Marans Genetics in BCM Hens

[flgardengirl]

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I have noticed that quite a few photos of the silver/black birchens I have seen in America have this lacing, especially the females. My one little black/silver birchen pullet is getting the lacing. I am sure it is wrong as far as SOP (which doesn't exist yet for silver birchen Marans).
So how would you get rid of it? Breed to solid blacks or blues -if you don't have the solid black with silver birds?
My 2 blue birchens don't seem to have the lacing yet and hopefully won't but one may get some gold leakage because he has creamy white instead of silver in his saddles coming in and he is still young.

Here are some pics of what I'm thinking is lacing on silver black birchen females. Yes or no? There is one photo that shows it pretty far down on the breast.
http://greenfirefarms.com/store/category/chickens/marans/

Here is one with no lacing. The hens are really dark with just silver hackles (scroll down to Birchen silver-black)

http://frenchmaransclubaustralia.yolasite.com/notes-on-breeding.php

 

[Debbi]

Lynette,

That first link, the hen looks to me like it would have the same problems that a mossy BCM would have. Look at the top of her back, and although I can't see the breast , I would almost bet the color extends down too far. BCM being a birchen pattern too, shouldn't the color pattern follow suit with the black and blue birchens? Wouldn't the same breeding practices apply here? Too much color, breed to darker birds?

 

[Debbi]

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Tim,

Thanks for all of your input here. I have never had a female with "red stippling" on the backs. My problem here, as with a lot of folks, is the lack of color and full pattern of the color on their hens. Very dark coloring (mahogany), or nearly none at all. None of the white feathers that have appeared on my chicks have been caused by damage, they naturally occured.

As for the mahogany color that Don talks about, it is one of three possible colorings in the hackle and saddles of the BCM roo. So far in my limited breeding, I have never had the "straw" color, hope I never do. I have had one male with nice coppering, one with the orange/yellow combo colored hackles, and two here now with mahogany hackles/saddles. I had been told not to breed these two dark boys with my dark hens, as all I would get was dark chicks. I did it anyway, and the result was not the case. Now, keep in mind my hatches a MUCH smaller than Don's, I only had 4 chicks hatch from this first mating, but two were nicely coppered at an early age (pullets), with no mossiness or color on breast at all. The other two pullets are dark, but starting to color in on their hackles. All had dark slate shanks, as pullets should have. Another hatch, that produced 2 cockerels, with the same parentage. One is over-colored on the breast, but nicely colored hackles. He will be culled due to a carnation comb coming from his mother. Mother will be culled off the farm also! The other is just now starting to color in, no color on the breast. Both have slate legs. You asked Don what the breed and phenotype was on the mahogany roos, well here are two. Both Black Copper Marans, dark mahogany hackles and saddle feathers. Slate shanks. Just to give you an idea of what the mahogany looks like in the Marans. I'm pretty sure this is the color Don speaks of.

I know some of you have seen this pic before, bear with me, this is to show Tim an example!

 

[flgardengirl]

Yep that's what I was thinking too. So if you didn't have a black breasted one to breed you should breed to a pure black?

 

[Debbi]

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That's what I'm thinking, but I've been wrong before!