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

[flgardengirl]

Hi

I would try to get a cuckoo with feathered legs. If you use a birchen the hackles might get too light in not just the hens but the males as well. This is not what we want at this time. In time to come, there could be a golden cuckoo, a silver cuckoo and a cuckoo but no one has bred for those yet. I appreciate that some people are calling cuckoo carrying wheaten golden cuckoo but the color is not correct, the cuckoo would need to be bred to a black copper to get the correct coloring and the males would need to have two sets of barring genes.

I would try to get a male and female to get quick results with the leg feathering as there are at least three genes involved, two dominant and one recessive.

Bev

Hi could you elaborate on what the difference will be between the silver cuckoos and 'regular' cuckoo?

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

Hi TNBEARCHICK


I think the roosters are only carrying one set of genes for barring. The way to tell if the bird is carrying one set is that the barring is very close together. If a rooster is carrying two sets of barring genes the bars are wider apart which gives the effect of a lighter colored bird. I would select the male without any color in his hackles and breed him to a cuckoo female and you will get some roosters that have the required two sets of barring genes.

Bev

Thanks Bev, they are very light in the hackles and definitely lighter than the hens I see on here, I will try and get some better pictures, they don't like to pose.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

So much info so little time, I am a perfectionist with a hint or more of ocd tendencies but I will get there.

 

[flgardengirl]

Here is some of mine...eggs first:












The top box is mid summer, the bottom is spring lay, with EE and OE eggs and Jersey Giant ligt brow eggs included.
All the dark eggs are from my Silver Cuckoos (4 in the picture above)








What I really am working on now, is to get rid of the short-backed-squirrel-tailed issue that is so evident in so many breeds.
What I have been working on for the last 2 or more years, is developing a better physical body and have had nothing in a SOP to work with, I have used other breed SOPs, and tried to creat a longer back & less squirrel tail, broader breast...and get more feathered shanks in....
Some young cockerels hatched late last fall have shown more & more tor feathering...SIGH!!!!!!!!! It is a consatnt.Bu
t no, we do not have any cock birds or hens brown or mossy except when they are molting & the old feathers are ready to fall out.

OLD Cock @October...ready to molt~~~~~~~~~






I will say, that the hens get all nasty brownish feathers before they molt as well...............the old feathers get straw/brown...thin, weak and fall out...........

OK I am done, out of time & any one needs speaking to me, please call as I am consumed with construction !!!!!!!

The eggs the little pullet I hatched from you look just like the egg on the top far right in the bottom (2nd) egg carton photo Same size and shape too lol. I will take a pic if she lays a another one tomorrow I saved the first ones. Still waiting on the other pullet to lay. I think the roos are chasing her too much. I guess it is time to divide that pen up and figure out which roo I am going to try using.
I am working on finishing getting my wino-bator together finally this weekend (since I have it off work and am out of class for the semester) and then I can try setting some solid Black Marans and Cuckoo Marans eggs to see how it works.

 

[Raven1]

Flgardengirl~ Do you sell eggs or chicks from your solid Black Marans? I am looking for some that are truly black and not just over melenizied (spl?) I have hatched many that claimed to be blk. just were not and I hear you have the true thing!

 

[BevDavis]

Hi

Some years ago I was sent me some eggs from a golden cuckoo line and when I bred them they produced yellow chicks which led me to believe they were carrying wheaten. I didn't know a whole lot about genetics at that point so gave them up because they didn't breed true. I should have carried on breeding them to get a male that was carrying two sets of genes for barring. I think if I had done this we would now have a line of golden cuckoo but I am not sure if the gold would have been too light. They were beautiful birds none the less.

I have never seen a cuckoo male looking like the one you have so can't comment. The females look like the ones I had so suggest you breed them to their father to get a male carrying two sets of barring genes.

Bev

 

[BevDavis]

Hi

I think the cuckoo that is bred with a birchen will have more white in the hackle, saddle and wing bows. The cuckoo that is bred with a black copper or wheaten will have gold in the hackles, saddle and wing bows where the regular cuckoo is am all over pattern.

Bev

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

DOES ANY ONE have some very nice cuckoos that they are selling hatching eggs from, I would like nice body type and egg color, I know I am asking for a lot. also do we have any information on the suggested standard, where can I find this information?

 

[Critterwoman]

I just purchased a small flock that has a Cookoo Maran rooster and various other breeds including a couple of Cookoo females. I wasn't really wanting a rooster, as I don't plans on doing any breeding, but thought it might be nice to have one just to watch over the girls when they are free ranging. I love the looks of him, although I am very NOVICE at chickens!!!! I had noticed he has some brownish colored feathers, and didn't know what that was, but now I have an idea of what it could be. Thanks for the info!

 

[Critterwoman]

OOPS!!!!!!!!!!!! My bad ...... meant to say Marans, not Maran. I do know better than that!