International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Red Banks]

That is not entirely true. You as a breeder select and cull for quality. Some struggle forever and never get to that point. As a breeder of sheep for many years, I have seen many succeed and many fail. It’s what keeps the industry going.

Thank you.....I am a very hands off breeder..... but yes...... I do decide who stays and who goes. This year I plan to get serious.

 

[marchick]

Thank you.....I am a very hands off breeder..... but yes...... I do decide who stays and who goes. This year I plan to get serious.

You go girl! I can't wait to see what you get when you are actually serous!!! Lol

 

[KF0002]

I agree Ben. I just understand how she feels..... we want instant greatness. I believe Chooks man and Kfelton0002 both gave a strategy for using this type of rooster to good effect. We are all too hard on them. When I wrote the word culls above my cockerels I felt bad.... they are good cockerels..... they are just not as good as some of the other choices I have. In truth, we could develop good birds from all the birds we see here and paraphrasing Chooks man we are not giving the hens any credit at all.

A Marans breeder friend of mine that shows her birds told me it only takes one good rooster to turn it all around. In order to get that one good rooster, you have to look closely at your hens and breed only the best hens you have. Chooks man is right, we have to give hens their due credit because they are a heavy influence on the birds we produce.

While type and size of the males comes greatly from the hen, tail angle most definitely is passed from both the sire and the dam to the offspring. I have proof in my cull pen unfortunately. All of my cockerels from Apollo and Sheraz inherited his high tail. Chooks man has explained what traits come from which parent, and everything he has told us is proving true.

In order to breed birds with longer backs and lower tails, you must select your breeders that have the longest backs and lowest tails. If your rooster has a short back and high tail, mating him to a long backed, good tailed hen will help throw some birds that are an improvement over their sire but not all of them. You will still have lots of culls. You may not get everything right in one generation, but you will see some improvement if you breed this way. Even though my Apollo has a short back and a high tail, all of his sons and daughters have their mother's longer back, so that is an improvement. We have to look closer at our hens like Redbanks mentioned because the rooster is only half of the equation. My husband tells me all the time that a good rooster comes from a good hen, and that is so very true.

Single mating, selective breeding, hard culling, and balance in the breeding pen are the keys to producing better quality birds.

 

[Red Banks]

You go girl! I can't wait to see what you get when you are actually serous!!! Lol

It is pretty funny!

 

[KF0002]

Apollo may have a high tail and short back, but he has improved the egg color in his daughters. That in itself makes him worth his feed. Sheraz, their mother lays a 4. My pullets from Apollo and Sheraz are laying a 5.

I have 3 pullets from Apollo x Sheraz and they all 3 laid today. Here are their eggs together.

 

[marchick]

Look who came to visit and a splash!
You are so late but made it! yay

 

[KF0002]

Look who came to visit and a splash!
You are so late but made it! yay
View attachment 1324933

I absolutely love it when that happens!! I love opening the incubator to throw out old eggs, usually the day after I've took chicks out to find slow pokes that finally managed to hatch. It is a very pleasant surprise! Congratulations!!

 

[marchick]

Well it is official. I found a home for my Lavender Ameraucanas and my 3 Royal Palm turkeys. More room for my Marans. May use the lavender Ameraucana pen for my Marans roosters.

 

[marchick]

I absolutely love it when that happens!! I love opening the incubator to throw out old eggs, usually the day after I've took chicks out to find slow pokes that finally managed to hatch. It is a very pleasant surprise! Congratulations!!

Thank you, I was shocked! There was one other showing life. I put it in the other incubator. I doubt it will hatch. I will check it in the morning.

 

[Red Banks]

Look who came to visit and a splash!
You are so late but made it! yay
View attachment 1324933

Awwwww