International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

That legbar pullet is really nice and the pullets you do have are so nice! Maybe we can exchange eggs again. I need an FRF cockerel. I walked out to the coop today and I swear every cockerels tail was at a 45 or lower but...... I need a cockerel from my line from outside.

@RedBanks you flock has all the ingredient to produce a faultless bird . show quality type .just you need to find which combination is throwing better progeny .
don t forget you only worked with one rooster Antonio s .
now you have Tony2 and few other young one s . so your chances are higher now to breed a more correct chooks .

your flock has .type .body color .body mass . great legs .great eyes . and nice plumage and under fluff .plus the most important thing DARK EGG

you need to work on the comb s and the tail s.very easy . you are almost there .
I have a great hope on Tony2 if mated to a proper hen ( his Dam) will fix a tail problem for good . you need to find his mama . by test mating him to all your hens .

from Antonio s daughters select only the one with a best comb ( small one if possible ) and mate back to him . that will give you a pullet line to work with .keep selecting a pullets with a nice comb and small tail as your main trait .the rest is there .don t worry about it .Antonio s will alway throw nicely colored pullets with mass and great body shape .

you need to come up with a good breeding strategy to help you work with your chooks .
Line breeding is only the way to go .

we as breeders we need to balance the matting between the Sire and the daughters or the Dams and they son s in our breeding program to produce well bred progeny
we need to know the strength and weaknesses of our flock .

all the best

 

[pioneerchick816]

Number one after the super low temps a few weeks ago. I never dubbed him, this is just the way he turned out after the points came off. At least I know he HAD a great comb. I hope he passes that on

 

[kfelton0002]

That legbar pullet is really nice and the pullets you do have are so nice! Maybe we can exchange eggs again. I need an FRF cockerel. I walked out to the coop today and I swear every cockerels tail was at a 45 or lower but...... I need a cockerel from my line from outside.

Yeah sure! I only have the trio of adult FRF birds that are old enough to lay right now (Gideon, Gretta, and Gretchen) so in order for me to have enough fresh eggs to send, I would have to send some of my line A and/or C eggs too. Line C is half line B (FRF) so they would be distantly related to your line. Just say the word and I can start collecting some for you.

I haven't been having a great hatch rate with the pure line B (FRF) eggs though. I put 4 into lockdown and only had one to hatch yesterday. It's so aggravating because they are my darkest eggs. I guess it could be from the inbreeding, or it could be the eggs being dark making them more difficult to hatch? I was actually going to ask @Chooks man his thoughts on this. Gideon is mated to Gretta (mother) and Gretchen (full sister). Considering Gideon's sire, Mud and his mother, Gretta were probably brother and sister, perhaps the hard inbreeding is taking its toll?

 

[kfelton0002]

View attachment 1279278 Number one after the super low temps a few weeks ago. I never dubbed him, this is just the way he turned out after the points came off. At least I know he HAD a great comb. I hope he passes that on

Wow he looks super cool! It's kind of like a very high Old English dub.

He is still very handsome, maybe even a bit more rugged looking now. He looks like a rooster that has faced the harsh winter and has the scars to prove it. He is still the king of his domain, just with a slightly modified crown.

 

[kfelton0002]

I sold almost all (kept 2 because I couldn't catch them) of my CLB, Ameraucanas and Bielefelders. My CLB were Jill Rees, very nice and the eggs were a light mint color. I bought them from GFF on sale for $15 a chick. Good layers, quiet. The predators loved them..... just the right size.
View attachment 1279212 View attachment 1279216 View attachment 1279217

So beautiful! I just love my Legbars, and I'm looking forward to getting the recessive white Legbars (if I ever get them!) But I'll tell you what the predators love here, white birds! All of the birds I have lost lately have been white. So when (if ) I get my white legbars, I will have to keep them locked up tight so they don't get picked off. White birds stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[kfelton0002]

take it easy guys .you don t need to be hard neither soft on your self or your flock when come to selecting you future chooks breeders .

you need to have a formula ( a same as a judges do at the show) each trait have a point. the chooks with more point at the end of the day is a keeper .

here my formula;
1- Body type = Rectangular R=5 .Square S=0. Triangular T=0
2) Body carriage = long and Elegante LE=5 . Long and thin LT= 2. sloppy S=0
3) mass= thick and Heavy TH= 5 . Thin and light TL=0
5) body color = Well colored ( all the pattern are there .hackle ,saddle .lancet and shoulder) WC =5 .Absence of a Shoulder Marking ASM= 3 .
6) Head = Comb .wattle .eyes color .Ears lobe color .beak =2.5
7) Tail = shape/angle/length =3
8) Feet = Tall .Short . Feathered .Color =2
9) plumage/under fluff type = 2.5

9 post total of 30 points .
with this formula it is easier for me to evaluate the chooks properly and fairly ( no favorite ) if 2 or more score a same points,than I move to a more complex formula . I ll look at the little details .

hope this will help

chooks man

I really like this formula too! Thanks a lot!

 

[Chooks man]

Yeah sure! I only have the trio of adult FRF birds that are old enough to lay right now (Gideon, Gretta, and Gretchen) so in order for me to have enough fresh eggs to send, I would have to send some of my line A and/or C eggs too. Line C is half line B (FRF) so they would be distantly related to your line. Just say the word and I can start collecting some for you.

I haven't been having a great hatch rate with the pure line B (FRF) eggs though. I put 4 into lockdown and only had one to hatch yesterday. It's so aggravating because they are my darkest eggs. I guess it could be from the inbreeding, or it could be the eggs being dark making them more difficult to hatch? I was actually going to ask @Chooks man his thoughts on this. Gideon is mated to Gretta (mother) and Gretchen (full sister). Considering Gideon's sire, Mud and his mother, Gretta were probably brother and sister, perhaps the hard inbreeding is taking its toll?

I think you are alright .inbreeding does reduce the fertility .
some study has shown the percentage of chicks hatched from a No inbred rooster over a inbred hens is higher than inbred rooster over a No inbred hens .
so inbreeding decrease the fertility on the rooster .
but fertility as well is different from each individual .
last year I worked with 2 roosters brother F3 . one Vicking2 has 90 % fertility but his brother 0% infertile .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

View attachment 1279278 Number one after the super low temps a few weeks ago. I never dubbed him, this is just the way he turned out after the points came off. At least I know he HAD a great comb. I hope he passes that on

he look s cool .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

here a few shot of my rooster taking few days ago . they are all molting .different stages
they look terrible .

chooks man

 

[Red Banks]

Why are the Marans eggs full of blood spots? Are they blood spots or egg shell coating?