International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[marchick]

I keep saying to you stop worrying . just check and see ,you don t have to worry .every thing is workable .
check both the girls and the boys hackle underfluff .
chooks man

I will do that but it will be cold. Lol they even say a 40% chance of snow this afternoon. Only 19 degrees this morning. Too cold!

 

[Chooks man]

Group #3 . almost fully feathered @3 weeks of age .lovely trait to have .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I will do that but it will be cold. Lol they even say a 40% chance of snow this afternoon. Only 19 degrees this morning. Too cold!

watch out .you don t have to do that @ night , look at the cockerels hackle when they are crowing ,you can see the type of the underfluff .
for the hens is different ,you have to catch them , .when they are laying is a good time to check them out .that what I do when I m around the pens working . easy for me to catch them and have a ggod look at them when they are in they nest boxes .

chooks man

 

[marchick]

Group #3 . almost fully feathered @3 weeks of age .lovely trait to have .
View attachment 1968511
chooks man

Very nice! That's what I don't like about my Birchen 6 weeks and they look like bald ostriches and 5 months to get tails. I hate that you have to hold onto them forever.

 

[KF0002]

very important .
as long as one sire line does not have it than is cool .
if Duke s doesn t have it but his cockerel s do ,than it is from they Dams .

parasitic white plumage is easier to breed out than the white underfluff .
chooks man

I'm sure the cockerels are getting the white from the dams. That has been a long standing problem in my Marans that I've been fighting since day 1. The white underfluff correlates directly with lighter quality copper (gold) and birds with halos. I think you are the one who told me that maybe?

Deepening the color of the copper without overmelanizing the bird is the struggle when trying to eliminate the white underfluff I think. Finding that happy medium.. perfect shade of copper free from white underfluff (like @marchick 's Blaze) is the goal. Its a double edged sword it seems.. too light of copper = white underfluff. Too dark copper = overmelanized birds that judges don't like.

 

[Chooks man]

group#4 .too many in one group need to split them into 2 smaller groups 80 chicks or so in each group ,easy to observe and look after , 2 weeks last Sunday .

chooks man

 

[KF0002]

group#4 .too many in one group need to split them into 2 smaller groups 80 chicks or so in each group ,easy to observe and look after , 2 weeks last Sunday .
View attachment 1968520 View attachment 1968522
chooks man

Awe they're adorable. You have so many chicks! And Marans eat like there is no tomorrow. I bet you go through the chick feed quick. Lol

 

[marchick]

O have a couple pictures of Blaze crowing but don't think I can tell. Its not the right angle.

 

[KF0002]

Group #3 . almost fully feathered @3 weeks of age .lovely trait to have .
View attachment 1968511
chooks man

Yes I like the early feathering type best too. They are looking great!

 

[Chooks man]

Very nice! That's what I don't like about my Birchen 6 weeks and they look like bald ostriches and 5 months to get tails. I hate that you have to hold onto them forever.

many marans breeders forgot to breed for early feathering type .they are more concerned about the dark eggs ,that all .

easy to breed the early feathering type . need at least one breeder with a trait .
Early feathering type chicks should have full wings and tail feathers at 2 weeks of age .those chicks have to come from both parent breeder with a early feathering type .
Meduin feathering type . chicks will have a complete wings feathers @ 2 weeks time but not tail .those chicks come from mixed parent .
Late feathering type .chicks will have just some wings feathers but not the shoulders nether tail . both parent slow feathring type .
Female chicks with early feathering type ,but the brothers are slow feathering type .those chicks come from Early feathering type Sire and slow feathering type Dam .

select the future breeder @ 2 weeks of age if you breeding for this trait .
chooks man