International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

I quite desapointted by Amore BC hen chicks ,square ,tall on they legs . wide shoulder like her but short back . mated her to 3 diferent roosters BM .BB and DW . same result .her chicks look a same regardless of wich roo was mated to .
Type from the Hen .confermed

well happy with Unicorn .Red Pyle hen .mated to 3 different rooster BM .EK and DW .all her chick 7 so far are a same looking big ,long ,chunky and correct type .thick legs well spaced .

Happy with Gazelle too . BC hen ,lay large ovall eggs . her chicks are all big ,wide ,solid;they back is a little shorter , like her .when mated to BM and BB
her chicks with DW are a little diferent .longer and balanced ,seen DW added some length to they back . hybrid vigor ,those line have never been crossed .plus DW has a long correct body type .

I will take photos of all chicks from those pairing to compare them and see what come from mama hen and what come from the Rooster .

chooks man

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I have a 20 week old BCM that I just figured out is a rooster. Based on his feathering and comb. Honestly I stopped checking weeks ago when I moved all other roosters to a grow out pen. I'd love to keep him in the flock to do his job as a rooster. Because he's from a group of BCM that were eaten by a raccoon. I'm just not sure if a rooster who matures this late is worth keeping? Or does that alone make him a cull? Any advice appreciated.

Most of the birds in this picture h are hensthat hatched at the same time. The roos with the turkeys also hatched same time.

 

[marchick]

there is a lot books out there .haven t red one for a long time .I read a lot article published by researchers or breeders .
I use a lot chicken genetic cuclculator .they help body pattern breeding ,you can actually move each gene and see the result .all the genes combination are there .
old articles about the Game Fowl breeders of the old days are the best .
I watch a lot Philipinos fowls breeders vedios in youtube .they know what they are doing when come to selecting they breeders .how they feed and look after 1000 of chicks .all Pedigree .impressive .



what a name of the book please?
chooks man

I looked the book up on Amazon. Genetics of the fowl: The classic guide to chicken genetics and poultry. By FB Hutt first published in 1949. It was basically $50 U.S. I would like to get it.

 

[marchick]

thank you my friend .
tell me about leg banding . i m working with so many colours it is hard to not mix the thing up .
i take my time and do them during the night time ,very calm .
2 more weeks and I ll put the leg ring to my older group ,they will be 10 weeks old soon . afetr that no more changing leg tags .

good luck with all your sorting work .
chooks man

I actually use wing band now. Since I don't have many birds in each pen. I just put a colored leg band so I can tell them apart at a glance. If they lose a band I can still tell by the wing band. The wing bands I have a different color for each pen/ veriety. Green for Coppers and so on. The wing bands are numbered. My Birchen since I had two pens. I had a different color for each pen.

 

[Chooks man]

@UThobbyfarmer
is this cockerel you are talking about .he is very good looking .correct body type ,nice legs .lovely small tail .good head . his neck is taking on colour very good .he is good for 20 weeks of age .a keeper for sure .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

@UThobbyfarmer
you Blue copper pullets are stunning .grear blue .great lacing ,great hackle marking .correct body type .

can you tell me more about them? where they come from ? are they from a same hatch as your BC cockerel?

chooks man

 

[wolfwalker]

Well, I will be joining this thread and asking for help in the future . I am mid hatch, most stubborn and obstinate chicks taking their time hatching, so far 4 in the brooder, 2 more pipping and several eggs wobbling.

I bought my eggs from a breeder who breeds for dark egg color, so i'm not sure how close to sop these will be and how much work will need to be done without losing the dark egg color.

I'm attach a pic of the four in the brooder, the one in the upper right, not sure it will make it, but it is fighting to survive so we will see. I don't think it was ready to finish zipping and coming out, but the 2 chicks in the food dish had other ideas and starting tearing the shell away and pecking at it, stomping all over it and being general brats.

 

[Chooks man]

Well, I will be joining this thread and asking for help in the future . I am mid hatch, most stubborn and obstinate chicks taking their time hatching, so far 4 in the brooder, 2 more pipping and several eggs wobbling.

I bought my eggs from a breeder who breeds for dark egg color, so i'm not sure how close to sop these will be and how much work will need to be done without losing the dark egg color.

I'm attach a pic of the four in the brooder, the one in the upper right, not sure it will make it, but it is fighting to survive so we will see. I don't think it was ready to finish zipping and coming out, but the 2 chicks in the food dish had other ideas and starting tearing the shell away and pecking at it, stomping all over it and being general brats.

View attachment 1955057

you welcome here in this thread ,we love marans and marans photos .
you can ask any question related to they breeding and maitaining the the dark egg genes .
by the way the 2 dry out chicks look good .
who the other 2 doing now?

if you breed from them you have to ask the breeder you got the eggs from if they come from a same pen or mix eggs from different pens .that will help you breeding them in the future .

chooks man

 

[wolfwalker]

by the way the 2 dry out chicks look good .
who the other 2 doing now?

chooks man[/QUOTE]

I gave them a tiny drop of Nutri-drench on their beaks. both looking better, more alert and sitting up like i expect hatched chicks to do. They both came from smaller eggs. The one I was not sure of, I do think the yolk had not fully absorbed yet, but the two oldest ones were bound and determined to eat it out of its shell.

Thanks, I will contact the farm and ask

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

@UThobbyfarmer
is this cockerel you are talking about .he is very good looking .correct body type ,nice legs .lovely small tail .good head . his neck is taking on colour very good .he is good for 20 weeks of age .a keeper for sure .

chooks man

Yes, that's the roo in question. Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! I'll keep him!

@UThobbyfarmer
you Blue copper pullets are stunning .grear blue .great lacing ,great hackle marking .correct body type .

can you tell me more about them? where they come from ? are they from a same hatch as your BC cockerel?

chooks man

The flock of chickens that was massacred, 1 roo/5 hens, was from Alchemist Farms. This BCM roo is from some eggs I found stashed away in the pen after the attack. So he is 100% from those birds.

The Blue Coppers pictured are a bit more mysterious. Their sire was also an Alchemist Farms rooster. Different from the one that was attacked. The hens I purchased locally years ago as young pullets. Two Splash and one blue copper. The lady I got them from hatched them from eggs purchased off eBay. She didn't remember the seller. No further info on them. The Blue Coppers pictured are from these 4 birds. I no longer have their parents, gave them away, but do have pictures I can share. I'll have to do some digging on my phone. I'll post them later.
Yes, they hatched at the same time as the roo, also 20 weeks, but from different pen of chickens.

https://www.alchemistfarm.com/