International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Magnolia Hill]

The one with white, or his father?

Father

 

[KF0002]

Here is a black copper cockerel I have my eye on. His sire is Maximus (black copper) and his dam is Lucille (blue copper). His leg feathering is too sparse, but that's no biggie. He has no copper leakage on his chest. I love his color, back length, and tail angle for now. Plus, his underfluff is smokey grey! He's not as wide as I'd like, but he will fill out more. Both his sire and dam have good width so Im keeping my fingers crossed he turns out to be a keeper to use in my blue copper line.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

Here is a black copper cockerel I have my eye on. His sire is Maximus (black copper) and his dam is Lucille (blue copper). His leg feathering is too sparse, but that's no biggie. He has no copper leakage on his chest. I love his color, back length, and tail angle for now. Plus, his underfluff is smokey grey! He's not as wide as I'd like, but he will fill out more. Both his sire and dam have good width so Im keeping my fingers crossed he turns out to be a keeper to use in my blue copper line.

View attachment 1368375 View attachment 1368376

Looking good, ill keep my fingers crossed for you too. I know those high tails haunt your dreams.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

Looking good, ill keep my fingers crossed for you too. I know those high tails haunt your dreams.

What's your plans for your blue copper line? How are you going about establishing it? Blacks over blues?

 

[KF0002]

What's your plans for your blue copper line? How are you going about establishing it? Blacks over blues?

With my blue copper (BBS) line I started out with 3 splash coppers (Bev Davis supposedly) but their egg color wasn't great, one laid a 4 and the other 2 laid lighter than a 4. I bred them to Mud, my original line B (FRF) black copper cock bird and that is how Lucille, my best blue copper hen was produced. She is the only one I kept to breed from. Her eggs are a 4. I bred Lucille to Maximus (from my black copper line C) who was her half brother, they share the same sire but have different mothers. They are the parents of the cockerel I just posted a pic of, and the blue copper chicks I've produced this year. What I hope to achieve with this generation first and foremost is darker egg color because both Lucille and Maximus are half line B which is my darkest laying line. They are 1/2 siblings but share the same B line sire so I think that will reinforce darker egg color in this years chicks. I hope all that makes sense. I also managed to achieve nice lacing on most of my blue copper chicks so I am very happy with what I see so far.

 

[KF0002]

@Magnolia Hill I plan on single mating my best black copper cockerel from my blue copper line back with his mother (blue copper hen) for a couple months. Then I will put my best blue copper cockerel with her for a few months (separate single matings). Chicks are all wing banded so I know who produced what chicks. These will be BC1 and BC2. BC = backcross.

I will also take my best black copper cockerel from my line C F2's (which is a black copper only line) and put him over my best blue copper pullet(s). Maximus is the sire of the line C F2 chicks and the blue copper chicks so that will be a father/daughter mating. This will be BC3.

I can then mate the BC 1 or 2 offspring to the BC3 offspring to keep from mating brother/sister any further. This is called line breeding.

 

[KF0002]

I can keep line breeding within the blue copper line from then on, or when need be I can use birds from my black copper line C to freshen the line or darken the blue whenever I need to. Line C will always be related to the blue copper line so egg color would not suffer like it would if I were to out-cross to an unrelated line. The line C birds can be used to continue to improve egg color when need be in the blue copper line.

 

[Magnolia Hill]

I can keep line breeding within the blue copper line from then on, or when need be I can use birds from my black copper line C to freshen the line or darken the blue whenever I need to. Line C will always be related to the blue copper line so egg color would not suffer like it would if I were to out-cross to an unrelated line. The line C birds can be used to continue to improve egg color when need be in the blue copper line.

Sounds like you got a game plan.I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get all my lines going, it's alot to think about. I got to get these little fellas grown out first. I'm starting from scratch with new blood.

 

[KF0002]

Sounds like you got a game plan.I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get all my lines going, it's alot to think about. I got to get these little fellas grown out first. I'm starting from scratch with new blood.

The best thing to do is wing band or leg band every bird with a number. Document everything and keep meticulous records. I keep my breeding records in a 3 ring binder. Single mate your best to your best and wing band all those chicks so you know which pair produced which chicks. You can easily single mate one cock bird to several different hens in separate pens (4x4 pens are great for single mating) by moving the cock bird back and forth between the pens. The cock bird only needs to mate the hens once a week to keep your eggs fertile, so if you have 2 separate pens move him every other day or every 3rd day. If you are moving him to 3 different pens move him every other day. You can backcross those chicks back to their sire or dam, or mate offspring from one pair/mating to the offspring from another pair/mating, even if the chicks share the same sire and are half siblings. Mating half siblings is completely fine, and mating full siblings is okay as long as you don't do it much (not every generation).

 

[KF0002]

Looking good, ill keep my fingers crossed for you too. I know those high tails haunt your dreams.

Thank you! And yes those high tails haunt my dreams! lol Sometimes I can't fall asleep because I'm pondering up my next move. I hope that doesn't sound too crazy. I'm hoping and praying I nip them in the bud this year!