Let's talk Golden Cuckoo Marans!

[NonnasBabies]

I decided to start a new thread just for GCMs. It's so hard to weed through alot of the other Marans threads and not very often is GCMs mentioned!!

These are my 3 girls. I had a roo also but we culled him, He just had to many issues! It's so hard to find any information on exactly what their "supposed" to look like and so many breeders show you one pic usually of the roo. As you can see in the pics below I have 2 that look identical and one that's totally different!

I decided to hatch out some more this spring, and like an idiot bought eggs off eBay. The seller had great feedback also. I knew something was wrong when all but 2 of the chicks came out black & white. Out of the other 2 one looks like a GCMs and one is solid brown. After an email to the seller questioning this I got the reply back "With the genetics of Golden Cuckoos, you can get all sorts of things. Biggy Pants has produced Salmons, Silver cuckoos, blacks, wheatons and salmons. The Salmons are the rarest. So be careful what you give away or sell." So now I have the thoughts going through my head is this just a shot and miss kinda thing with this breed or is this a seller that has not perfected her breeding program in this breed and is just selling them to sell them. And the least she should have some type of disclaimer that "Hey, hope you get at least one GCMs in this batch". And now I have to wonder should I even use this rooster, (which btw was the only one that came out a GCMs) even if he turns out gorgeous.

Here's a few pics to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. (I do have 5 Speckled Sussex mixed in with them)

So I hope all of you with GCMs will join in and let's talk about this beautiful bird!!

 

[chickee]

It looks like this thread has not been very active, but I'm hoping someone might be able to help me sex my first golden cuckoo chicks. I read that a bigger white spot on the head means male. There are 7 chicks:
I can't preview the photos on my IPad, but assuming they are in the order I selected, starting with the top very blond chick and moving clockwise, I am guessing
Male, female, male, ?, ?, female, female.
I am uncertain if all that white around the eye means male.


In the second photo, only 6 chicks are showing. The two on the left have a white area lower on the neck and on their butt. Does that make them male? Or is feather sexing not so reliable in golden cuckoos?


I know time will tell, but I appreciate any feedback from those with more experience!

I think you have 3 of each sex. New pictures taken from the side would help.

Here are pictures I took of the girls vs the boys. Maybe this will help

"Girls"


"Boys"


I am working towards the standard and improving egg color. I have 4 hens and one lays a dark egg that has not lightened over her laying cycle. I hatched out a couple of her eggs a couple of weeks ago and got 2 pullets that I will add to my breeding program in hopes of developing a line with dark color holding power

Here is the rooster what I hatched this year that I am keeping because I love his color and he has the correct tail set. No white so far in the tail either, which his father did develop. I would like to see more feathers on his shanks though. He is 6 months old. My hens are pretty uniform in color and produce proper colored chicks. They came from Rockin G Ranch and my rooster from Harris5. So far these lines have clicked well.


My rooster from Harris5 + Hens from RockinG Ranch~




Egg color~ Eggs that are holding their color and not lightening during the laying cycle.

 

[cree57i]

What colour of eggs do your Golden Cuckoo Marans lay?

In my experience their eggs are not as dark brown as a Black Copper Marans. I put my GCM rooster over my darkest BCM hens, as well as a blue and a cuckoo hen, to hopefully improve the egg color. The eggs are extra large size though.

 

[morbius18]

One more pic, this is one of the golden cuckoo olive egger pullets that I've retained. She was brown as a chick, so I'm guessing eb based. Wife likes the olive eggs, I like the color of the hens.

 

[morbius18]

You are having a horrible time with predators. I am so sorry for your losses.
I am so glad your hen survived. The healing power of your momma hen is amazing. If you can use any of the ones I have been hatching from your F1 rooster you are welcome to them. I am glad to help. Some of mine dont have the gold, but most do. I must get more pictures. I have them running around everywhere here. This is a picture I took yesterday. He des not have the gold, but is still a beautiful bird.

I was tired of fooling with the browns, whites and lack of gold on some. Plus the new line all hatched from these color eggs on the left from the blue copper:

 

[Chooks man]

now it is time to show some cuckoo pullets .most of them are silver cuckoos Blue and black .only few are golden cuckoo black .
there is 3 type of cuckoos .
line one is the pure original line .I m now on the F2 and F3 all double barred cockerel and silver cuckoo pullets
the second one I m developing is from the Blue copper hens . they are big chooks with great body type and they lay dark egg 6 ,oval and shiny .
the third cuckoo arefrom the Birchen hens .

Golden cuckoo pullet F2 just a little copper on her hackle .

Silver cuckoo pullet great body type

Silver cuckoo pullet F3 love her silver hackle and body type

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

blue cuckoos all F1 they are silver but do carry the gold .so if mated to they black cuckoo F1 brother/ half brother they ll throw both silver and golden cuckoo Blue and black as F2 .
locking forward to it

I have 5 of those .same phenotype the only difference is they blue coloration .

the way I see it the blue does not go very well with a cuckoo gene ( barring ) they don t have that true cuckoo look like the black one .

I ll breed the Blue birchen from them .I think they look better . stunning contrast .and I ll keep my cuckoo black silver and gold

PERSONAL OPINION .

chooks man

chooks ma

 

[morbius18]

she is gorgeous . there is enough gold in there .
great long type .
I like her a lot

chooks man

Got a good photo of her next to her blue copper dam. Looks very similar, even though she is barred.

 

[morbius18]

she is gorgeous . there is enough gold in there .
great long type .
I like her a lot

chooks man

Would the ones not showing gold be carriers and not showing it, or just barely expressing it?

These are hatchmate siblings, from same parents. Would the plain cuckoo be carrying the gold?

 

[morbius18]

Blue GCM. He's filled out some. We had really cold temps and he lost some point tips to frostbite.