Let's talk Golden Cuckoo Marans!

[chickee]

By the overall grey shade and big bright yellow spot on their head. Hens are brown, and don't have so large yellow head spots..
GCM is more or less accurately autosexing..
But they are the cutest . We were decided not to keep any cockerels and we will definitely keep Cookie, our GCM rooster.

I LOVE the GCM roosters!

After seeing one I had to have this breed! They are, big and very showy, have great temperaments and the hens really like them because they are such gentlemen.

My golden cuckoo Marans hens are not laying well right now. I only have 6 hens and two are broody, one is molting and the other 3 aren't liking the heat so have slowed down. I do sell eggs when the weather is cool enough to ship and the girls are producing well.

 

[chickspea]

I LOVE the GCM roosters!

After seeing one I had to have this breed! They are, big and very showy, have great temperaments and the hens really like them because they are such gentlemen.

Yep, same experience here.. Very protecting but very accepting as well. Keeps the other cockerels in order if they peck the pullets .
I introduced three new pullets to a 2 months old group (including the GCM pullet and Cookie), and he took two of the new pullets under his protection right away.
The GCMs both would come and sit on my lap and shoulder as soon as I went in the garage to feed them .
The pullet makes a funny duck like sound, and comes for a hug each time.. Unfortunately the quality is not as good as I expected, they are pretty small, almost Bantam size, but I'll try to improve their size with breeding, especially if they'll have nice eggs.. Still two months to wait for those..

 

[buckabucka]

Here is my GCM rooster. He was very sick this spring, unable to lift his head or do anything but sleep. I syringe fed him and he somehow pulled through and is thriving again. The girls ate all his leg feathers though, and his comb looks dubbed, from the harsh winter here.

My only complaint about him is that his mating style appears rough, - I'm getting lots of bare-backed hens. The hen in the photo is pristine, so maybe he is over-mating certain hens. I wonder if his technique will improve as time goes on.... He is only a year old.

 

[Our Roost]

Well, that's good to know as I never had any roosters of that breed.

 

[rainbowchick]

Uggghhhh.... One of my GCM pullets has yellow legs!!! Now I'll have to test mate her brother before using him over my other pullets....
How many chicks would you recommend hatching for a test mating? And how do I sell them responsibly (read: without people thinking they can breed them as pure GCMs)?

 

[Our Roost]

Why would you be so upset over yellow legs coming from a golden cuckoo marans? The genetics of the breed can make that color happen at any time.

If you plan to show this breed, you should first check to see what category is accepted in which to show it in. The S.O.P. and acceptance is out on this one. Do some serious reading with the American Marans club first.

 

[rainbowchick]

I'm really confused by your post. Why would yellow legs NOT be a problem, when it is a DQ? And what would make "the genetics of the breed" inclined towards yellow, when it is a DQ? Maybe you could point me to an appropriate article through the Marans Club?

 

[Our Roost]

My apologies if I ruffled any feathers here. To my knowledge, the Marans and its colors have not been totally accepted into the hall of fame as yet. Please dont ask me where I read that because I have a bad memory when it comes to quoting specifics. I'm not up on the term DQ and surely dont know what it stands for. My dumb!
What I meant by genetics is that the marans had many parent birds in its making that could have had yellow legs. Its not uncommon for hidden features in birds to crop up from time to time. To me, this is one of the reasons why this Golden cuckoo color is so hard to perfect. No harm, no foul, just stating a point of concern. If you have an S.O.P that directs that these birds should have white legs and beaks than so be it. I never had any consitency with this breed color. Sorry I spoke out.

 

[rainbowchick]

No ruffled feathers here. I just started with Marans this year, so I figured of you knew more than I did, I'd like to be enlightened!
DQ= disqualification. Marans are accepted by the APA, although, to my knowledge, Golden Cuckoo as a variety is not.
While yellow legs might have been in the genes initially, they shouldn't be propagated... They should be eliminated from breeding programs whenever possible.

 

[chickee]

The golden cuckoo color was developed from crossing silver cuckoo Marans and black tailed buff Marans to my limited knowledge. No yellow legged birds were used. Because black tailed buffs are hard to come by, along the way someone decided to cross another cuckoo or possibly crele colored breed in that has yellow legs. Very hard to get rid of.

Rainbow chick . . I originally hatched out 6 GCM pullets to start my flock. 2 of those had yellow legs. I sold those two as layers and got a pure (only Marans were used) GCM rooster and bred him to my pullets. All of those offspring had correct leg color. I kept the best rooster from that breeding, but when bred back to his mother and her sisters, the yellow legs showed up in some of the offspring. Since there are very few breeders of GCMs, now people are using black coppers to make new bloodlines to increase the gene pool. Pretty sure your rooster (brother to the yellow legged pullet) will pass on the yellow legs.