International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[wrathsfarm]

Hatch a whole bunch. Dozens. More to choose from and you can have your freezer and pantry full for next winter.

Your not going to get perfection all at once. Something I struggle to have patience with!

He is a nice boy. Yea, his comb needs to be smaller and his backside wider. Ignore it for now. He has other awesome qualities! He is a nice start for your line. You are ahead of the game

I dont see white on him so far? Thats a plus. He is def your breeder. Youre gonna be busy

He is a very good boy, both are really as far as temperament go. I forgot to add that all 5 original (Kong, King, Betty, Joannie and Jett) will be 3 in April. And I haven't seen any white on him.

I'm just not sure who to start with first. Chooks Man was helping me with that before he went MIA.

Like I said in the other post I'm almost positive Joannie produced Angel and he really liked Angel out of the 3 pullets, so I think her and Joannie will be my first to start with.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I love Kong so much. He’s in essence the mental image I have when I think of a BCM rooster. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: his copper is stunning.

Thank you very much. I'm extremely lucky to have him being hatchery, he has his faults but I can't wait to see what he produces.

Just trying to get it right, I need forward motion not reverse.
I need hard critiques on all the Marans, so I see all they're good and bad faults for my records.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Thank you very much. I'm extremely lucky to have him being hatchery, he has his faults but I can't wait to see what he produces.

Just trying to get it right, I need forward motion not reverse.
I need hard critiques on all the Marans, so I see all they're good and bad faults for my records.

It’s incredible that such a great chook came from a hatchery. We don’t really have big commercial hatcheries that sell ‘purebreds’ in the UK, but from what I’ve heard they are often so full of faults. I’m working on some diagrams to explain some breeding strategies for different faults, I’m going to make a parasitic white one. I don’t have tons of actual experience with breeding it in marans but I should expect that test mating and then breeding the cock with the best tail back to its dam should be effective.

 

[Punkybrewster]

I love Kong so much. He’s in essence the mental image I have when I think of a BCM rooster. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: his copper is stunning.

It sure is!

 

[Punkybrewster]

It’s incredible that such a great chook came from a hatchery. We don’t really have big commercial hatcheries that sell ‘purebreds’ in the UK, but from what I’ve heard they are often so full of faults. I’m working on some diagrams to explain some breeding strategies for different faults, I’m going to make a parasitic white one. I don’t have tons of actual experience with breeding it in marans but I should expect that test mating and then breeding the cock with the best tail back to its dam should be effective.

I was just going to mention how baffled I am that he came from a hatchery. He is a prime example of hatching hundreds to get 1 nice one.

 

[Punkybrewster]

He is a very good boy, both are really as far as temperament go. I forgot to add that all 5 original (Kong, King, Betty, Joannie and Jett) will be 3 in April. And I haven't seen any white on him.

I'm just not sure who to start with first. Chooks Man was helping me with that before he went MIA.

Like I said in the other post I'm almost positive Joannie produced Angel and he really liked Angel out of the 3 pullets, so I think her and Joannie will be my first to start with.

I wish he was here too but until then, It doesnt matter who you start with. You have all season to test all the girls.

Hopefully, hes ok and shows back up. When he does, you will have some progeny for him to check out.

 

[chickengr]

Youre correct with the f1+ f2.

Hens do not usually express the white but the cockerel/roosters will.

Chances are, your pullets and hens carry parasitic white. It is very common. A lot of test breeding and a lot of culling will help. You will start to get cockerels with less and less white with careful culling.

Squirrel tail is the same. Cull both cockerels AND pullets with it. I will be doing a hard pullet cull in the next few months. It keeps popping up because I would cull cockerels with it but didnt want to get rid of pullets.

The only way to find out if their paring creats a better pullet or cockerel line would be to test mate and see.

White is always a problem and a pain to breed out. If you breed your f1 back to their sire, you will be reenforcing that parasitic white. But you would be breeding them back to Kong not King, correct?

You dont know who exactly carries white so when pairing Kong and Angel, see what happens. Cockerels will be the ones to show it.

A large number of my pullets and hens carry the white and dont express it but some of their boys do. I just keep culling. Eventually, you end up with more free from it than express it. That is what is happening here.

For years, I was so focused on the "Parasitic white" that I ignored everything else. It took a Master Breeder in the US to show me that it is okay. He still gets Marans with white on occasion and he is a professional. Chill out.

So I take a step back, calm down and simply breed it out like I would dark eyes or high tail or knock knees. It took a big weight off my shoulders and now I can enjoy the process.

That being said, if your biggest issues are squirrel tail and white, keep your eyes open for a reputable breeder who has a rooster free from either or both.
I personally would concentrate on the low tail before the white if given a choice. It would be easier to find and get you going in the right direction.

if you pair a bird with a good tail and a bird with a bad tail you'll get chicks with good/better tails. that's what @Chooks man said. don't cull pullets for tail. find a roo with good tail. pullets are precious.

 

[chickengr]

Yes, everyone's being bred (test mated) to Kong now. I have no Marans sired by him.
(Big comb and narrow towards rear)

he needs a chunky/wide lady with a small comb. problem solved.

 

[wrathsfarm]

he needs a chunky/wide lady with a small comb. problem solved.

* Bites tongue extremely hard *

 

[wrathsfarm]

It’s incredible that such a great chook came from a hatchery. We don’t really have big commercial hatcheries that sell ‘purebreds’ in the UK, but from what I’ve heard they are often so full of faults. I’m working on some diagrams to explain some breeding strategies for different faults, I’m going to make a parasitic white one. I don’t have tons of actual experience with breeding it in marans but I should expect that test mating and then breeding the cock with the best tail back to its dam should be effective.

That would be awesome to see.