International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

Both my Marans combs are in rough shape. Should make a pea comb Marans. I just have no clue where to get started
What do you think is it a project worth researching and undertaking? I’ve never even seen one listed anywhere.

select for a smaller comb when breeding marans , small comb will stand the cold temperature .
Pea comb marans are no marans .
you can breed your own dark eggs layer from marans with a pea comb . but don t call them marans
I m working on a same thing adding NN and a crest to marans to create my future Marneck chooks . they will big and heavy like marans .laying colorful large dark eggs ,NN to help them deal with a heat .and crest with pea comb to make them look special .
chooks man

 

[Bantambird]

Both my Marans combs are in rough shape. Should make a pea comb Marans. I just have no clue where to get started
What do you think is it a project worth researching and undertaking? I’ve never even seen one listed anywhere.

I wouldn't know where to start in marans, but the legbars are easier in that there exist rose comb leghorns so working them in through careful backcrossing is much easier than trying to figure out a comparable breed to marans. Legbars are more leghorn than anything. They are fairly removed from their ancestors and if I remember rightly lanshans were the start of the darker colored eggs and one of the progenitors. Outcrossing marans would be the biggest chore due to the eggs, as they have developed such a distinctive egg color and shape.

 

[Chooks man]

I wanted to ask what things I should look for as my chicks grow. What things do you document, and how often?
Early maturing, fast feathering/slow feathering, stance, hatch down, etc..
When does eye colour and ear lobe colour happen on chicks? (Does it develop over time?) How about foot feathering and leg colour? Do those things change as they grow also?

here the traits you will be looking for and when =
@hatch = chunky chicks . BCM and BLCM need to have a minimum white marking in they hatch down . grey legs with yellowish toes . proper stance . well spaced feet and straight .well feathered .

@ 2 weeks = Slow feathering type or early feathering type .could be selected now . they eyes should be Blue /green by now .

@ 8 weeks = mass .type and health .we only keep the healthy and fast grower .some pullets will start showing copper on they hackles .

@ 16 weeks = they should be fully feathered . Blue eyes . standing correct . pullets should have a complete hackle marking .boy should have hackle too plus some red on they shoulders . if you selecting for slow feathering type .they should be fully feathered by now without a tails . comb type . good time to check for vulture hock ,

this is a time I make my 1st selection .

@20 weeks .they should look like proper marans just not big enough that all .all they traits will be apparent by now . if not than they are not keeper .

chooks man

 

[kcrandall]

I m wondering what happen to @kfelton0002 and @marchick .been a white since they last visit .hope they are well .

chooks man

As I recall, @kfelton0002 is a healthcare professional so I imagine she is working more than normal due to the coronavirus.

@marchick was dealing with storm damage so that may still be an issue but hopefully not.

I hope they are both doing well.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

This thread is dedicated to Black Copper Marans worldwide. All are welcome..... those with their very first BCMs .... the experienced breeders and everyone in between. We can share our experiences, knowledge and love of the breed.

Here are my 2 BCM pullets. I love them so much

 

[kcrandall]

We have been well below freezing for the past 8 days in North Texas and have a couple of more days to go before we’re above freezing. Sunday and Monday nights were our coldest at 5 F (-15 C) and -1 F (-18 C) the rest of our nights have been in the low to mid teens and highs in the low to mid 20s. We also got 4-5 inches of snow. These were histroic record low temperatures for North Texas and something we are definitely not use to. It’s been a full time job just to keep my cattle and chickens fed and watered. My Marans are handling the cold pretty well overall. A little frost bite but fortunately nothing major. They have a well ventilated shelter and I give them warm water with vitamins and electrolytes several times a day and plenty of feed. Cattle are doing well too. My animals are a hell of a lot tougher than I am for sure. Our electrical grid is not designed for this kind of cold so we are under rolling blackouts to prevent the electrical grid from crashing completely. We lose power every other hour but it hasn’t been horrible for me personally. It is for this very reason that I do not give my animals artificial heat. It would be a death sentence for my chickens to go from 50-60 F artificial heat to 0-10 F actual temperatures in just a couple of hours. I have actually gotten somewhat use to the cold temps but would not want to do it for an entire winter. Hats off to my northern brothers and sisters that deal with this kind of weather as their normal life!!!

 

[chickengr]

Turkey toms are famous for hatching chicks without any problems at all. They are devoted "mothers".

hatching or brooding?

 

[chickengr]

No, I mean turkey toms. Just like ostrich males they take care of the clutch until hatch and afterwards of the chicks. They also sit on the nest and take turns with the female if need be.

In those days before incubators were invented or Silkies came to Europe, it was common to use turkey toms for this purpose, as they cover many more eggs and are known to be very reliable.

But I do not know if it works with the new hybrids.

I have a pair of bronze turkeys. I guess the hen should get broody first. I will keep in mind this information. they do cover a lot of eggs.

 

[Bantambird]

I have a pair of bronze turkeys. I guess the hen should get broody first. I will keep in mind this information. they do cover a lot of eggs.

If your turkey hen goes broody, you might want to separate the tom. Sometimes, when a tom sees a hen on the nest, he thinks she is crouching for him. Doing this while she is nesting will destroy her eggs as treading isn't always gentle. Some toms are sweet and will Co nest, but some just see a sitting hen as a squatting one.

 

[chickengr]

If your turkey hen goes broody, you might want to separate the tom. Sometimes, when a tom sees a hen on the nest, he thinks she is crouching for him. Doing this while she is nesting will destroy her eggs as treading isn't always gentle. Some toms are sweet and will Co nest, but some just see a sitting hen as a squatting one.

I plan to make a nest in the corner of the coop. I hope there is no room for mating. or should I make a sort of covered/roofed nest? like a big box.