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

[Chickielady]

I recommend that all Marans breeders should do a test mating with the female taht have some middle toe feathering with a Male that has very little. It is much faster to get the good outside toe feathering if you go this route, so what if you get a few with middle toe feathering , just cull and move forward..

No way I would cull a Nice Marans female because of middle toe feathering. Just remember with all breed of chickens it is all about averages.

Now you have my attention on feet feathering:
I have heard in certain circles that shank & toe feathering is recessive...and the harder you try the lesser you can get.
I have excellent shank & toe feathering on my males (took a few years breeding) BUT, I am at a point where 1 out of 10 pullets will be clean shanked.....
I am wondering if anyone here has any input on breeding better feathered shanks into the pullets ?

 

[Chickielady]

I was referring to the sale thread where you stated that your cuckoos had a straw type of tint to them and some of the pics of the roos had a little gold tint to their hackles. I wasn't try to ditz your cuckoos heck, I have them and am happy with them even if others aren't I think I may be able to use them for the project that I wanted them for.
Scroll down to where Soaring Chicks asked you about the gold.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630484/awesome-cuckoo-marans

Geze I know that girl !!!
I am not saying anyone is ditzen !!!
I was actually very happy to have Bev respond to Qs as far as what is gold leakage and what is normally fading, old, tired, sun harmed hackle...it is straw colored, and is considered normal on the cocks...but so many new-bies come along & see the "straw" and are confused...maybe we should post pics of actual "gold" leakage in a cuckoo ?
You guys probably already have....I have no pics of gold leakage...I DID have red leakage in a Black Java line though...

They have been eliminated~~~~~~~~~
Anywho.....Want some more,,,let me know !

 

[Chickielady]

I was referring to the sale thread where you stated that your cuckoos had a straw type of tint to them and some of the pics of the roos had a little gold tint to their hackles. I wasn't try to ditz your cuckoos heck, I have them and am happy with them even if others aren't I think I may be able to use them for the project that I wanted them for.
Scroll down to where Soaring Chicks asked you about the gold.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630484/awesome-cuckoo-marans

Ack...yes Tonya was looking for a line of Cuckoo that had a gold in it...she really wanted Golden Cuckoo.
If you scroll to the bottom of that page you see me tell her, No...but I did trade eggs with her...and she may "make" some Golden Cuckoo out of BCMs and my Silver Cuckoo line...she has been busy moving...but egg trading season is coming up again in a few months !!

 

[flgardengirl]

If you want to see a lot of gold leakage do a search on byc and the internet in general for the Birchen Marans (silver birchen) most of them I've seen do tend to have quite a bit of gold leakage. It seems to be getting a little better as people are working on it. Anyhoo, your line of cuckoos does seem to have heavy leg feathering. Only one of my males got a few middle toe feathers. The other males and the females got pretty correct feathering. That will be one thing I don't have to worry about.
My original golden cuckoos had clean shanks

 

[DMRippy]

This is a hen, she is a blue cuckoo. This is what I thought was gold leakage.... may have been sun bleaching since she molted all that and the CUCKOOING too

she is not in my cuckoo breeding pen anymore.

That is all I seem to have....

 

[flgardengirl]

I wonder what the difference is between a cuckoo with a silver base getting straw from the sun and the blacks not getting it? My pure black marans do not get any straw at all but my bcms will get it on the gold parts of their hackles and it will molt out. My lavender orps will get sun bleached and so will my blue Marans and it will molt out etc. The pure blacks never ever do...I have heard some people say their whites can get yellowish. I only have white orps and white leghorns but they never get the yellowing.

 

[DMRippy]

I wonder what the difference is between a cuckoo with a silver base getting straw from the sun and the blacks not getting it? My pure black marans do not get any straw at all but my bcms will get it on the gold parts of their hackles and it will molt out. My lavender orps will get sun bleached and so will my blue Marans and it will molt out etc. The pure blacks never ever do...I have heard some people say their whites can get yellowish. I only have white orps and white leghorns but they never get the yellowing.

I had Lavender Ams get that blonde sun bleached look in their hackles and saddles, not the pullets. My Leghorns never get it either. Neither have my Coppers my Rocks don't get it. I really don't see it here much. My birds are in covered run or 1/2 covered so they can get as much or as little sun as they want.

 

[flgardengirl]

We get a lot of sun here. I try and free range all my bird in groups...kinda rotate them unless they are in strict breeding pens. The only completely covered run I have is over a bachelor pad where I keep the spare backup roos. I don't really like it because it gets so dusty. It is good for keeping the mud down during the rainy season. I wonder if dominant white vs recessive white makes a difference on the sun straw issues....
I do notice it much less on the hens as well.

 

[Debbi]

I had Lavender Ams get that blonde sun bleached look in their hackles and saddles, not the pullets. My Leghorns never get it either. Neither have my Coppers my Rocks don't get it. I really don't see it here much. My birds are in covered run or 1/2 covered so they can get as much or as little sun as they want.

Could this all be attributed to a dominant white, as opposed to a recessive white? My White Silkies are recessive white, and Leghorns I believe are dominant white? Seems like only my older Silkie roo has the problem of a goldish tint, and only in a small portion of his hackles, in the summer.??

 

[Chickielady]

This is a hen, she is a blue cuckoo. This is what I thought was gold leakage.... may have been sun bleaching since she molted all that and the CUCKOOING too

she is not in my cuckoo breeding pen anymore.

That is all I seem to have....

She is very light....but we cannot see her body.
But yes, Bev said what happens is sun damage....crud, I cannot keep my boys hidden.
For that , also, the hens get grungy looking late in summer as well (same time) and get very brown feathers (so do my Blue Coppers) and the Splash get really grungy too....ACK
apparently sun damage.
But Bev did state that Birchens & Silver Cuckoo can be "strawed".and it is sun damage, olf tired feathers.

LOOK







The first pic in late fall...about a week ago ?
The bottom pic is from early spring