Marans - SOP discussion thread

[DMRippy]

I'm noticing some unusual color variations on my Birchen roos. Can anyone explain to me what is going on here and what it means in terms of the SOP?
I'm relatively new to Birchens. All of my Birchens are of Greenfire Farms lineage.

Here's a shot of three roosters with pretty dramatically different coloring.



This guy has no gold at all, whereas others have sort of a wheat-gold color, and others are downright brassy.





This guy (above) has beautiful wheat-gold saddle feathers. The guy below is really brassy. What gives?

Might want to post these pics and questions on this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ssion-pictures-are-welcome/29600#post_8298739

 

[Josie360]

half of my girls 15 out of thirty have floppy or curled combs

My wife says no more chicks

what to do with rhe eggs coming out from 4 - 7 in color and hatching at 50% I tried to list on BVC but keep getting the no authorization page

Look at all the pretty eggies.

 

[marquisella]

I'm no genetics wiz, but Birchen should be just silver, like the one rooster. Any cream or yellow indicates they have both gold & silver. I wouldn't use them it will just muck up your breeding program.

Sue

 

[rancher hicks]

FYI, I have roos with the red in them too.

I didn't buy directly from GF but wonder if anyone has contacted them about this? Is it possible that they have been bred with BCM's.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm noticing some unusual color variations on my Birchen roos. Can anyone explain to me what is going on here and what it means in terms of the SOP?
I'm relatively new to Birchens. All of my Birchens are of Greenfire Farms lineage.

Here's a shot of three roosters with pretty dramatically different coloring.



This guy has no gold at all, whereas others have sort of a wheat-gold color, and others are downright brassy.





This guy (above) has beautiful wheat-gold saddle feathers. The guy below is really brassy. What gives?

 

[warbirds]

I'm no genetics wiz, but Birchen should be just silver, like the one rooster. Any cream or yellow indicates they have both gold & silver. I wouldn't use them it will just muck up your breeding program.

Sue

Are you saying gold birchen is not acceptable in the Marans world as its own variety??

 

[marquisella]

Are you saying gold birchen is not acceptable in the Marans world as its own variety??

Using the words gold & silver are just confusing the "Birchen" issue.

The term Birchen, without saying silver, means black with silver. One doesn't have to say, Silver Birchen, because its understood that it has silver.
The gold that appears is what the Marans call " Black Copper". It is "birchen" but with the gold replacing the silver. I'm not familiar with all breeds, but I'm pretty sure no one says "gold birchen". Others use "brown red" which to me is really confusing because the brown is really black....

So, a rooster can have 2 color genes. When the variety is Birchen, and gold appears, or cream colored feathers along with or without silver, it means that the bird has both gold & silver, and is not pure for "birchen" (meaning just silver & black). If just the gold appears in Marans then it is a black copper. We don't call it gold birchen.

Clear as mud! LOL

 

[geebs]

Birchen also speaks of Black Copper's genetic makeup... ER is the birchen allele, The Birchen Variety is the basic silver variety on the ER allele, just as Brown Red is the basic gold/red variety on the ER allele.

The proper genetic code for (Silver) Birchen is ER/ER S/S ap+/ap+.

The proper genetic code for Brown Red is ER/ER s+/s+ Ap/Ap

Drippy... It looks like a cross of birchen on Black copper to give you this presentation. Birchen (Silver) to Birchen (Silver) yields the like.... Birchen (Silver) to BC gives you the presentation you are looking at... Been a while since I had Birchens but that is what I remember. Hope it helps...

 

[Wynette]

Birchen also speaks of Black Copper's genetic makeup... ER is the birchen allele, The Birchen Variety is the basic silver variety on the ER allele, just as Brown Red is the basic gold/red variety on the ER allele.

The proper genetic code for (Silver) Birchen is ER/ER S/S ap+/ap+.

The proper genetic code for Brown Red is ER/ER s+/s+ Ap/Ap

Drippy... It looks like a cross of birchen on Black copper to give you this presentation. Birchen (Silver) to Birchen (Silver) yields the like.... Birchen (Silver) to BC gives you the presentation you are looking at... Been a while since I had Birchens but that is what I remember. Hope it helps...

GEEBSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Missed you around here!!!!

 

[Wynette]

Hey, Marans friends - I am way, WAY behind on this thread and I'm very sorry that I haven't updated the first post yet with fault pictures. I've just got a ton going on now.

I DO want to make a quick comment, with, of course, no offense intended - there's been a lot of pics posted lately, and I see many males with squirrel tail (angle much too high). Tail angle should be 45; a tail straight up in the air is called "squirrel" and you should avoid using them for breeding (unless the male has most everything right, and you have no other choices.)