Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[H Diamond]

So, I currently have 2 Marans (more hatching eggs coming soon!). My pullet is, I believe, a black copper (no feathers on legs). My cockerel is, I believe, a splash (with feathered legs). These were all hatched out of a set of eggs I purchased that were marked as Blue Coppers. I will add a couple pics from my phone so you can see what they are. My pullet just layed the first time yesterday. Her egg is lighter than the one she hatched from, but still darker than anything I have in my other breeds. I would put her around a 4-5, but the eggs she hatched from were closer to a 7. At any rate, I am getting some black copper marans eggs and some black tail buff eggs. What will happen if I keep this splash cockerel and allow him to contribute to the gene pool? What feather colors will I get? Also, he is a splash, correct? Is he even close to half way decent or is he just a run of the mill bird?( I have no illusions that he is, so be honest, lol) Why did I get a splash and a black from blue coppers? Thanks!!
Oh, and he's not a one legged chicken, lol, he was just standing on one foot.

 

[desertmarcy]

So, I currently have 2 Marans (more hatching eggs coming soon!). My pullet is, I believe, a black copper (no feathers on legs). My cockerel is, I believe, a splash (with feathered legs). These were all hatched out of a set of eggs I purchased that were marked as Blue Coppers. I will add a couple pics from my phone so you can see what they are. My pullet just layed the first time yesterday. Her egg is lighter than the one she hatched from, but still darker than anything I have in my other breeds. I would put her around a 4-5, but the eggs she hatched from were closer to a 7. At any rate, I am getting some black copper marans eggs and some black tail buff eggs. What will happen if I keep this splash cockerel and allow him to contribute to the gene pool? What feather colors will I get? Also, he is a splash, correct? Is he even close to half way decent or is he just a run of the mill bird?( I have no illusions that he is, so be honest, lol) Why did I get a splash and a black from blue coppers? Thanks!!
Oh, and he's not a one legged chicken, lol, he was just standing on one foot.

Your last question has been answered many, many times but I realize it is hard to read back with so many posts!
Blue birds do not breed true to color. When breeding blue to blue, you will get 3 colors: blue, black, and splash. The blue gene dilutes black to blue. Two blue genes (homozygous blue) dilutes black even more to splash. If you breed your splash to your black, you will get all blues.

Black X Black = 100% Black
Black X Blue = 50% Black, 50% Blue
Black X Splash = 100% Blue
Blue X Blue = 50% Blue, 25% Black, 25% Splash
Splash X Splash = 100% Splash

I like your splash male. He looks to have a nice rounded chest, decent leg feathering, and really important--since this is such a problem in Marans--his tail set is not too high. He has a nice back angle. You can send him my way

Also, it has been stated that if you want to breed pure Black Copper, you should not use a Black Copper that is the result of Blue Copper mating. Apparently there are modifying genes present or absent that will mess up pure Black Copper breedings, making the black color less "black". Or so I have been told. I'm not a chicken color genetics expert. But you can use the black from blue matings in more blue matings if you want.

 

[Zanna]

I like your splash male. He looks to have a nice rounded chest, decent leg feathering, and really important--since this is such a problem in Marans--his tail set is not too high. He has a nice back angle. You can send him my way

X2! I really like this Cockeral as well, as a youngster he has the "type" we should be looking for in all our Marans males. Too many high tails/too long sickle feathers and incorrect back angles. Leg feathering looks a little light and the back of his comb looks a little funny but hard to tell from the angle and how he is holding his head. Can not see any DQ's. Also, I believe him to be a Copper Splash. He's a keeper for sure

 

[H Diamond]

Well, thanks! I appreciate you indulging my newbie questions, lol. I've had chickens for a bit, but just starting to look at them a little more as more than just my breakfast makers, lol. I added another picture of the cockerel... he's roughly 6 months old. He's huge though! He's just a little bigger than my hatchery Welsummer and Delaware roos that are over a year old.

The color on his neck is definitely copper, and the color on the rest of his body is a bluish/grey I believe.
He's also been fighting with the other roos, so I don't know if part of him is looking ragged because of that, lol.

 

[Zanna]

Well, thanks! I appreciate you indulging my newbie questions, lol. I've had chickens for a bit, but just starting to look at them a little more as more than just my breakfast makers, lol. I added another picture of the cockerel... he's roughly 6 months old. He's huge though! He's just a little bigger than my hatchery Welsummer and Delaware roos that are over a year old.

The color on his neck is definitely copper, and the color on the rest of his body is a bluish/grey I believe.
He's also been fighting with the other roos, so I don't know if part of him is looking ragged because of that, lol.

Look closely at the back of the right side of his comb. Enlarging the pic. it almost looks like a point that sticks straight out to the side. That would be a side sprig and is a DQ. Hereditable and a problem in the Marans. I Hope it is not there.

 

[H Diamond]

Look closely at the back of the right side of his comb. Enlarging the pic. it almost looks like a point that sticks straight out to the side. That would be a side sprig and is a DQ. Hereditable and a problem in the Marans. I Hope it is not there.

I'll check tonight when I get home from work. I *think* it's one that got messed up in a fight, but I will double check. Thank you for the info!

 

[H Diamond]

Oh! I found a pic from two months ago and the other side of his head.

 

[Zanna]

Oh! I found a pic from two months ago and the other side of his head.

Phew, looks good!!!

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

H Diamond, this is our splash copper cockerel around 8 months. He does have nice deep copper flecks, but they are hard to see in this bright sun set of photos. We really like his substance and depth and that wide open tail. Your cockerel looks very promising!

 

[H Diamond]

He's pretty !