Let's talk Cuckoo and WHITE marans... breeding strategies...

[DMRippy]

Yellow skin is recessive. If a bird has one copy the yellow will not express. If you have 2 birds and each is carrying rec yellow it will express in some of the chicks. Just one of the tests we need to make on some marans.

 

[pmessner]

Yellow skin is recessive. If a bird has one copy the yellow will not express. If you have 2 birds and each is carrying rec yellow it will express in some of the chicks. Just one of the tests we need to make on some marans.

so keep culling the yellow?

 

[pawtraitart]

so keep culling the yellow?

Cull the yellow but having a yellow on hand to test mate your non-yellow legged birds is a good idea. Breed your non-yellow legged birds to the yellow legged bird and see if you get any yellow legged offspring. If not, then you don't have an issue of a hidden yellow recessive. If you DO get yellow legs out of this pairing, you know not to use the non-yellow legged bird going forward.

 

[pmessner]

Quote:
Great... that makes sense. Now can I use any yellow legged chicken for the test cross? For example, right now I have a few barneveldores kicking around.

 

[pawtraitart]

Great... that makes sense. Now can I use any yellow legged chicken for the test cross? For example, right now I have a few barneveldores kicking around.

Any yellow legged chicken will work to test for recessive yellow.

 

[pmessner]

I think that is a pullet still, but with the orp in the mix now IDK.... they are harder to sex at that age.

and the outcome is>>> pullet

just a bit older and the difference between the hen and her week younger brother is quite recognizable. They are losing their black down feathers and coming in more gold... not at all what I expected.




the silvers are interesting... the girl is darker. lots to muse over.

 

[flgardengirl]

Hi all, looks like I have a pair of golden cuckoo babies hatched out this morning, yeah!!. Also one regular cuckoo (looks male). I wasn't really doing cuckoos this time but just threw in a few eggs with some others I was hatching I have a few more cuckoo eggs in there that I hope will hatch.

 

[vebyrd36]

Nice birds. They remind me of my English Cuckoo Orpingtons as well. Ideally a nice white English white orp covered by a nice type Maran roo without copper seems to work to create the white line of Marans.

Vivi

 

[Raven1]

Please Please do not mix the Orps with the Marans. Marans have so many problems on their own without more added to the mix. There are some very nice Whites out there already,I have been hatching from mine like crazy this Spring with very good results.

 

[DMRippy]

Still waiting for a pic of the egg color?

My cuckoo stared laying and stopped. No egg from here in about amonth. Still need to test her for yellow leg genes.