International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[KF0002]

He is beautiful and looks so sweet. I thought they were more stoic. I could have used him last night. Antonio lured a little Ameraucana hen into the shed. The door is never completely closed. I shut the coop door, didn't count chickens and they were left out in the shed. I heard a terrible death screech in the middle of the night but then I didn't hear anything else so I thought one of them just fell off the roost. It would have been too late if I had gone out. I went out this morning to let them out of the coop. Heard a racket in the shed, opened the door and Antonio flew right into my face, then I saw the pile of feathers by the door opening and feathers clinging to the sides of the door. Whatever it was grabbed the little hen and pulled her out of the shed. I am thinking fox, I saw some scat a few days ago not far from the coop. I hate to say this but if I had to lose one (to my own negligence) I am glad it was the little Ameraucana. She is the noisiest hen I have and I wouldn't have wanted to lose one of the BCM. There is always chicken tragedy waiting around the corner.

I am so sorry you lost your little Ameraucana hen. I have the same perspective as you do, at least whatever it was didn't get one of your BCM hens or Antonio. If I'm going to lose birds, I would rather lose layers as opposed to losing any of our BCMs, CLs, or Games. We have had a varmint issue lately also. We have to keep Rosie and Waylon on a chain for the time being until we get their fence put up. Rosie likes to roam too far away so in order to keep her from getting hit by a car or shot by our deranged neighbor down the road, chaining her is the only option for now. Waylon is still in training and I don't trust him well enough to be given free range around the chickens.

There has been some feral cats on our property and last weekend one killed a White Leghorn hen that was free ranging. I was so mad I could eat a box of nails, but my husband got it with a 22. Then that same weekend, a possum (opossum) got into my hen house and scared the wits out of all the layers and Griffin. The possum had pulled a big chunk of feathers out of Griffin but didn't hurt him. I heard the noise and went out to see what was going on and there the chickens were walking around in the backyard in the dark. I opened the hen house door and standing on the top roost pole was the dang possum staring right back at me! Scared me to death! So here I go, scrambling in the house to get my husband before the chicken thieving varmint got away. In the end, he got what was coming to him from the business end of a 20 gauge, but I am missing one of my Leghorn hybrid layers.

Set up a game camera if you can get one so you know what you're dealing with and set a live trap with some sardines or raw chicken breast. More than likely that varmint will be back.

 

[KF0002]

Wish you were closer..... I could give you about 7 more to eat.

I have quite a few roosters to eat as well! If we all lived closer we could get together and have a BBQ!

 

[Red Banks]

X2 .

you have to put your spin on it .so ll be always related to your work .
you are a marans a breeders and future shower . plus you are doing all this hard work to fix the BCM variety .I think you need to incorporate this effort to your Logo .
personal opinion = Felton 's Feathered Marans or Felton 's Fancies Marans .( 2FM plus your rooster drawing as a Logo )

Chooks man

What about a name for the game birds and a name for the Marans? They won't be running in the same circles.

 

[Red Banks]

my Split white young hens .looking good .
View attachment 1268503
i m pleased to see how they turn out as hens .good body type ,nice comb , great tail .good mass .the eggs are not as dark . can t do every thing in one go .

this hens will throw 25% of they progeny white ( Recessive ) and 25% Red and Buff .

chooks man

Isn't that a pretty picture!

 

[Red Banks]

just bought a young group of Cream Leg Bar chooks from the imported stock ( UK stock)
8 pullets and 6 cockerels .waited for over one year .
6/8 weeks old .picking them next Weekend . not far away from me 150km ( 300Km return trip )
can t wait .

chooks man

Are they Jill Rees?

 

[Bantambird]

I hatched out my first batch of babies, there are seven blue birchen marans here and eleven burbon red and burbon red Cross poults. I wanted to share my chunky chicks!

 

[KF0002]

What about a name for the game birds and a name for the Marans? They won't be running in the same circles.

Thats true but I would hate to have two separate names on our birds. I would rather keep it as simple as possible.

There is so much to think about though, preparing show birds is hard. There is a show in April I would like to take some birds to and Im feeling overwhelmed by all I have to do first.

 

[chickengr]

I am so sorry you lost your little Ameraucana hen. I have the same perspective as you do, at least whatever it was didn't get one of your BCM hens or Antonio. If I'm going to lose birds, I would rather lose layers as opposed to losing any of our BCMs, CLs, or Games. We have had a varmint issue lately also. We have to keep Rosie and Waylon on a chain for the time being until we get their fence put up. Rosie likes to roam too far away so in order to keep her from getting hit by a car or shot by our deranged neighbor down the road, chaining her is the only option for now. Waylon is still in training and I don't trust him well enough to be given free range around the chickens.

There has been some feral cats on our property and last weekend one killed a White Leghorn hen that was free ranging. I was so mad I could eat a box of nails, but my husband got it with a 22. Then that same weekend, a possum (opossum) got into my hen house and scared the wits out of all the layers and Griffin. The possum had pulled a big chunk of feathers out of Griffin but didn't hurt him. I heard the noise and went out to see what was going on and there the chickens were walking around in the backyard in the dark. I opened the hen house door and standing on the top roost pole was the dang possum staring right back at me! Scared me to death! So here I go, scrambling in the house to get my husband before the chicken thieving varmint got away. In the end, he got what was coming to him from the business end of a 20 gauge, but I am missing one of my Leghorn hybrid layers.

Set up a game camera if you can get one so you know what you're dealing with and set a live trap with some sardines or raw chicken breast. More than likely that varmint will be back.

sorry for your loss.

I don't know what predators I will have in the future as I am going to move to the place near the agricultural fields and woods. foxes and weasels (martens) for sure.

I want to keep chickens on soil so I am thinking hard how to protect them from outside.

 

[chickengr]

I hatched out my first batch of babies, there are seven blue birchen marans here and eleven burbon red and burbon red Cross poults. I wanted to share my chunky chicks!

congrats!

burbon red are on my wish list. I am going to keep them together with peafowl. I already got a pair of peafowl but they stay in athens at my friends (as well as a trio of geese) as I don't have room.

 

[chickengr]

Thats true but I would hate to have two separate names on our birds. I would rather keep it as simple as possible.

There is so much to think about though, preparing show birds is hard. There is a show in April I would like to take some birds to and Im feeling overwhelmed by all I have to do first.

people will easily memorize a simple name. otherwise they might call it: f something.