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

[snowbird]

I would say cockerel because of the wattle size. Eye color with them is going to be just like with all other varieties. Orange Red. When they are young it is " bay" which is a greenish/hazel color. They turn orange red as they mature.

The cuckoo committe is still working on a few details fo the propsosed standard. Right now the main discussion is concerning shank color definition. Once we get it decided on I will post the proposed standard for them.

SNOWBIRD..This line does have a lot of fuzz on the chicks, they also tend to hold on to it longer even while developing their juvie feathers. They almost look bearded don't they? This is THE BEST line of whites.....period. John did an excellent job with them while he had them.

Would it be possible to see the foot feathering from the front ? This chick is for sure a male.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Ok Snowbird just ran outside real quick and shot this, here he is, dirty feet n all:



How sad that it's a roo. I can't keep him. And this was my miracle chick that was dried to the bottom of the incubator at my son's school. Nursed in a teacup.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Ok Snowbird just ran outside real quick and shot this, here he is, dirty feet n all:



How sad that it's a roo. I can't keep him. And this was my miracle chick that was dried to the bottom of the incubator at my son's school. Nursed in a teacup.

does the chick have feathering on more than just the outside toes?

 

[OHmamma]

I can't believe that guy made it. GOOD JOB!!

-Nicol

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Thank you Nicol, I am quite shocked that he made it.

Here is another picture of his feet (REALLY, REALLY wishing I had rinsed them off!) No feathers on middle toes, but there is that nub, which I suppose is a feather coming in? on the middle left, see it? ~ahhh, his left, your right. <hee hee> Nothing on the right, I guess I should have pushed the feathers over so you could see it better. Wasn't sure what we were looking for here.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Thank you Nicol, I am quite shocked that he made it.

Here is another picture of his feet (REALLY, REALLY wishing I had rinsed them off!) No feathers on middle toes, but there is that nub, which I suppose is a feather coming in? on the middle left, see it? ~ahhh, his left, your right. <hee hee> Nothing on the right, I guess I should have pushed the feathers over so you could see it better. Wasn't sure what we were looking for here.

that 1 small feather would be considered a stub as the Marans are only suppose to have feathers down their legs and the outer toe. If he was to be used for breeding that 1 small feather could cause more to pop up in the offspring depending on what the hen has. Ran into that problem with our Welsummer breed and culled 2 hens into a layer flock and will be testing the rooster against a couple of other hens. He does have a set of street sweeps!

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Thanks Hensnroos! I do not plan to keep him. If I did keep him, I would breed him to my EE's in hopes of some Olive Eggers and only if he continues to be a very nice boy : )

 

[DMRippy]

I need a little advice, I am new to cuckoos and I just culled down to 3 little roos to keep. They are young, about 3 months at most, and I just picked them based on nice barring and no white feathers, feathered legs. One I culled was light in his hackles but not his body, kinda like a pullet would look. I am thinking I just need to let them grow up a few more months and then take a look at them again. At this age I don't think there is much that they can be culled for right? I have some younger ones too that are blue cuckoo and I will look at them in a few weeks and cull the same way if that was a good culling technique at that age

I didn't see any gold leakage.... that was a big deal too.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I need a little advice, I am new to cuckoos and I just culled down to 3 little roos to keep.  They are young, about 3 months at most, and I just picked them based on nice barring and no white feathers, feathered legs.  One I culled was light in his hackles but not his body, kinda like a pullet would look.  I am thinking I just need to let them grow up a few more months and then take a look at them again.  At this age I don't think there is much that they can be culled for right?  I have some younger ones too that are blue cuckoo and I will look at them in a few weeks and cull the same way if that was a good culling technique at that age   I didn't see any gold leakage.... that was a big deal too.

 

Hard to say as they will change a lot as they grow and get older. I'm sure there are items that can be culled for based on given SOP information. Good luck, the second group of 7 cuckoos that we hatch look to be more boys than girls as they are feathering in slowly. Guess time will tell.

 

[OHmamma]

The committee that is working on the SOP for the Cuckoo is about to come to a vote on the "proposed standard" I will put it on here as soon as we do. One thing is for certain, single bar roosters will not be showable. Roosters will be expected to be 1-2 shades lighter thatn the females as well.

When I go through my chicks I first pick the biggest,healthiest ones. You can't really judge much by feather color until they are closer to a year for most. Cuckoo can change well into two years old from what I have seen. Some even change more later in life. A roo that might have a perfectly barred tail at one year could have several white tailfeathers by the age of two. From what I have read it has to do with the barring gene that the bird carries. If you get more into them you will find that some feather differently when they get their first feathers. The slowest to feather as a chick is the least likely to get the white tail feathers as an adult.

You want to be sure your cuckoo are E based and not ER. If you have gold in them that is bad unless you are wanting goldens.

-Nicol