International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

Quote:
impressed .
you are getting your head nicely around chooks genetic . Bravo.

choos man

 

[clancys coop]

Thanks @chooks

He's feeling like a cull right about now honestly. I'm at my wits end with him.

He's too timid, he won't stand nicely even if I hang out with him casually.

His tail looks like a mess (it is, his pen mates this fall destroyed just his)

So I have a frost bitten comb, a messy tail, and a timid roo who won't stand up nicely.

Do you see potential in him through my rubbish photos? Is he worth keeping until warmer weather or, is starting with new eggs this spring a decent plan. If you absolutely insist on new photos for the sake of the bird, I'll see how he behaves tomorrow.

 

[Chooks man]

I have been learning so much from this post, its priceless.
I have a question that is only slightly related to this post, but I'm sure I can find an answer here.
What colors/varieties of marans can I get from
Black copper marans, cockerels and hens
Blue copper marans, cockerel (hens are optional)
Gloden cuckoo marans, cockerel

Thanks a lot

Black copper marans cockerel and hen = you ll get 100% black copper

Blue copper marans cockerel ( hens are optional ) no need hens with a blue .use him over the black copper hens and you ll get 50% each .

Golden cuckoo marans cockerel = use him over the Black copper hens and you ll get a 100% golden cuckoo if he is double barred or 50% golden cuckoo if he is single barred ( dark cuckoo )

hope that helps .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Thanks @chooks

He's feeling like a cull right about now honestly. I'm at my wits end with him.

He's too timid, he won't stand nicely even if I hang out with him casually.

His tail looks like a mess (it is, his pen mates this fall destroyed just his)

So I have a frost bitten comb, a messy tail, and a timid roo who won't stand up nicely.

Do you see potential in him through my rubbish photos? Is he worth keeping until warmer weather or, is starting with new eggs this spring a decent plan. If you absolutely insist on new photos for the sake of the bird, I'll see how he behaves tomorrow.

here what I see ;even with your bad photos .
nice type ,long body not square .
nice mass
nice solid head .
great eyes color
great ears tufts ( mean most of his pullets if not all will have a nice coppery hackles)
nice comb not great but good one
nice size wattles
nice long neck well colored ( a little golden @ the bottom but the alright )
nice long back ( lock like he have a cushion but I think is just your handy work )
well colored shoulders - nice red mahogany .
well colored lancet and nice length too .
Tail well placed .right angle not a good shape neither form
nice deep chest
well spaced legs ,nice and strait .well feathered .
nice black body color .

if was nicer photos of him I think I can see more in him .

he will give you a nice progeny if matted to hen N2 . the one with a long back and good mass .

take your time a take a nice photo of him .you have some thing to work with .why start over again from eggs?
side project maybe to get access to another line .but don t get ready of yours . you have them .it is your job to fix them and take them to the next level by breeding them . they are not the great .neither worst . they are working subject .

all the best .
I ll wait for a nice photos .

chooks man

 

[chickengr]

Don't forget they need high protein to grow properly, and that birds, unlike mammals, lack lactase, the digestive enzymes that assist in the breakdown and digestion of milk sugar. Chickens are omnivores, so perhaps some mealworms in the mix? Would suet be better than olive oil?

I always give boiled eggs to my chickens. cheese and yogurt are sour sou the chickens can digest it. olive oil or even sunflower oil are good for chickens. I also give them fish from time to time.

Sorry to hear about Mario. What's going on with him? I hope he gets better.

Just curious, but what's wrong with the climate of Greece for raising chickens? I'd think a Mediterranean climate would be ideal. The only reason I ask is because I live in a barren desert where the temperatures in the summer hit 47C/118F frequently but my birds do pretty good here as long as they have shade, water, and water to wade in during the hottest part of the day. Other than the Sahara and Antarctica I can't think of a more inhospitable place to raise birds. How about a trade?

where I live is too windy and that is not good for chickens. winters are warm and windy and that means a lot of viruses.

 

[chickengr]

mario is better today. his ears were plugged with puss. I cleaned them and put tobradex ointment and also gave him a good dose of baytril. it is warm and sunny so he is outside sunbathing. I will bring him inside at night.

 

[chickengr]

Sorry to hear about Mario. hope he ll get better soon.
what are the symptom of his sickness ?

wishing you all the est to sale your house and find a better one for you and your animals. Dairy goat will be nice .

for your chicks you need to add boiled eggs very important as a protein source .

