Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

mornin everyone

well....checked the traps again this morning and no more possums, but I suppose after the fiasco of catching one of them they may wait a couple of day before they head back to try again. I'm keeping all the traps ready to go every night. I would keep them set for during the day too, but with 4 cats...that's all I'd be doing is playing catch and release for the dinks. Esp my male....he's a bit...short on brain cells....gorgeous but dumb as a box of rocks...so would be one to trip the traps all day long after I've released him.

 

[pinkchick]

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Welcome to the Marans thread!

Your first rooster is not a Black Copper rooster, he is a Birchen that is split for gold/silver. The Blue Copper boy is too overly red (you can see this in his chest) and he also looks to have a little bit of roach back going on unless it is just the angle of the photo, if it is roach back then I would not use him at all. Are his eyes really as dark as the photo makes them look? I would not use this Blue Copper boy but that is just me. The Birchen male would be good in a Birchen breeding program, he looks like he is going to be a nice bird once he finishes bulking up.


Sometimes the females do not show copper or not enough copper in the hackles and this is not a huge problem. Sometimes it can be fixed in the offspring by breeding these dark females to an over red rooster like your Blue Copper boy is in his chest but I believe he may have too much red. It is still possible that she may show a little bit more copper in the next couple of months but it probably won't be much. My guess is she is the way she is going to be.

 

[pinkchick]

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Vicki~

I am so sorry for your loss! How sad!

 

[pinkchick]

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How old does the chicken have to be before they have their permanent color/looks, etc? Do roosters start attacking when they are young or if they are pretty docile now will they most likely stay that way?

Your males are the color they are going to be at this age, but they may continue to get more silver or copper which ever the case may be, but it may not be much. They will bulk up more in size now more than anything.

Just because they are nice and sweet as youngsters does not mean that they will remain that way. Sometimes they turn when they hit sexual maturity around 4-6 mos of age or even after.

I had a Splash Birchen rooster that was sweet as pie until he turned 6 mos. old and then he tried attacking me, through the fence even, for 2 weeks everytime I went toward or in the coop. He is chicken enchiladas for tonights dinner.

 

[gilavina]

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Vicki~

I am so sorry for your loss! How sad!

thanks Kim....I had a hard time sleeping last night. I am just so grateful it wasn't one of my birchens.....or my lavender silver (birchen) sussex..... I would have probably sat out there all night with a loaded gun just waiting for them if that was the case. I wish I'd have thought to load the gun and take it with me last night...I could have popped the other two before they even knew what hit them....they were having trouble getting over one of the fences, but I will get them yet.

 

[pinkchick]

Flgarden~

Boy o Boy you and Vicki had a rough day yesterday. I am so sorry for both of you!

 

[pinkchick]

Did I see GEEBS in da house?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me????


Went back and looked......I did, I did! I did see Geebsie in da house!!!!!!!

HIYA GEEBS!!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

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Is he the only rooster that you have?

 

[doubleatraining]

Pink, He is the only rooster that has girls. I have 2 others but they are in the "Camp Kenmore" pen.

 

[pinkchick]

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Have the other roosters always been in the freezer pen?

The reason I ask is because sometimes with more than one rooster there is going to be one alpha roo and the other or other will be low man in the pecking order and the rooster who is not the alpha will sometimes not crow or mate even if he is mature enough to do so. If they roosters have been together and now seperated it may take some time for the low man to voice his opinions and do his thing, but once he figures out that he is the top dog...... cover your ears 'cause things is gunna get noisey.