International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

I've spent the last few days using any fencing I can find to attach on the bottom to lay on the ground to prevent dogs digging under. It goes half way up the original fence.

I'm angry.
Why do I have to do this to my property when we are not the problem. It looks awful. The chicken village outer fence is reinforced though.

it is better and safer when the outer fance is reiforce ,maybe doesn t look great but does work after a while the grass will grow over it you can even see it .mine dessapeared completly .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

It's the same reason you install locks on doors and windows or you lock your car and own guns...
Your on/in your own property living your life and should be safe/free/comfortable but you can't and your not. We as a society have to live in fear of someone wanting what's ours at any cost... including one's life.
So we have to protect what's ours/ourselves the best we can against those forces.... And thus SSS applies here.

100% with you in this one .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Random alert here. Could this be a Splash Copper? Or a Blue Silver Wheaten Marans? This Fall, I grabbed 2 random marans out of a pullet bin that looked like it was full of blue coppers. One was white - assumed Wheaten - and the other the darkest. Thought the darkest one might be black copper but it is definitely a dark blue smoke as it develops. Most in the bin were colored in between these -light gray. I am familiar with blue splash because I raised 2 from Meyer. It's not blue splash. The shoulder feathers had no obvious dark vs brown at 2 weeks like my wheatens did. She does have a few flecks of wheaten looking feathers. A couple in neck. Not stains. Here is the mystery marans chick at 5 weeks:

it is splash or splash copper . let grown more so we can tell .but 100% it is splash
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Oh - this is it's brood mate. Blue copper I presume. I have no idea if they are siblings. There were literally only 2 white ones. I chose the one with feathered legs.

yes it is blue copper .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

yesterday I did drive for 9 hours return to pick some new marans addition to my flock ,3 white cockerels one of them is older 2 weeks or more the other 2 are 8 weeks . 2 black copper cockerels both 8 weeks I saw they sire BCM rooster with gorgeous small tail at the right angle without any parasitic white ,did have a halo on his hackle ,. and 2 CLB cockerels well happy with , all from very good blood line and dark egg layer .

chooks man

 

[wrathsfarm]

@Chooks man Congrats on your new chook additions. Please post more pics when you can of them.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Random alert here. Could this be a Splash Copper? Or a Blue Silver Wheaten Marans? This Fall, I grabbed 2 random marans out of a pullet bin that looked like it was full of blue coppers. One was white - assumed Wheaten - and the other the darkest. Thought the darkest one might be black copper but it is definitely a dark blue smoke as it develops. Most in the bin were colored in between these -light gray. I am familiar with blue splash because I raised 2 from Meyer. It's not blue splash. The shoulder feathers had no obvious dark vs brown at 2 weeks like my wheatens did. She does have a few flecks of wheaten looking feathers. A couple in neck. Not stains. Here is the mystery marans chick at 5 weeks:

Very pretty Splash you got.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Oh - this is it's brood mate. Blue copper I presume. I have no idea if they are siblings. There were literally only 2 white ones. I chose the one with feathered legs.

I'm starting to grow fond of this color. I may add some in the future.

 

[wrathsfarm]

The Marans are all molting bad and the temps have plummeted over the last few nights into below freezing temps here in Mi. Everyone went in earlier than usual last night after it started snowing. Just got a dusting but they were not happy about it.
Put up a couple wind breaks for them a few days ago, so that's helped now that the corn is harvested across the street, which is North.
Feel bad for them in this wind/cold/rain so I do the best I can for them. As we all do.

I've been trying to get pics of the 3 pullets but man, they are skiddish still. They don't like my phone. I'll keep trying tho.

 

[Tstraub]

The temperature has dropped here in Indiana as well. The drinker froze over on Monday night. I installed a submersible bucket heater yesterday and that seems to have solved that. I’ll probably set up some sort of wind block this week. The wind was really strong yesterday and that will only get worse once the corn is harvested in the fields that surround my property.

The marans are now 18 weeks old and seem surprisingly well adjusted to living with my other chickens. I believe the marans cockerels are fighting some while I’m not around but I haven’t witnessed it I just notice this there combs look a bit scabbed up like they were bleeding. Nothing serious though.

The pullets look good to me but still have very small combs and wattles so I don’t think I’ll see any eggs from them until spring. I’m hoping the lay earlier but with the short days I just don’t think they will.