulling out stuff that was done, moving compost, putting in cabbage, broccoli, collards. Still want to plant mustard, carrots, garlic and onions. Still picking tomatoes and beans. Plus taking care of chickens. Crazy busy!

Those 6 Marans chicks I picked up in May have gotten so big! They have been the most friendly birds I've ever raised. They have no copper. They were only marked as Marans pullets from Hoover's Hatchery. I believe they are the Midnight Majesty hybrids. I've found 3 eggs from possibly 2 different birds this week. Excited about that! They are fairly dark. Hoping they give me eggs through winter as my others will be molting.

Got make a feed run today but I'll try to get a few photos of eggs and birds today.

Hope everyone has a great day!

you are doing well .me I haven started my vegy garden yet don t have time.
happy for you that your new pullets start laying for you .great to have eggs in a winter time when the older hens stop laying .
chooks man