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

[Hens and Roos]

Here are a few pics of my newest silver based cuckoo marans from a spring hatch. I did have a total of 9 but lost some due to early spring flood and a particularly nasty strain of cocci grr. I ended up with 2 females and 3 males left. Most of the ones I lost were female (of course). I am not sure if I like the remaining males. I could only get pics of 2 of them today. I will have to try and get the shy one later on, maybe when they roost tonight. The good things about the boys are 1) they have feathered shanks 2) they are going to be HUGE 3) No gold leakage!

One of the pullets

2 of the cockerals

Close Up of one of the males hackles and saddles. I kinda like them so far but has some other faults...might still use him though. Look how big he is next to this 5 gallon bucket...and he is still growing lol.

Very nice! I like their coloring and that one next to the bucket looks like he will be big

 

[BeardedLadyFarm]

Here are a few pics of my newest silver based cuckoo marans from a spring hatch. I did have a total of 9 but lost some due to early spring flood and a particularly nasty strain of cocci grr. I ended up with 2 females and 3 males left. Most of the ones I lost were female (of course). I am not sure if I like the remaining males. I could only get pics of 2 of them today. I will have to try and get the shy one later on, maybe when they roost tonight. The good things about the boys are 1) they have feathered shanks 2) they are going to be HUGE 3) No gold leakage!

One of the pullets

2 of the cockerals

Close Up of one of the males hackles and saddles. I kinda like them so far but has some other faults...might still use him though. Look how big he is next to this 5 gallon bucket...and he is still growing lol.

 

[flgardengirl]

@Philadelphia: These particular cuckoos came from Chickielady here on byc. She has had a line of feather shanked silver based Cuckoo Marans for 10 + years. She is honest and nice to deal with and said some of her males can get some gold leakage but I am not seeing it on any of mine or on the hens as of yet. I will be on the lookout, however, and cull out any that do. I have a black male I can use if I need to and might do some testing on my cuckoo hens with the black male and/or a blue male over the cuckoo hens but that is a longer process lol. I am just hoping at least one of my cuckoo males do not throw any gold leakage.
The silver birchens can sometimes come from matings of silver cuckoo x BCM or Blue coppers.
This site has a good explanation of where the silver and birchen come from (scroll way down the page) http://frenchmaransclubaustralia.yolasite.com/notes-on-breeding.php

@ Hensandroos..Thank you. How are your cuckoos doing?

 

[flgardengirl]

This is the pic of the original hatch this spring. I think most all of them had some sort of feathering on their shanks some less..some more. I'm still so depressed that I lost so many!! I guess that just gives me an excuse to hatch twice as many next time, just in case

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Very nice!

I've got a lone White Marans girl with street sweepers, would LOVE one of your boys to put with her! Wish you were closer.

 

[Hens and Roos]

@Philadelphia: These particular cuckoos came from Chickielady here on byc. She has had a line of feather shanked silver based Cuckoo Marans for 10 + years. She is honest and nice to deal with and said some of her males can get some gold leakage but I am not seeing it on any of mine or on the hens as of yet. I will be on the lookout, however, and cull out any that do. I have a black male I can use if I need to and might do some testing on my cuckoo hens with the black male and/or a blue male over the cuckoo hens but that is a longer process lol. I am just hoping at least one of my cuckoo males do not throw any gold leakage.
The silver birchens can sometimes come from matings of silver cuckoo x BCM or Blue coppers.
This site has a good explanation of where the silver and birchen come from (scroll way down the page) http://frenchmaransclubaustralia.yolasite.com/notes-on-breeding.php

@ Hensandroos..Thank you. How are your cuckoos doing?

my girls are on strike and I only have 3 younger cockerals who are maybe 5 months now so I am in a holding pattern at this point. We just started to increase the lightening again so we'll see what another few weeks do. The older hens are intimating to the younger group and don't let them out into the inclosed run much at all..... soon they will figure it out I hope.

 

[DMRippy]

Here are a few pics of my newest silver based cuckoo marans from a spring hatch. I did have a total of 9 but lost some due to early spring flood and a particularly nasty strain of cocci grr. I ended up with 2 females and 3 males left. Most of the ones I lost were female (of course). I am not sure if I like the remaining males. I could only get pics of 2 of them today. I will have to try and get the shy one later on, maybe when they roost tonight. The good things about the boys are 1) they have feathered shanks 2) they are going to be HUGE 3) No gold leakage!

One of the pullets

2 of the cockerals

Close Up of one of the males hackles and saddles. I kinda like them so far but has some other faults...might still use him though. Look how big he is next to this 5 gallon bucket...and he is still growing lol.

Good looking birds! Glad you are not seeing the GOLD pop up!

I did find gold on one of my roos growing out.... he is going to be dinner now. BUT I have a Question. I have LIMITED experiance in Cuckoos and my Cuckoo Roos look much WHITER than yours.... is that a good thing or bad thing? Is there a benefit to having darker and lighter roos for breeding? Kinda like in Blues with a Splash and a Black to lighten and darken the blue?

My splash roo I am using SHOULD produce me some SOLID pullets, so I am hatching EVERYTHING I get from that pen. I would like some Solid pullets to help with the egg color and to keep them SILVER based. And like Vicki have some silver based BLUES.

I need to read.... I know silver is sexlinked, but I can't remember about the gold......

VICKI if you are out there reading...... How are you test mating for the SILVER or GOLD thing?

 

[BevDavis]

Hi

The cuckoo are nice looking birds and haven't any white in their tails which is really good. The males should be a bit lighter and would suggest you select for lighter colored males in future generations.

Bev Davis

 

[BevDavis]

Hi

A dark cuckoo male is usually an indication that the bird is carrying one set of genes for barring like the hen. If a male cuckoo is carrying two sets of genes for barring then the color is lighter and the bars are wider apart.

If a splash hen came from copper blues then she will be carrying gold or if she came from blue birchens then she will be carrying silver.

Bev Davis

 

[DMRippy]

Hi

A dark cuckoo male is usually an indication that the bird is carrying one set of genes for barring like the hen. If a male cuckoo is carrying two sets of genes for barring then the color is lighter and the bars are wider apart.

If a splash hen came from copper blues then she will be carrying gold or if she came from blue birchens then she will be carrying silver.

Bev Davis

Thanks you! I can't believe that was not in my head.... I know that from my Barred Rocks

I have not done as much research on Cuckoo so I just didn't make the connection. I need to go look that other Cuckoo roo over today and see if he is expressing gold.... if so I will send him off to the roo guy this week.