Let's talk Golden Cuckoo Marans!

[chickee]

Can anyone help me, I have got a golden cuckoo maran cockerel,if I bred him to some cuckoo hens, would I get some golden cuckoos offspring?

Possibly, but your going to need to breed only the pullets with gold from that cross back to their father to improve the color. Silver (regular) cuckoo Marans are not known for having the best egg color, so only hatch from the darkest eggs. Good luck!

I've always heard you "build the house before you paint it", so I think I'd go for body structure and work on coloring later.

X2 I agree.

Are GCMs known for dark eggs? Or are their eggs more like regular cuckoo marans? I have a person on Craigslist selling a "Moran" and he sent me a picture, but I'm pretty skeptical. Could she be one? Or should I ask for more pictures or just pass?

I'm actually just thinking of passing though

She looks like a GCM but I would ask for better pictures so you can see if she has feathered legs with white skin. She should not have a yellow beak or legs.

 

[freddyyoung]

Is this a golden cuckoo maran hen

 

[Cyan Night]

So I called the lady (didn't want to keep bombarding her with questions through email) and she says she does have feathered legs and that she was hatched out on site. She's only selling one that's barely at POL and an EE. Still kind of skeptical. So what do you guys think? Should I go for it? Can one expect dark eggs from goldens?

 

[buckabucka]

So I called the lady (didn't want to keep bombarding her with questions through email) and she says she does have feathered legs and that she was hatched out on site. She's only selling one that's barely at POL and an EE. Still kind of skeptical. So what do you guys think? Should I go for it? Can one expect dark eggs from goldens?

My lone golden bare-legged hen lays dark eggs, but there is no way to really know until she starts laying.
Since you are having trouble making a decision, maybe you can ask yourself some questions. Do you have room for the new hen and an area to quarantine her for a few weeks? How disappointed will you be if the hen lays only a slightly darker egg, or turns out to be some kind of mixed breed? Are you willing to put up with the hassle of integrating a new bird?

The bird in the photo looks pretty. I don't know how much money they are asking, which would also be a factor. My biggest fear in introducing a new bird is risk of disease. If you do decide to get her, make sure you post a photo of her egg!

 

[Cyan Night]

She's $20, and I'm not worried about quarantine since I've done this before. I'd also check her out for any obvious illnesses before buying as well before quarantine. I'm really just looking for egg color right now. I have two cuckoos from a hatchery that lay probably a 4, but they're already lightening up by a lot and they've only been laying for about six weeks. I'd love to get a nice BCM, but it's a long drive to get one and I'm unable to do that. I'm also just looking for one more chicken to even my flock since I lost my adopted 8 month old cornish cross. I'm looking for either an olive egger or a marans now; hoping to come across one sometime soon lol

 

[chickee]

Is this a golden cuckoo maran hen

She looks like a wheaten.

So I called the lady (didn't want to keep bombarding her with questions through email) and she says she does have feathered legs and that she was hatched out on site. She's only selling one that's barely at POL and an EE. Still kind of skeptical. So what do you guys think? Should I go for it? Can one expect dark eggs from goldens?

All my GCM hens started out laying dark eggs but only one's egg has stayed dark. I am hatching only the darkest eggs in hopes of producing offspring that lay eggs that do not loose color over the laying cycle. If she hatched this pullet on site, then she can show you the egg color.

 

[freddyyoung]

What does it mean if your cockerel is single barred?

 

[chikinlady]

What does it mean if your cockerel is single barred?

The way I understand it, the males carry two barring genes. If the cockerel is homozygous (B/B), he is carrying two dominant barring genes, making his barring lighter in color. If the cockerel is single barred, he is heterozygous (B/b+), which will make his barring darker. The females only carry one barring gene, so their coloring will always be dark.

 

[sonew123]

Im going to guess my 3 girls have a month to go before they start laying...im praying they are dark and speckled!!

 

[chickee]

Im going to guess my 3 girls have a month to go before they start laying...im praying they are dark and speckled!!

My two pullets are very close to laying also. They were 5 months old Sept. 16th. I am also praying for dark eggs, but I prefer solid chocolate colored eggs without speckles. These two were hatched from my darkest egg layer so I am anxious to see if their mother will pass it on.

Heres hoping our pullets start laying soon and produce the egg color we want.

I am looking forward to seeing what color eggs yours lay!