International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Punkybrewster]

I had 12.
1 blank, 1 blood ring,
10 went into lockdown
6 survived but 1 is not doing well. Time will tell.

They were shipped.
I hate shipped eggs. Cells get scrambled and cause a lot of issues.

But 5 are thriving. I know their line and I only need 1 pullet, 1 cockerel to reenforce my line

This line was my original line #3 that I used for mine.
Very nice type and color, low small tail, light legs in cockerels, parasitic white though.

You can see a difference in their hatch down. Some have short down and are very dark, some have longer down and more white on them.

If you remember from reading this thread, @Chooks man taught us that a lot of white, particularly on the face, can be an indication that the chick may be sensitive to parasitic white.

For this reason, when I wing band and record each chick in my book, I will make a note whether that chick had a lot of white on its face.

 

[Punkybrewster]

That’s just got me wondering if there’s a link between chick leg colour and yolk colour.
Just a random thought, nothing to do with genetics or the SOP.

I wonder. It is alarming to see at first. Thats for sure.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I had 12.
1 blank, 1 blood ring,
10 went into lockdown
6 survived but 1 is not doing well. Time will tell.

They were shipped.
I hate shipped eggs. Cells get scrambled and cause a lot of issues.

But 5 are thriving. I know their line and I only need 1 pullet, 1 cockerel to reenforce my line

This line was my original line #3 that I used for mine.
Very nice type and color, low small tail, light legs in cockerels, parasitic white though.

You can see a difference in their hatch down. Some have short down and are very dark, some have longer down and more white on them.

If you remember from reading this thread, @Chooks man taught us that a lot of white, particularly on the face, can be an indication that the chick may be sensitive to parasitic white.

For this reason, when I wing band and record each chick in my book, I will make a note whether that chick had a lot of white on its face.

View attachment 3741075View attachment 3741076

Wow, that little one is super dark. Can't wait to see how it grows out...

 

[chickengr]

That’s just got me wondering if there’s a link between chick leg colour and yolk colour.
Just a random thought, nothing to do with genetics or the SOP.

good point. I feed my chickens corn so yolks are orange. when I hatched marans they all had yellowish feet.

btw eggs taste great when hens eat whole corn. I don't eat store bought eggs any more.

 

[Tstraub]

I'm hoping this year becomes a banner year for everyone here...

Let's do this.

What's everyone plans for the season ? You all know mine for the most part. Test hatch as many Marans as I can do.
But, I also want some Olives and Midnights. Just a couple each would be fine.
Id like to start selling hatching eggs but I really only have the 2 dark layers so I could/should start small and local with them and BCM x EE and BCM x BR.

And I'm hoping, really hoping to have a new color appear this year. If that happens I'll be all kinds of gah gah.

So what's your plans, hopes, future birds, experiments, anything...

Annnd GO!!

I’m still unsure what I want to focus on. I would love to hatch out a bunch of Marans, Midnights, and olive eggers. But the reality is that I need to start slow. I should probably focus on one breed. After watching my Marans get frostbite on their combs and wattles while the OEs and EEs with the pea combs and no wattles came through the cold without and issues I’m sort of leaning towards going mostly with OEs.

I still want to do at least some Marans but maybe only culling down to only one single comb rooster in the fall. I don’t know I’m still thinking things over. I still don’t have any Marans laying yet. Maybe once I get some of those dark eggs in my hand I’ll be like I need more of these!!

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

The legbar eggs have added even more variety to my egg boxes, this is the first lot of the year I’ve managed to organise in colour as a dozen. Marans are as dark as ever, I’m happy with the closest marans egg from Natasha, really shiny. It’s paler with lots of dark speckles, so appears darker overall.

I think I have to sell the two BCM cockerels because they are starting to play up sooner than expected, but there’re still living with the silkies who they could hurt.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I’m still unsure what I want to focus on. I would love to hatch out a bunch of Marans, Midnights, and olive eggers. But the reality is that I need to start slow. I should probably focus on one breed. After watching my Marans get frostbite on their combs and wattles while the OEs and EEs with the pea combs and no wattles came through the cold without and issues I’m sort of leaning towards going mostly with OEs.

I still want to do at least some Marans but maybe only culling down to only one single comb rooster in the fall. I don’t know I’m still thinking things over. I still don’t have any Marans laying yet. Maybe once I get some of those dark eggs in my hand I’ll be like I need more of these!!

The nice thing about the Midnights and Olives is they are a no brainer, just egg color and fast seller, at least in my area.So there's really no focus on a standard.

This at least is my thinking and gives me my attention all towards my Marans. And that actually is why I also would like to add the Black Silvers. Same breed and standard, just different color variety, just need to keep them separate so no gold leakage gets in.
I would be way too over whelmed with a second breed standard.

 

[Punkybrewster]

Wow, that little one is super dark. Can't wait to see how it grows out...

Me too.
I get a couple who look like this most hatches. I should start to keep track and see.

 

[Punkybrewster]

The nice thing about the Midnights and Olives is they are a no brainer, just egg color and fast seller, at least in my area.So there's really no focus on a standard.

This at least is my thinking and gives me my attention all towards my Marans. And that actually is why I also would like to add the Black Silvers. Same breed and standard, just different color variety, just need to keep them separate so no gold leakage gets in.
I would be way too over whelmed with a second breed standard.

Exactly.
WAY to overwhelmed with another breed standard.
Marans are enough for the rest of my life! Haha

It is nice to have another breed that you have to do nothing.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Me too.
I get a couple who look like this most hatches. I should start to keep track and see.

Yes, and I definitely want to follow along. There's gotta be a cause and effect here in the thread.