I remember my mom ,she never used a commercial feed ( they did not have in the 60 and 70 ) she used to make her own stuff .and they where big healthy marans chooks .
add some medication too in they water .

Chooks existed before the commercial feed come to been .

chooks man

I remember how my granny raised chicks. never needed the antibiotics as I do.

a few months ago I bought a 21% protein chick's grower (I mean I paid that) and the stupid lady owner of the shop gave me 13% protein garbage. I found it out when my chick's got sick.

the other day I was in that shop as I wanted to rehome a cockerel. there was a baby goat by the stove. I asked her what breed it was and she replied goat. when I said ok, goat, but what breed she was shocked to hear there are different breeds of goat.

 

[chickengr]

Quote: mario has some sinus/ear infection. he had it last winter as well when he almost died. duck's eggs and raw honey kept him alive. this year he is doing better.

 

[GalShon]

Quote:
Black Coppers mated to blue coppers = 50 % black coppers and 50% blue coppers. Blue coppers mated to blue coppers = 50% blue coppers and 25% black coppers and 25% splash coppers. Blue copper bred to splash copper = 50% blue coppers and 50% splash coppers. Black copper bred to black copper = 100% black copper. Splash copper bred to splash copper = 100% splash copper. The blue gene does not breed true. Blue and splash are actually diluted black and only a percentage of chicks will come blue when a blue is bred to a blue, a splash is bred to a blue, or a black is bred to a blue. Chickens in a blue line come black, blue, and splash (BBS). A black copper rooster mated to a golden cuckoo (or regular cuckoo) hen will produce visually autosexing (sex-link) chicks at birth. Meaning you can tell the sex of the chicks by their color as soon as they hatch. The male chicks will have a white spot on the top of their head and be lighter in color, the female chicks will be black with no head spot. This is because a hen can only carry one copy of the barring gene (cuckoo). A cuckoo rooster, whether single barred (one copy) or double barred (two copies) will pass the barring gene to both his male and female offspring. A cuckoo hen will pass the barring gene to her male offspring only. The male offspring from a black copper rooster over a cuckoo hen will be single barred (only one barring gene inherited from the hen), while the female offspring do not inherit the gene and be black. The males will hatch with a white spot on their heads courtesy of the barring gene, the females will not have head spots. Any barred breed whether it be barred rock, cuckoo marans, golden cuckoo marans, etc will throw visually autosexing chicks also. The barring gene is amazing in that barred chicks are very easily sexed at birth, but only when the male chicks are double barred and the females single barred. Female chicks are darker, with a smaller headspot, and have a darker wash to their legs. Male chicks have a larger splotchier headspot and are lighter in color. Their legs will be lighter than the females at birth. You can use black coppers to improve egg color in a golden cuckoo line if your black coppers produce dark eggs. Chooks man is also using the BBS gene (black, blue, splash) bred to Cuckoos to produce blue cuckoos. I may have rambled on and on and I apologize. Chicken genetics are fascinating to me. I hope I have not in any way overwhelmed or confused you. I admit, it can get very complex and confusing. lol. Chicken genetics are a very deep pool and I have only begun to skim the surface of all there is to learn. Feel free to ask questions and post pictures. Welcome to the thread!

Thank you so very much. though I had to read it a few times to fully understand it, you can, and please keep rambling about genetics

 

[GalShon]

Black copper marans cockerel and hen = you ll get 100% black copper

Blue copper marans cockerel ( hens are optional ) no need hens with a blue .use him over the black copper hens and you ll get 50% each .

Golden cuckoo marans cockerel = use him over the Black copper hens  and you ll get a 100% golden cuckoo if he is double barred or 50% golden cuckoo if he is single barred ( dark cuckoo )

hope that helps .

chooks man

Thank you, I realy hoped I can use the golden cuckoo to make something interesting.
But first, your avatar pic, Her colors are warm and brownish and the hackles look like silver,
She is Gorgeous!!! what is she? A golden in an amazing light?

Regarding the single and double barred, is it noticeable in the feathers? How can I tell what is he?
And if he is a double barred and I'll use the golden cuckoo cockerel over a black copper hen will the chicks be pure golden cuckoo?
And if he is a single barred? 50% are pure golden cuckoo? and the rest will be?

Thanks a lot