International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[KF0002]

It's 61 degrees here today.. Kentucky weather is like that. Freezing one day, windy and warmer the next. In Kentucky it can snow, and then the next day the snow melts and it's t-shirt weather.

The chickens are enjoying the milder weather today.

 

[The Moonshiner]

 

[KF0002]

He has beautiful type! He definitely does look very similar to the black tailed buff Marans, like Chooks man said. Bev Davis is currently working on her line of them now. She has bred hers from Wheatens. Could be an interesting project.. lol

He is a very handsome cockerel. I just worry he might put too much color on his offspring if you intended on working with him in a BBS breeding. He may do good over some overmelanized pullets though to balance out any excess black.

http://www.bevsmarans.com/blacktailedbuff.html

 

[baunlee]

guys i need some advice. My roo's combs are looking pretty bad. Mr. Baunlee...he is very much into heating our coop. I have been holding him off this year, so I can't tell him about their combs. He hasn't really noticed it yet but I'm guessing when he does, hes going to hook up a heater right away.

Do you guys think this looks bad?

 

[KF0002]

guys i need some advice. My roo's combs are looking pretty bad. Mr. Baunlee...he is very much into heating our coop. I have been holding him off this year, so I can't tell him about their combs. He hasn't really noticed it yet but I'm guessing when he does, hes going to hook up a heater right away.

Do you guys think this looks bad?

Most of our stags/cockerels suffer comb damage from the cold every year. Our Games are dubbed (comb, wattles, earlobes removed) before it gets horribly cold and that protects them from frost bite. It's like winterizing them. When our large breeds suffer comb damage, we dub their combs as well. Frost bite causes the tissue on the comb to die, mainly the blade and the points. The necrotic (dead) tissue becomes black and will eventually fall off. Sometimes it can cause gangrene and make a rooster ill, and sometimes they act like it doesn't even bother them. His blade and points on your rooster look white/black like they don't have any blood flow so he has early damage. It's very common in straight combed roosters that live in climates with cold winters.

The only chickens we heat in the winter are chicks. I've heard you can prevent frost bite by applying petroleum jelly to their combs but I've never tried it. All you can really do once the frost bite damage has already occurred is wait to see how the chicken deals with it. If the rooster starts getting sick, the only treatment is to remove the necrotic tissue. You can take a pair of really sharp scissors and simply trim off the necrotic parts down to healthy tissue, or cut the comb off completely.. whichever you prefer. The remaining comb will scab and heal. We have never had any complications with dubbing. And we have never lost a rooster as a result of dubbing.

Most chickens never act sick from frost bite, the damaged parts will just eventually fall off so dubbing is a matter of personal choice.

 

[KF0002]

I will add that if you have cockerels you wish to show, it would probably be advisable to keep them in a lightly heated shed or bard in the winter so their combs aren't damaged. I would eventually like to show my large fowl, so that is a practice that would be necessary I imagine. Otherwise, brood cock combs aren't really that important and frost bite isn't a huge concern aside from looks.

 

[The Moonshiner]

He has beautiful type!  He definitely does look very similar to the black tailed buff Marans, like Chooks man said.  Bev Davis is currently working on her line of them now.  She has bred hers from Wheatens.  Could be an interesting project.. lol

He is a very handsome cockerel.  I just worry he might put too much color on his offspring if you intended on working with him in a BBS breeding.  He may do good over some overmelanized pullets though to balance out any excess black.  

http://www.bevsmarans.com/blacktailedbuff.html  

My plan was to work on adding color to our hens which were/are completely black or just a very small amount of copper. When i started getting more color on the cockerels i just kept pushing it further because i liked them better with the extra color and wanted to see how far i could get them. Just a personal experiment in breeding.
I have always liked the wheatens but have never seen any for sell in my area. Guess maybe i should look for some a little harder. It does sound like a project i would enjoy.
And thank you for your responses.
For now im more worried about what i'll have come spring. Already lost a few good birds to this weather. Been from -9° overnight to high of 10° the last couple days here and winter hasnt even started. Worried its gonna be a tuff next few months.

 

[KF0002]

My plan was to work on adding color to our hens which were/are completely black or just a very small amount of copper. When i started getting more color on the cockerels i just kept pushing it further because i liked them better with the extra color and wanted to see how far i could get them. Just a personal experiment in breeding.
I have always liked the wheatens but have never seen any for sell in my area. Guess maybe i should look for some a little harder. It does sound like a project i would enjoy.
And thank you for your responses.
For now im more worried about what i'll have come spring. Already lost a few good birds to this weather. Been from -9° overnight to high of 10° the last couple days here and winter hasnt even started. Worried its gonna be a tuff next few months.

As long as they have a good shelter, draft free but well ventilated, they should be fine. The combs of your cockerels/cocks may suffer frost bite but chickens are tough and adapt well to the cold. Especially big heavy breeds like Marans. They cover their heads with their wings and sleep close together to keep warm. Chickens were doing just fine on their own in the wild before man domesticated them. If it gets severely cold you can wrap any drafty areas in plastic to knock the wind chill off them.

If you decide to heat your coop take caution with heat lamps and heaters as they pose more of a danger to birds than the cold and are a fire hazard. Chickens can get too close and their feathers can catch fire. Straw and other bedding can also catch fire. Secure any lamps or heaters inside a wire cage and mount them well to prevent them from getting knocked over or too close to wood or flammable material. In the event of a power outage, with chickens used to a heated coop they may freeze to death as they havent had time to gradually adjust to the cold. Most do not advocate heating coops. Chickens adapt to the winter and as long as they are in good health and feather, and have a good shelter they will survive.

 

[dragonthehunter]

Do all black copper marans have that coppery colour in their hackles? I had a rooster but he didn't have Any copper?

 

[KF0002]

Also, make sure your coops are well ventilated (small windows or vents near the top of the coop) so moisture can escape and fresh air can enter the coop.