Let's talk Golden Cuckoo Marans!

[strivetoimprove]

So, you last said that you had GCM hens.

Based off that you would need to find a BCM rooster that hatched from a darker egg, or from a line with darker eggs.

This isn't really required, but since you are crossing, it's a perfect opportunity to bring in darker eggs. At a minimum at least as dark as your hen's eggs.

First crossing would yield sex links. All males will be single (dark) barred. All females will be black coppers.

Raise the black coppers and have a breeding group with the BCM rooster, or sell them.

Take the nicest single barred rooster and cross to your hens. Female offspring will be half black coppers and half correct golden cuckoos. Male offspring will be half single barred (dark) and half double barred (light).

Take the nicest double barred and breed to your hens and they breed true. All males will be double barred (light) and females will be dark. You can usually sex them at hatch as well. Males will be gray, females black.

You will get different colors of red to gold in the males. I've had some look like black coppers with barring and some light blonde with barring.

It takes some work, but you will have started your own line.

Thank you so much for this.I am very surprised with how dark their eggs have been but do plan to make them darker. I would like to do the work myself now just to find the right rooster for this project.

 

[cscigu]

Hope its OK to resurrect this old thread.

I got the Maran bug a few years ago, and have several Black Copper Marans. Right now I've also got Welsummers. Love both breeds but have not be happy with winter egg production.

Wondering how this Maran strain is in that area, any better? (looking for optimism, because I know I'm going to end up ordering some)

 

[pioneerchick816]

I have a GCM & BCM they started laying for the first time this fall & have been laying like champs, but I do keep a little supplemental light on the for added am & pm light.

 

[cscigu]

You're in that sweet spot right now, I guess. Seems like around 6 months they lay terrific.

I know that if I'm going to gripe about egg production, I should simply revert back to running black or red sex links. Those things are unbeatable. Still, I like the Maran and Welsummer eggs because they are different to look at.

 

[buckabucka]

Hope its OK to resurrect this old thread. 

I got the Maran bug a few years ago, and have several Black Copper Marans. Right now I've also got Welsummers. Love both breeds but have not be happy with winter egg production.

Wondering how this Maran strain is in that area, any better? (looking for optimism, because I know I'm going to end up ordering some)

If you have room and can afford it, why not keep a mix of birds? While I do like getting eggs, I've come to realize that is not why I keep birds. Some are "yard art" both for beautiful plumage and beautiful eggs, even though those eggs are rare compared to a leghorn or other productive breed. I always keep a few leghorns on hand, just to help with egg production.

 

[cscigu]

Glad you pointed out what I sometimes neglect. I don't just keep chickens for the eggs. Actually, my wife will wonder about their presence and feed bill in the absence of eggs at times....Guess its always that way.

I kinda keep a mix, but don't want to wake up one day and have 50 hens all waiting to lay in the same old box in the barn, pooping all over the place in the progress. (don't get me started on their finicky choices in where to lay).
Right now I've got about 8 BC Marans, 5 Welsummers, and 3 Dominiques. Don't care for the Dominiques as much. If I order about 15, I'll be getting up there. I guess the smart thing is to order a bunch, keep what I like, and sell the rest.

One year I ordered a bunch of chicks, confident my neighbors would want some. They didn't, but luckily there was a Route 66 festival in town that weekend. I parked on an empty lot, and sold those chicks off in about 30 minutes.

 

[buckabucka]

It does get out of hand quickly. I have three flocks, each with their own rooster and a total of 48 hens. I love hatching, but may try to take this year off.

 

[morbius18]

Hope its OK to resurrect this old thread. 

I got the Maran bug a few years ago, and have several Black Copper Marans. Right now I've also got Welsummers. Love both breeds but have not be happy with winter egg production.

Wondering how this Maran strain is in that area, any better? (looking for optimism, because I know I'm going to end up ordering some)

Mine seem to lay every other day. The darker the eggs=longer time in the reproductive tract getting their color. Marans as a breed are defined by egg color, so they will come with lower laying productivity inherant.

But what they don't have they make up with color:

These are from my line, as well as some golden cuckoo olive eggers.

 

[strivetoimprove]

What would come of using a blue marans rooster and golden cuckoo hens?

 

[morbius18]

What would come of using a blue marans rooster and golden cuckoo hens?

They would be sex link barred. All males will be barred, females solid. Should be 50% blues, so roughly 25% blue, 25% black, 25% blue barred and 25% black barred.

If the rooster is a blue copper, then the solid offspring will be copper and the barred golden cuckoos. The rooster should be the same loci based as well. ER based golden cuckoos should have an ER based blue (usually a copper).

I'm wanting some blue golden cuckoos though. The barring on the blues will be subdued.