International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[littlepeeps81]

One of my FRF x LA pullets I penned up finally started laying yesterday.
View attachment 1159826
Sorry to post so many "first egg" pics. Im just so dang proud my babies are laying. These are pullets I bred, hatched, and raised so alot of blood, sweat, and tears went into it.

Keep your egg pictures coming. They are inspiring! Congrats.

 

[littlepeeps81]

View attachment 1160085 View attachment 1160084 View attachment 1160083 View attachment 1160082 View attachment 1160080 View attachment 1160079 View attachment 1160073 View attachment 1160075 Sue (darker blue) and Chester (lighter and previously favored here) are 14 wks now. Sue's has a beautiful copper color but I'm thinking the eyes make him less desirable. They were black but now are getting mottled. New pics for feedback please!. One of them has to go soon. Sue is shown in the last 4. Chester is the rest.

I am not an expert with the BLCM. I have one rooster that is blue, but he doesnt' have alot of color. I agree with you that Sue's eyes are undesirable, but eye color can be fixed. I think Sue has a beautiful color, and his feet are a beautiful slate and pink. You could probably balance things out well with his progeny with a good BLCM hen. Just my opinion though. Chester has good things going for him as well, but for some reason I am leaning towards Sue. Just my opinion, I have alot to learn.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I saw one of my pullets in the coop today during the day, watching the older ladies take turns in the nest boxes. Her comb and waddles have been pretty red for a while now so I'm wondering if she might be getting close! I hope so!

 

[bald Rooster]

All my eggs are little.My girls are just pullets and small eggs are expected .But my other chickens lay a few small ones and then its mostly normal size. How long before I can expect regular sized eggs from my FCM?

 

[Chooks man]

I am afraid I may need to cull Zorro and possibly the chicks too! I will post a pic first, and await your advice, but little Jazz is showing signs of having brown feathers on his wing tips. Making me wonder if Zorro could possibly have Wheaten in his bloodline or something else. Feeling bummed. I really want my BCM lines to be pure.

Hold your horse .you are going to cull no body . because o some little brown feathers .
give him a time to fully feathers up .
never rush the thing if you want to breed a good chooks .

post photos of him please.
i do like the marking on those chicks . I do no see any wheaten on them .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

View attachment 1160085 View attachment 1160084 View attachment 1160083 View attachment 1160082 View attachment 1160080 View attachment 1160079 View attachment 1160073 View attachment 1160075 Sue (darker blue) and Chester (lighter and previously favored here) are 14 wks now. Sue's has a beautiful copper color but I'm thinking the eyes make him less desirable. They were black but now are getting mottled. New pics for feedback please!. One of them has to go soon. Sue is shown in the last 4. Chester is the rest.

Chester look more correct to me .
all depend on the hens you have .what do they look like .what cockerel has the tool to correct what they are missing .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

All my eggs are little.My girls are just pullets and small eggs are expected .But my other chickens lay a few small ones and then its mostly normal size. How long before I can expect regular sized eggs from my FCM?

Marans pullets eggs will be larger( 68g) around 10 months of age .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I am not an expert with the BLCM. I have one rooster that is blue, but he doesnt' have alot of color. I agree with you that Sue's eyes are undesirable, but eye color can be fixed. I think Sue has a beautiful color, and his feet are a beautiful slate and pink. You could probably balance things out well with his progeny with a good BLCM hen. Just my opinion though. Chester has good things going for him as well, but for some reason I am leaning towards Sue. Just my opinion, I have alot to learn.

Sue need special hens to be mated to and a lot progeny to be hatched too if you want to use him over a BCM hens .
he has few good thing .but they are not sex linked . they can passed down from the Dam
what he is lucking is a sex linked trait we need rom the rooster to produce nice /correct progeny ,because they sire more then the hens .

HERE WHAT WE NEED ROM THE COCKEREL /ROOSTER . the things they need to excel on
1) eye color ( bright orange)
2) lovely body marking ( hackle .saddle and lancet) and type of color
3) body color.
4) correct tail
5)Ears tuft ( coppery colored similar to the hackle)
6) shoulder marking

Chester ; can cover any hen BCM /BLCM and SPCM .
any thing he is missing could corrected by the hens. like mass . that all what he lucks .

if we want to increase the size o the chooks than we have to select a biggest hens
if we want a colorful chooks than we have to select the most colorful Rooster

chooks man

 

[KF0002]

View attachment 1160153 View attachment 1160152

Ty! We prefer Sue also. He's much sweeter where Chester tries to flog me when I pick up another chicken. Every now and again I see Sue pick his tail up and wonder if he's just playing subordinate to the others. Sue is also huge in comparison- already as big as my monster sexlinks. But His comb isn't as nice. When you say split are you talking about the points? The back is split also. I think the green coat I was wearing made Chesters feet look yellow - they are pale. Here's a better pick of chesters feet. And one of the back of sues comb.

I dont like to breed mean roosters, but sometimes will make an exception. Chooks man is more eperienced with marans and has a better eye. I am still fine tuning my "eye". But if Chester ends up mean, that is definitely a mark in the con column in my opinion.

Oh and the pic didnt show up on your post.

 

[chickengr]

I am afraid I may need to cull Zorro and possibly the chicks too! I will post a pic first, and await your advice, but little Jazz is showing signs of having brown feathers on his wing tips. Making me wonder if Zorro could possibly have Wheaten in his bloodline or something else. Feeling bummed. I really want my BCM lines to be pure.

never cull young birds!

I am very happy I didn't cull my boys as they had catastrophic combs. somehow miracle happened and their combs got fixed.

can you post pics of those brown feathers? chickens molt out many weird things. my over coloured girl looks like well marked now.