Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

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Hi Steve! All I can tell you about Splash eggs is that they can and tend to be a smidge lighter than a Blue Copper or a Black Copper egg....but this last summer I got some very very nice eggs from 2 Splash Copper gals that were drool worthy IMO and darker than any other egg laid here during that time. The Splash girl that you have from Bill may not show any copper as she matures.....if she does she will be the first one of Bill's dtrs to show copper that is all Marans. I did get one of his Olive Egger Splash dtrs that showed a speck of copper but that was it. His boys I can get copper color in.....his girls just end up very dark or just splash and no copper.

Wish I could get some copper on his girls. Someday perhaps.
I find that the birds that lay the darker eggs are the birds that show very little to no copper. My best BCM pullet who has the best copper and the best body....well the best everything....lays one of the lightest eggs in that coop.

 

[pinkchick]

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Bring on the chickies!

I got my second Delaware egg yesterday.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

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Mornin' Hens

I had one chick like that in my last hatch. Yes, watch them, as that inner membrane shrink wraps really fast after they start to zip! In all of my other eggs, it seems like the two membranes were together, but this one seemed to be, as you said, wrapped onto the chick. I'd never seen it before.

Yes, you need to raise your humidity when that happens.

 

[Debbi]

I had my humidity at 65%, and I had a hard time cutting through that membrane! That chick would have never made it on it's own! Glad I helped, now I have a pretty little blue pullet named Charlotte!

 

[Hens and Roos]

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CONGRATS! CONGRATS! CONGRATS! C'Mon Chickies!

Those 2 membranes are normal for my eggs....don't know about everyone else's.

That second membrane is the one that I have problems with if they are going to shrink wrap. Raise the humidity a little if you can like to 60 or 65 maybe. I have not had any issues with the first white membrane and they seem to break through that one just fine. I will be home all day today Cheryl if you need to PM or email me. I will try and stay logged in to BYC.

Okay, I am working on trying to raise the humidity-it's around 59% and we have 2 chicks out(one still have part of the shell on its butt), 1 with a dime sized pip and 2 with smaller pips-although it hard to tell and 4 ??????. The 2 chicks out 1 looks blue and the other splash. We'll see how things go as I have to work today

 

[pinkchick]

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Don,

I am not sure if I understand.

I have ONE black copper hen, BUT she is totally USELESS to me since she only produces male chicks

I REALLY REALLY REALLY like a plain ole Black copper marans hens.

I have Three Blue copper hens and a Black copper roo. I was hoping to use these to produce some BLACK COPPER hens for a future flock of black copper hens. Are you saying that the BLACK COPPER PULLETS produced from the blue copper hen x black copper roo would be useless for this because they are going to lack good body type? Why would or How would the body type change?

Please, explain to me again - - - I didn't get it the first time

Hi Don! Hi Math!

I am going to toss this out there and say that I have produced some very nice Black Copper girls from using Blue Coppers and have not had one issue with plumage colors, egg colors or anything else. I have also bred these Black Coppers produced from a Blue Copper parent or even a Black Copper produced from 2 Blue Copper parents back into my breeding pen and found no problems with using them to produce more Black Coppers. Blue only changes the black of the bird to blue......it is not responsible for other issues in the birds IMO. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Keara]

Quote:
Don,

I am not sure if I understand.

I have ONE black copper hen, BUT she is totally USELESS to me since she only produces male chicks

I REALLY REALLY REALLY like a plain ole Black copper marans hens.

I have Three Blue copper hens and a Black copper roo. I was hoping to use these to produce some BLACK COPPER hens for a future flock of black copper hens. Are you saying that the BLACK COPPER PULLETS produced from the blue copper hen x black copper roo would be useless for this because they are going to lack good body type? Why would or How would the body type change?

Please, explain to me again - - - I didn't get it the first time

Hi Don! Hi Math!

I am going to toss this out there and say that I have produced some very nice Black Copper girls from using Blue Coppers and have not had one issue with plumage colors, egg colors or anything else. I have also bred these Black Coppers produced from a Blue Copper parent or even a Black Copper produced from 2 Blue Copper parents back into my breeding pen and found no problems with using them to produce more Black Coppers. Blue only changes the black of the bird to blue......it is not responsible for other issues in the birds IMO. Just my 2 cents.

Don, Math and Pink....

I am going to toss my 2 cents in and say, you are both correct. I think that if you have established a Black Copper line that breeds true to a certain body type, than adding Black Coppers from a second line (...be it a BBS line or a pure BC line.....) adds new genetics that could affect body type.

-Keara

 

[pinkchick]

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Yes you are bad!!!!!!! Talking about them and not posting pics!! What are you thinking Denny?!?!?!?!?!?!? I bet they are adorable! Congrats on your most excellent hatch on shipped eggs. Glad that your Splish Splash boy is doing good with the ladies...pretty soon you will be having all sorts of babies running around!

How are your Cuckoo's doing?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Hi Don! Hi Math!

I am going to toss this out there and say that I have produced some very nice Black Copper girls from using Blue Coppers and have not had one issue with plumage colors, egg colors or anything else. I have also bred these Black Coppers produced from a Blue Copper parent or even a Black Copper produced from 2 Blue Copper parents back into my breeding pen and found no problems with using them to produce more Black Coppers. Blue only changes the black of the bird to blue......it is not responsible for other issues in the birds IMO. Just my 2 cents.

Don, Math and Pink....

I am going to toss my 2 cents in and say, you are both correct. I think that if you have established a Black Copper line that breeds true to a certain body type, than adding Black Coppers from a second line (...be it a BBS line or a pure BC line.....) adds new genetics that could affect body type.

-Keara

I agree with you about adding birds from this line or that line...it's the overall bird and genetics or history of genetics of the bird or their line that carries forward and this is where the body issues can come in.....my whole point is that any bird any color can have issues that it brings with it to the program...but I sincerely do not believe that the color Blue or Splash itself causes issues with body type.

 

[snowbird]

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Don,

I am not sure if I understand.

I have ONE black copper hen, BUT she is totally USELESS to me since she only produces male chicks

I REALLY REALLY REALLY like a plain ole Black copper marans hens.

I have Three Blue copper hens and a Black copper roo. I was hoping to use these to produce some BLACK COPPER hens for a future flock of black copper hens. Are you saying that the BLACK COPPER PULLETS produced from the blue copper hen x black copper roo would be useless for this because they are going to lack good body type? Why would or How would the body type change?

Please, explain to me again - - - I didn't get it the first time

Lisa, will send you a PM shortly explaining what I wrote about. This really has nothing to do with color genetics. Don