International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Red Banks]

@Chooks man hes only 3 1/2 months and his color is just coming in now. Lots of pin feathers. Any chance he will put more color on. I will get more pics with better lighting

If you could take pictures side, front and rear that always helps. I can tell you I seldom hear Chooks man advise to cull. You can observe the cockerel and ask yourself what do you like about him and what would you like to improve..... depending on the severity of the faults..... is it worth the time?

Does he have good body mass with a rectangular shape or does he have a more triangular shape? Does he have a short back?

Are his legs strong and wide enough apart to give him good support?

Does he have enough copper to pass it on? Copper tufts, copper hackle and saddle, mahogany shoulder. A sprinkling of copper on his chest.

Does he have good color on his legs? His eye?

Look at the bird as a whole. Look over the standard and decide.

I haven't posted the French SOP in a long time but it helps to remind us of what we want to strive toward.
General appearance:
Cock:
Body : strong, fairly long and wide especially near the shoulders which are held high.
Neck : long, fairly strong, tending to curve in on top towards the skull; the hackles are made of many long and abundant feathers covering the shoulders well
Back : long, flat, slightly concave towards the rear
Saddle : large, slightly raised but not rounded, covered with many lancets
Breast : strong and large
Abdomen : well developed
Wings : short , kept close to the body
Tail : strong at its base, quite short, fairly up without going over 45 °
Head : average size, slightly flat and long
Comb : simple, of an average size, with a fairly rough texture. Sharp edges. The lobe not touching the nape
Wattles : average size, red with a fine texture
Ear-lobes : average size, red and long
Face : red coloured with or without down
Eyes : bright, with a orangey-red iris
Beak : Quite strong, slightly hooked and horn-coloured
Shanks : big, without vulture hocks
Tarsi : average size, with some feathers white or lightly pink coloured for all the varieties except for the BLACK, BROWN-RED and BIRCHEN Marans
were grey or dark grey is permitted, although not preferred, for both sexes. Four long and well separated toes with the outer one sparsely feathered.
The claws are white or horn- coloured
Cock : Black-breasted red, with parsimonious red spotting on the breast. Having a black wing triangle. The red markings are not to be yellow or mahogany.
Copper coloured lancets in the neck hackle & the back. Deep red shoulders.
Hen : Black with red hackle markings but without the typical Birchen breast lacing. Very slight red breast marking is acceptable. Green sheen is not required.
Disqualifying Defects
Lack of size; white or yellow ear-lobes; light-coloured or black eyes; tarsi without feathers, black or yellow; triangular body frame;
horizontal or leaning forward body. Cock weighing less than 3 kg; Hen weighing less than 2.2 kg.
Serious defects
Brown-red variety Cock : brown wing bay; any other colour than black on the flights; straw- coloured hackles.
Hen : brown spots on the body.

I copied the SOP from French Marans Club website.

http://www.marans.eu/silhangl.htm#silhouet

 

[KF0002]

I took some updated pictures of Maximus, my FRF x LA cockerel. He is shaping up to be a decent looking boy, despite his ugly comb. His tail angle and back length are a huge improvement from his sire's (Mud). I really like his eye color and shank color/feathering also. He has pure red ear lobes, his wattles are nice and round. He could use a little more depth to his breast and he isn't as chunky as I would like. He is missing a few tail feathers, but I am liking what I see for the most part.

 

[shepherd6567]

sorry to say this .but this cockerel is going to cause you so much trouble down the line .it is better not to use him .
he does carry few major fault ,hard to correct latter .
1) white earlobe
2) extra melanin ( too much black on him) his beak /ears tuft /dark shank / marble colored eyes . all this fault are not good on the cockerel .the hen is different story .
3) he has not enough color on his saddle / lancet and the shoulders .plus his copper is darker ( Mahogany type) because of the extra melanin he is carrying

if he had just one major fault than will be alright to work with ,but not will all those3 together .most of his progeny will be a cull . sorry to say that .

we ll try to find you some fertile eggs from people on this thread .or a cockerel.

he is a good type and has a good comb ,but those thing we can get them from the hen too ,because they are not sex linked .

chooks man

After further review, and based off @Chooks man advice on this cockerel I think it’s best I move on from him. I appreciate you being diplomatic about him in your follow up post but I think his faults will be too much time to over come.

With that said, I would also like to take up his advice on purchasing eggs this spring if possible from one of the posters here. Would anyone here have eggs for sale this spring?

 

[KF0002]

After further review, and based off @Chooks man advice on this cockerel I think it’s best I move on from him. I appreciate you being diplomatic about him in your follow up post but I think his faults will be too much time to over come.

With that said, I would also like to take up his advice on purchasing eggs this spring if possible from one of the posters here. Would anyone here have eggs for sale this spring?

My birds are far from perfect, but I wouldnt mind sending you some eggs when the girls start laying. My pullets are taking their sweet time, and my older hens have called it quits for the time being as the weather turns cool. I have met many fine people in my journey learning about Marans and getting my start. It would be the least I could do to pay my good fortune forward. If you dont find some before then, get back with me.

 

[Red Banks]

Antonio's son.
His ear lobe is not white although it looks like it in these pictures. His tail is l-o-n-g. His body looks to me like it has a rectangular shape but I may be coop blind.
He has a white feather in his wing but that has never been a problem with my roosters they are gone by adult molt. I don't know if he has the mass I like. He is young, 12 weeks.
Good comb so far
nice eye and beak color
good leg color and correct feathering
good color tufts/saddle so far and hackle
Sorry about the pictures, everything scares him, poor thing he is always by himself.

 

[Red Banks]

I took some updated pictures of Maximus, my FRF x LA cockerel. He is shaping up to be a decent looking boy, despite his ugly comb. His tail angle and back length are a huge improvement from his sire's (Mud). I really like his eye color and shank color/feathering also. He has pure red ear lobes, his wattles are nice and round. He could use a little more depth to his breast and he isn't as chunky as I would like. He is missing a few tail feathers, but I am liking what I see for the most part.

View attachment 1167131 View attachment 1167132 View attachment 1167133 View attachment 1167134 View attachment 1167135 View attachment 1167136 View attachment 1167137 View attachment 1167139

How old is he?

 

[KF0002]

Another FRF x LA pullet I've had my eye on. I have penned her up for the time being. I like her chunky type and think she may do well with Maximus. It would be nice if her back was a little longer. Her comb isnt too good but not horrible. Her eyes are marbled also but Maximus has good eye color. Aside from that she is a pretty girl I think. Thoughts?

 

[Red Banks]

Another FRF x LA pullet I've had my eye on. I have penned her up for the time being. I like her chunky type and think she may do well with Maximus. It would be nice if her back was a little longer. Her comb isnt too good but not horrible. Her eyes are marbled also but Maximus has good eye color. Aside from that she is a pretty girl I think. Thoughts?

View attachment 1167903View attachment 1167904 View attachment 1167906

Love her! I was admiring all the pretty hens in the Maximus post.

 

[KF0002]

How old is he?

I have been trying my best to figure that out. He was born in March or April, best I can figure. So approximately 6-7 months. I didn't start wing banding at birth and recording birth dates until recently in August with Apollo and #60's chicks.

 

[KF0002]

Love her! I was admiring all the pretty hens in the Maximus post.

Thank you! She has been roosting in a big tree, so I wanted to protect her from the elements and penned her up today. There are 3 of them roosting in the tree. They have a perfectly cozy hen house to sleep in, but they would rather roost with the game pullets in the trees. Crazy girls.