International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[chickengr]

He does not crow at all and is smaller than my meat cockerels (Sussex hybrids) that are younger than him. His sister is bigger than him also, same age.

you have a joke of the nature. such birds neither crow nor lay eggs. they also live short (about 1 year). you already have a pot.

 

[Red Banks]

you have a joke of the nature. such birds neither crow nor lay eggs. they also live short (about 1 year). you already have a pot.

She is fattening him/her up as we write!

 

[KF0002]

She is fattening him/her up as we write!

I am but for curiosity's sake I am still watching him. I'm not in any hurry to butcher him, just whenever the other birds in his pen are ready. I am going to throw some more calf manna to his feed and see what happens.

 

[chickengr]

it is nice to wake up and find new alerts on byc. but I must get up and let my chickens out. it is 6:53 am here.

good night to all of you.

 

[Red Banks]

I am but for curiosity's sake I am still watching him. I'm not in any hurry to butcher him, just whenever the other birds in his pen are ready. I am going to throw some more calf manna to his feed and see what happens.

I love calf manna, I fed it to my horses. It makes them beautiful but it is going to take a lot more than calf manna to improve that chicken. It will take nothing less than a miracle. When you do butcher him will you be able to tell if he is anatomically correct, I never really gave the insides much thought.

 

[Red Banks]

it is nice to wake up and find new alerts on byc. but I must get up and let my chickens out. it is 6:53 am here.

good night to all of you.

Good night! I am getting ready to go to sleep!

 

[Red Banks]

Still finding pullet eggs scattered around the yard. Very pleased with them.

 

[KF0002]

I love calf manna, I fed it to my horses. It makes them beautiful but it is going to take a lot more than calf manna to improve that chicken. It will take nothing less than a miracle. When you do butcher him will you be able to tell if he is built different than anatomically, I never really gave the insides much thought.

Yeah when I butcher him Im sure I will find underdeveloped testes. At his age the testes should be getting large, which contributes to all the testosterone that makes boys be boys. The increase in testosterone is what causes all those sex characteristics as they mature. The little cockerel is definitely a late bloomer but the reason is a mystery. He was fed 24% protein chick feed and now gets the 18% feed mix the adults get. That is how all my birds are fed, so what makes him different is beyond me. I will definitely let you know what I find when I open him up.

 

[Hensndoes]

Better that you recognize my chickens than me..... Keith is KCrandall he owns Otis etal. I think you have 1 cockerel and 3 pullets! #3 is a cockerel and maybe #2 but I don't think so. Nice chicks, good pictures. Maybe you won't have to outcross.

Would be awesome if you're right. I was hoping for 1 cockerel

 

[Magnolia Hill]

View attachment 1359749 Thank you for the nice comment. The truth is the birds I have posted are, the grown out birds that I have purchased!! I bought a dozen chics two years in a row from same breeder. I grew out all these birds and processed 14 cockerels last year and I can not remember how many the year before. Out of 20 hens I kept 6 hens that laid the darkest eggs. I have three cocks that I kept out of this years hatch. Still not my birds, just the roosters I liked the best! The 12 pullets that I kept this year are maybe laying a #4 at best. I have not decided if I will breed these birds.
I bred my best cock bird from last year over the six hens from the first purchase. These are now MY BIRDS. TOM

Well that's a great head start, You should have seen some of the marans I've had to work with. I'm on my 4th line now praying for decent birds.