International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Red Banks]

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.

I really like having them locked up. The hens/pullets are not being constantly harassed. It also gives me a chance to observe them more.

 

[littlepeeps81]

The black fuzz at the base of his tail is okay. You only need to be concerned there if the fuzzy down is white. Despite the issues you mentioned is he at all an improvement over his sire? Dont get discouraged, we're not going to get it all right in one generation. Single mate your male to your best hen with the longest back and best tail to help remedy the short back issue. I feel you there, believe me. I am struggling with the same issues myself, but we'll get there.

Kfelton002, thanks for clearing up my fuzzy down concern. There is improvement in his tail. His father had no tail at all. At least with Jazz there is something there. I am going to hopefully be raising more F1's, so maybe something a little better will come out eventually. Thanks for your comment.

 

[littlepeeps81]

I remember when he was hatched. It is hard to get everything in one bird isn't it? Tony2 has the best copper hackle but no back, high tail, triangle body. I feel your pain.

Hi RedBanks, yes, it is hard to get everything in one bird. I guess I expected to much. Hoping some of the chicks that hatched Sunday will have a little more improvement

 

[littlepeeps81]

I think you are being a little too hard on this rooster. He has a lot of good qualities in him. Definitely a bird you could breed to.

shepherd6567, thank you. I will definitely keep him around. I guess I was most disappointed in his really short back. His mother has a nice back, and while his father's could be better, it is still longer than Jazz's.

 

[littlepeeps81]

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.

RedBanks, I hope I can eventually achieve that nice hackle color that your roosters have. I so want to get rid of that straw colored ring that mine seem to have towards the bottom of their hackles.

 

[littlepeeps81]

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.

kfelton0002, very good information. Thank you.

 

[littlepeeps81]

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.

View attachment 1324813

kfelton0002, Very nice. Congrats.

 

[littlepeeps81]

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

marchick, congratulations! What a cutie!!

 

[Red Banks]

RedBanks, I hope I can eventually achieve that nice hackle color that your roosters have. I so want to get rid of that straw colored ring that mine seem to have towards the bottom of their hackles.

The straw colored hackles are in my cull pictures. I still get them..... I am just not keeping them if I have an alternative.

 

[marchick]

marchick, congratulations! What a cutie!!

Thank you, I tried putting her with the others this morning. I had to keep them seperated. The others where so mean to her already. I will keep her away from the others a couple days till she can handle her own.