International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[marchick]

Just got the best news!!! Heading out of town and my man calls me to say he thinks Freckles is going broody again. He didn't know what to do so he took her egg away. I said PUT IT BACK!!!! Those day old chicks come in 2 or 3 weeks! So happy!!

Ok I'm better now

Congratulations Yay babies!

 

[Hensndoes]

Congratulations Yay babies!

It so awesome. We were about to build a bigger brooder for the chicks and I was not looking forward to having them in the house. Freckles raised her first chicks last fall and kept them for seven weeks before weening. They integrated so easy after that. Effortless for me. I was worried she wouldn't go broody again (hatchery cuckoo) so I ordered 3 silky chicks too.

 

[marchick]

It so awesome. We were about to build a bigger brooder for the chicks and I was not looking forward to having them in the house. Freckles raised her first chicks last fall and kept them for seven weeks before weening. They integrated so easy after that. Effortless for me. I was worried she wouldn't go broody again (hatchery cuckoo) so I ordered 3 silky chicks too.

I like the silky they are so cute. I had one Marans hen raise chicks last year. I would prefer to let mom hatch them. So much less work. I don't have the room to keep them separate. I have 4 broody hens and a royal palm setting on nothing.

 

[chickengr]

Hello again! It's been a few months since I have posted, so I thought I'd pop in with an update!
Handsome has shown a lot of flaws after his first molt, and I've decided not to use him for breeding at all.
Nobandy was unfortunately taken by a predator, but fortunately, I did get from him one lovely son.

Wedo:

Wedo

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

Wedo 2

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018
• 1

Snowbird:

Snowbird

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

A couple of my older girls:

1

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

2 of my older hens

A pair of pullets from Nobandy last year:

Young ladies

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

And my darkest laying pullet:

Dark girl

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

And her egg:

BCM egg

• Tiegrsi
• Mar 17, 2018

This season I am hoping to increase egg color in the progeny of some girls who lay nearer a to a 5, find out what kind of Copper Blues I can hatch from Snowbird, and increase the hackle color in my ladies. My girl that lays the darkest has the least color, so I'm really hoping to hatch a few better colored girls from her.

congrats! nice birds and eggs!

 

[chickengr]

It so awesome. We were about to build a bigger brooder for the chicks and I was not looking forward to having them in the house. Freckles raised her first chicks last fall and kept them for seven weeks before weening. They integrated so easy after that. Effortless for me. I was worried she wouldn't go broody again (hatchery cuckoo) so I ordered 3 silky chicks too.

I plan to get some silkies for broodies too. I find is useful that they don't cover many eggs so I can easily track the chicks.

 

[marchick]

These chicks are about 3 1/2 weeks old. Any guess on sex? I am not going to say what I think they are. What is best to put with a splash rooster as far as breeding? Two blues, one black and a splash.

 

[Tiegrsi]

The black on in the first picture is female I think, but the second picture is male (again, I think). The easiest way to tell is y comb at that age and I can't really see either of their combs well. The splash is for sure a boy. The grey one in the middle of the second pic I'm sure is a boy. The last pic it looks like the grey bird on the right is a girl and on the left, a boy. I can't see the comb of the splash in front. (Is it the same splash from the other pictures?) The others I can't tell. Maybe someone else will see something I don't.

Oops, forgot about your question about breeding them!

I'm NO expert, but I've read that putting a splash over blues can wash the blue out further, so I would personally put him over blacks. I have a splash pullet right now under a black roo, and I will be starting some of her eggs in the 'bator in about a week. I hatched her from shipped eggs, so I have no guarentee on the quality of birds she'll throw, but she is big a fluffy and has GREAT feathering on her feet, which is something my blacks were short on last year.

Congrats on your new chicks.

 

[marchick]

The black on in the first picture is female I think, but the second picture is male (again, I think). The easiest way to tell is y comb at that age and I can't really see either of their combs well. The splash is for sure a boy. The grey one in the middle of the second pic I'm sure is a boy. The last pic it looks like the grey bird on the right is a girl and on the left, a boy. I can't see the comb of the splash in front. (Is it the same splash from the other pictures?) The others I can't tell. Maybe someone else will see something I don't.

Thank you! There is only one splash and one black.

 

[Tiegrsi]

Only one black? Then I definitely vote male. Usually my chicks are fairly symmetrically colored, but when they are very asymmetric, they always seem to be boys.

 

[chickengr]

These chicks are about 3 1/2 weeks old. Any guess on sex? I am not going to say what I think they are. What is best to put with a splash rooster as far as breeding? Two blues, one black and a splash.
View attachment 1305024 View attachment 1305025 View attachment 1305026

when mine were that age I thought all of them were boys. at 2 months old I was sure they were 3:3.