Marans question

[brennacat]

I picked up a blue splash pullet back in May and today I picked up a Lemon Cuckoo pullet (also hatched in May) and I want to breed the ladies once they begin to lay.

I like the coloration of these two ladies but have no idea what roo I should pick up and what combinations of colors they may throw. Can someone help direct me in the correct direction? I like these more non traditional colors and I do not like the regular cuckoo marans so please help me choose the correct roo.

I live in south western part of VA and will be looking for a roo from that area if possible. The breeder of the lemon cuckoo told me that the parents came from a Bev Davis line but I do not know the lines of the blue splash.

 

[donrae]

Those colors are so different, you wont' be able to breed them true with one rooster. If you get a blue or splash rooster to make more splash birds, you'll muddy the pretty lemon color on the other bird. I guess myself, I'd go with lemon cuckoo male. I'm not positive, but I think over the splash female you'd get a bird with yellow on the front and blue on the back. No one would ever recognize it as a Marans, but if it's just your own backyard who cares. If the male is double barred, all his offspring should be barred/cuckoo. If he's single barred, half will have barring.

 

[brennacat]

hmmm .... guess I may have to get two roos eventually. I have had the splash girl since she was about a week old and at the moment she runs around with a brahma roo and his two ladies.

When I am ready to try to breed her I will remove her from that group. It may upset her a little since she looks at the brahma hens as her sisters. The lemon cuckoo I just got and it looks like he may have had her in a pen with a black copper.

So far neither looks ready to lay and with it being so late in the season I figure it may be spring before I get eggs.

Since I eventually hope to trade eggs with others I guess that means two roos. Chickens are so addicting - it seems you just keep gettin just one more.