International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[chickengr]

Right when I had given up on my first BCM egg until spring, one of my LA girls gave me this big beautiful thing today! I am absolutely thrilled! It had to be a LA pullet, the FRF pullet doesn't feel wide enough yet.

No flash, kitchen lighting, next to Leghorn eggs for contrast.

Flash

No flash

Flash

It is definitely not a pullet size egg! I would consider it a large or even jumbo size. lol. Note to self: buy batteries for gram scale.

Went ahead and moved all the BCM's around tonight to where I want them for breeding season so the pullets can get cleaned out. I can start setting in a couple weeks for safe measure if I keep getting eggs.

Cooper is the king of the LA coop with his 3 lovely LA ladies and 3 Speckled Sussex layers.

Mud will be covering the FRF pullet, 3 Splash Copper pullets, 4 Speckled Sussex layers, and an Easter Egger (layer). He's going to be a busy boy.

nice colour for the first egg. congrats

 

[KF0002]

nice colour for the first egg. congrats

Thanks! I think the color of Marans eggs is just so rich and beautiful. My grandmother loves it when I send her eggs from my Splash girls. She will be very happy to get her dozen on Monday and see this egg in the carton amongst the white leghorn eggs. Hopefully I will get a couple more to add to the carton by then over the weekend.

 

[Lincityfarmette]

Woohoo!  Congrats on the hatch!  Lots of big healthy Marans chicks!  Your hard work is paying off.  Well done!

 

[Lincityfarmette]

Sorry pushed wrong buttons. Did not to wish all a glorious Christmas but here to pray peace and blessings on the new year for Each of you. So far I am on the sidelines with breeding, but I still very much enjoy this thread!! What a great, cooperative, kind and respectful bunch you are. So informative too. Congrats to all those with new hatches. A hug especially to you Chooks Man. Joy after your losses. Your exuberance makes me smile. I get it...don't you all?? I have a rooster sleeping in my room every night just so I can have one in the bustling city!!! He is a good roo. EE but sick just now. Suddenly weak and not drinking water unless forced. I am doing all the usual immune boost things and now added antibiotic. Rooben is one of those roosters you Want to keep out of freezer camp! Advice would be great. Still I just wanted to enter your conversation to thank you. You are a credit to the human race and a blessing to Chooks lovers everywhere. Again grateful to you each for your sharing.

 

[BobletFarmBirds]

Happy new year!! Well, turns out that losing my roo wasn't such a bad thing. I had to decide between him, or my chick, babe. He's 6 months now!!! I can't wait for him to start covering and hatching, although his crow sounds like a dying cat...
Now that it's January (almost, at least) the girls are laying more. Olive eggers marans and americaunas. When should my hens get the deep rich red chocolate back to their eggs? They only started laying again about 6 days ago, but they are light and soft shelled. (Oyster/ Egg shell needed to be replaced, taken care of now) how is everyone? I will post a few picks of Babe tomorrow, if it isn't snowing again lol. Happy New Years!!!

 

[Chooks man]

Quote:
sorry to hear about your rooster . what wrong with him exactly . he is not drinking that all or there is other thing wrong with him . if you are forcing him to drink than make sure add some sugar in it . chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

HAPPY NEW YEAR YEAR TO YOU ALL CHOOKS LOVER . WISHING YOU BEST YEAR WITH A BETTER HEALTH< BETTER CHOOKS AND AND OVER ALL HAPPINESS > we are in 2017 in OZ one year ahead of you guys .you need to catch up . I m waitting for my first 2017 baby chicks to hatch , they are braking through . I m not going to sleep tell I see the first chicks .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Happy new year!! Well, turns out that losing my roo wasn't such a bad thing. I had to decide between him, or my chick, babe. He's 6 months now!!! I can't wait for him to start covering and hatching, although his crow sounds like a dying cat...

Now that it's January (almost, at least) the girls are laying more. Olive eggers marans and americaunas. When should my hens get the deep rich red chocolate back to their eggs? They only started laying again about 6 days ago, but they are light and soft shelled. (Oyster/ Egg shell needed to be replaced, taken care of now) how is everyone? I will post a few picks of Babe tomorrow, if it isn't snowing again lol. Happy New Years!!!

give them a lot of green and add some Vitamins B complex or B12 complex will be better .

because it is a winter where you ,you can give them some sun flower seed .
Monique a French marans breeder told me is good for them in the winter .20g by hen a day should be enough .

you can soak some of the pullets feed in worm milk work very well they adore it in the winter and they will lay you nice dark eggs .

all the best and good luck with your planning .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Right when I had given up on my first BCM egg until spring, one of my LA girls gave me this big beautiful thing today! I am absolutely thrilled! It had to be a LA pullet, the FRF pullet doesn't feel wide enough yet.

No flash, kitchen lighting, next to Leghorn eggs for contrast.

Flash

No flash

Flash

It is definitely not a pullet size egg! I would consider it a large or even jumbo size. lol. Note to self: buy batteries for gram scale.

Went ahead and moved all the BCM's around tonight to where I want them for breeding season so the pullets can get cleaned out. I can start setting in a couple weeks for safe measure if I keep getting eggs.

Cooper is the king of the LA coop with his 3 lovely LA ladies and 3 Speckled Sussex layers.

Mud will be covering the FRF pullet, 3 Splash Copper pullets, 4 Speckled Sussex layers, and an Easter Egger (layer). He's going to be a busy boy.

well nice worth all the wait .
nice shape ,form and color .
don t forget to catch a pullet and follow her 30 first egg , she ll be good I recon

all the Best of 2017 , a lot marans chicks

chooks man

 

[baunlee]

chooks man I'm not at the point where I have enough spare chicks to be choosy or cull chicks. I mean I think I would if there was a remarkable deformity (hasn't happened yet).

as a back story, I started out with BCM (chicks) from a local person through BYC at a chickenstock; many were males and she was breeding for egg color. I took some eggs from these birds and learned to improve my hatch rate with bcms- dang things seem hard to hatch sometimes! Once I was successful with these (still nice birds by all accounts) I decided I wanted to start over. I moved my flock to my dad's house. He loved my rooster and having the flock on his 50+ acre property. As for me, I went to grad school in nyc and on the way back home from packing up my dorm I purchased some eggs from a breeder person that shows. These are my current birds, they are fairly young and have not started laying yet.

What I was wondering, could you kindly give us a list of things you might cull for with your BCM chicks?

If such a list exists it would be good for me to learn what your non-negotiable/non-workable opinions are...
Up until now I have just been making anecdotal observations on my chicks. Every now and then I have an odd observation such as coloring and I should probably share more of those photos on here just to hear from everyone.