International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Punkybrewster]

I like his size ,big boy .nice back too ,yes I can see the halo and the white on the tail .
when you finish breeding from all 3 roosters you need to get ready of them ,focus on the young cockerels .you will have plenty to select from
we are not keeping these roosters because they have major faults they are not good for back crossing ,,it is better for us to keep the older dark eggs layer hens to for back crossing .
how many chicks you managed to hatch so far from each pen?
chooks man

So far, I have been focused on hatching from Juniors pen. I have around 13 confirmed cockerels with maybe a couple more. Some are too young to tell yet. There is a 3 week difference in age.

The other 2 pens I was having fertility issues and their just starting to lay well now. I have some of their eggs incubating. Then because I moved hens to Juniors pen, I will hatch some of those next month.

Your right. No breeding back to roosters. Each as some nice qualities but too many bad qualities would be reinforced.

 

[Lady-Bird]

Ok I will try for better photos of Russel the over coloured rooster. His copper runs all the way down his chest. He has no comb. Lost it to severe frost bite, it’s a problem up here where I live, in Canada.
How do I test mate him?

 

[Punkybrewster]

Ok I will try for better photos of Russel the over coloured rooster. His copper runs all the way down his chest. He has no comb. Lost it to severe frost bite, it’s a problem up here where I live, in Canada.
How do I test mate him?

Take some photos of his whole body. Front, back, top and both sides. While he is relaxed and not on alert if you can. We need some not so close up. Whole body pics.

And welcome! It is always a good idea to start from page one. It's a lot to read so have a notebook handy. You're 500 pages in? Awesome!

 

[Lady-Bird]

Thankyou for the welcome! And yes I can try to get full body pics. The reason for the close-ups on his wings is because of the mossy brown going on. I’m trying to determine if he’s carrying the ressesive wheaten gene
My only breeding rooster just died ( broke his neck running into a wall at my husband) He was insanely aggressive! He was beautiful but mean.
I am hoping Russel is just very over coloured and not crossed with wheaten. But even so I’m not sure he’s good to use for breeding.

 

[Lady-Bird]

I can get more photos but he’s always on alert cause he’s in isolation. He’s with one of my hens who I brought in cause she was at the bottom of the pecking order and not doing so great in the -30 weather. Well I have since discovered she is my best layer/5 dark brown eggs a week. Her eggs are a good 6 in my uneducated opinion. I don’t have an egg chart just looking online.

 

[Chooks man]

Ok I will try for better photos of Russel the over coloured rooster. His copper runs all the way down his chest. He has no comb. Lost it to severe frost bite, it’s a problem up here where I live, in Canada.
How do I test mate him?

Looking at the brown colour on his wing tip I think he is a wheaten cross . If he is a pure BC his wing tip will be crow wing meat black . But better to test him . To do that you need to Nate him to any wheaten or buff hen from any breed. If all chicks hatch black than he is a pure BC but if some chicks hatch with a yellow hatch down than he is a split wheaten .
Chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I can get more photos but he’s always on alert cause he’s in isolation. He’s with one of my hens who I brought in cause she was at the bottom of the pecking order and not doing so great in the -30 weather. Well I have since discovered she is my best layer/5 dark brown eggs a week. Her eggs are a good 6 in my uneducated opinion. I don’t have an egg chart just looking online.

Post some photos of the eggs and the hen too . We can tell you.
Chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

So far, I have been focused on hatching from Juniors pen. I have around 13 confirmed cockerels with maybe a couple more. Some are too young to tell yet. There is a 3 week difference in age.

The other 2 pens I was having fertility issues and their just starting to lay well now. I have some of their eggs incubating. Then because I moved hens to Juniors pen, I will hatch some of those next month.

Your right. No breeding back to roosters. Each as some nice qualities but too many bad qualities would be reinforced.

If you want to select chicks at a early age here how you do it : look for chicks with long body type and shorter legs avoid the square body type chicks and skinny tall one s .
Chooks man

 

[Punkybrewster]

If you want to select chicks at a early age here how you do it : look for chicks with long body type and shorter legs avoid the square body type chicks and skinny tall one s .
Chooks man

There is a visible difference in these 2. One is tall like Junior, one is short and stocky. Both same age.

 

[Chooks man]

View attachment 3424362
There is a visible difference in these 2. One is tall like Junior, one is short and stocky. Both same age.

yes there is a difference between them I like the shorter legs chicks on the front .stocky but I can t see how long his body is .need side shot for that .

in my experience correct body type chicks will grow up to have a correct body type as an adult .I always hear peoples saying they need time to grow they will fill up ,blah blah blah .
I select my chicks at when they are very young ,. when selecting for body type if I m selecting for body colour than I have to wait .
I you go back and see my post from 2 years ago when I hatch my last group using broosdy hens I showed the best looking chicks as early stange chicks with a long low to the ground body type ,very thick bonnes .
here the traits I reject at early stage when I m selcting for body type ;
chicks with long legs .
with thinner narrow body.
square body
smaller head with a thin beak
narrow rear
bent inward or outward legs
chooks man