International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[winterhorses]

Quote:
This is what I got from the lady at Chicken Ridge, plus my research about Union Hill Lavs. When my guys get older, I'll try the cross and see what I get.

 

[Red Banks]

thanks for posting your pics redbanks, i have a question about the chest of a maran and I hope you don't mind me using this opportunity to ask. 2 of my roos seem to look more like copper ...where as blade and shy guy have more of an obvious angle and look more like one of the other roos that I have. I have noticed this difference in my own flock. However, I'm not sure which is preferred. Its something I have been wondering about for awhile but i didn't have any good pics to differentiate between the types of "chest" presentation that I see in my coop and I don't know if I could ever manage all 3 of them in one shot, that in and of itself is lucky.

Post some pics. They don't have to be in one photo. If you can manage a side view and a front view of each that would be great.

 

[winterhorses]

Winterhorses,

Nice looking group of birds! Your pullets are of good type - send some egg pics when they come into lay.

Keith

Will do! Since I bought them as chicks, I have no idea what kind of egg color I might be getting.

 

[Red Banks]

I had Lavender Ameraucanas....

 

[winterhorses]

Where is Pinky? Is this a different group for a different line? Sorry I have been gone for awhile. Feathers on legs are easy to fix. Look at my two cross hens - I just posted a pic of them. Feathered legs in first generation. LOL These cockerels are at an awkward stage. Will one of these be a back up for Pinky?

Yup, this is a different group. I got 3 BCM chicks (hoping for girls) to round out my order of Lav and Split chicks, and OF COURSE they all turned out to be boys. But I can still use one or two for my other projects...I just need to build some more coops! Sigh, chicken math.

 

[kcrandall]

Here are a couple of the Bielefelder/Marans cross pullets. They are very beautiful and unlike my Cuckoo Marans these girls have nicely feathered feet. They are from BCM and BBS hens.

Good to have you back! Very nice looking pullets. They should lay well for you. Take Care, Keith

 

[winterhorses]

I had Lavender Ameraucanas....

Gorgeous boy! Do you sell chicks? Or even better, pullets? I'd kill to get my hands on a female, especially after my disastrous hatch this weekend. I swear, if my 2 chicks (3?) end up being boys, I'll cry.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: I lost all my early Ameraucanas to predators. I only have pure Black left - not split but I got my lavenders at Sawmill Chicken Farm in Live Oak, Florida. Check out their website. I guess when the predators are eyeballing my flock they go for the smallest ones. My Ameraucanas and Cream Legbars suffer the most casualties.

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: Thank you Keith. I am so glad to see everyone is still here! How is your flock?

 

[kcrandall]

I like to think of the chest as a boat bow, like Blade.  That is what I want to see.  Illustration and quote from French Marans Club page on Ideal Silhouette.  

[COLOR=800080]a broad, rather prominent chest, neither flat nor shallow[/COLOR]
 

I like Blade the best out of these three because he is more balanced, for me put together better.  They change so much but for me when I see balance young they don't fall apart as badly. Sometimes it happens.  My Claude was really something when he was young but I do not like him as much now.  Maybe he is nice but just doesn't compare to Antonio.  I need to post pictures and get some opinions from my colleagues.  Sometimes I get coop blind.... I stop really seeing them.  

Ha! I get coop blindness too. Sometimes I look at my 3 cockerels and think meh and other times I think wow they looking good. Otis is my best colored cockerel, great eyes, good comb / wattles, long back, broad chest but he is the smallest of the 3 and has developed a wry tail. Ernest has very nice color, great eyes, good comb / wattles, long back and broad chest but he walks like a Russian soldier (he high steps, top of his right foot hits his chest every time he walks, left foot is normal - strange) and he has a wry tail also. Briscoe has nice color (very faint halo), great eyes, good comb / wattles, best type, flat back and good tail set. All 3 have copper flecking on their breast and nice copper ear tufts. I have a lot of work to do on my line to get them on the right track.

Take Care,
Keith