Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Quote:
The offspring from the BCM x Splash will be 100% Blue Copper, breed those babies back to the sire (Splash) and yes you would then get 50% blue and 50% Splash.

so I would breed them back to a Blue son?

If I follow you right, as far as egg color is concerned, YES.
Splash and Blue Marans tend to lay a lighter egg than the BCM's, no one knows for sure why this happens but that is how it works and the way that it is, I suspect that it has everything to do with lighter feather color (blue or splash) as previously thought by others and that it is not just a coincidence. I think Bev commented on the Splash and Blue feather color and its contributions to the lighter egg color, but I can't remember exactly what she said.

If your splash roo came from a dark egg I wouldn't hesitate in using him to make blue coppers, but you still may lose some egg color and most likely will.
For darker egg color in breeding blues and splashes IMO, it is very important to keep BCM's in the mix, I have found that crossing....blue to bcm, splash to bcm is very helpful as far as egg color, I have also found in blue and splash birds that have been produced from splash to splash or blue to splash matings lay a lighter egg.
Continued backcrossing of the birds produced from the blue to black or splash to black crosses that hatched from the darkest eggs is needed to improve upon or maintain current egg color in the B/B/S and Copper B/B/S varieties IMO.

but I don't want my birds to get pale and washed out colorwise

Concerning feather color.
This is where keeping Black Coppers (or Black) in the breeding program of B/B/S helps out. IMO using a Black Copper (when breeding for the copper variety or using a solid black if breeding for the solid variety) in the pen keeps the colors and lacing more vivid and crisp.
The best example of the lighter blue birds are achieved IMO from blue to blue or blue to splash with even coloration throughout the body and continuing down the leg, but they can they wash out or pale with the continued breeding of blue to blue, splash to blue. When I see this and I start to lose the crisp lacing...I mix it up again and breed a BCM to a Splash which is what I am working on now.


Hope this makes sense and hope it helped answer your questions.

Most importantly if I have misguided you I hope someone more versed will give their thoughts and opinions and correct me if I am off base.
My apologies for any spelling errors......computer just isn't the same since the "crash" and some functions are not working.
Like how I blame it on the 'puter????

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Here in the US, Brown Red females should have copper on the top part of the breast. Most of the BCM's I have seen are pretty dark and tend to lack the copper on the throat or top of the breast. Now....this is just what I have seen at the last few shows I attended. One was the first qualifying meet for the BCM's. This coloring of the females seems to match the proposed SOP description.

I was incorrect about no shade of slate being listed for the leg color. It says: Dark Slate, bottom of feet pinkish white.

Walt

 

[Lotsapaints]

Thanks so much I've yet to have a great Black Copper Roo heck I'd be happy with an average one...I have one that's looking better though and it's the comb that's his worst fault so far I'm just trying to get the "balance" part thanks so much to everyone I think the fog is breaking up a bit

.
On another subject those little black hens I have one who has bantams? I think she'd work for that maybe I should throw her in the Silkie pen wouldn't that look cool a silkied marans

 

[Wynette]

Great conversation today! You're all in good form this morning!! NEATO!

Hey, Don (Snowbird) - thanks for you comment on my hen - you said if she's got too much copper in her breast, that is not called mossy? What is it called? I don't think she has any copper tips in her body/wings/legs, just chest. I honestly haven't looked that closely at her, as she's a bit smallish (which I cull for) and doens't have the solid black breast (I also cull for that), so into the layer pen she went. Anywho - what is that called if they have too much copper on their chest, but not anywhere else?

 

[pinkchick]

edited because I'm complete dorf and mis- read what you were asking Lotsa.....I will edit other post and respond there.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Yes.

Don't let Splash confuse you......it is basically just an extension of blue so to speak, but a universal tool in the B/B/S world of genetics.
A person can make lots of blue chickens with a splash bird.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
What you have is a female with too much lacing on the chest. They should have a small amount of lacing on neck and top of chest. This female would work with a male that is a little dark, I would go with a Mahogany male. If you check out the Kip chart the Black copper and the Brown Red are two different birds.

I have really culled for size on my BC Marans female and this years pullets really show the improvement in width and type, I still get a lot of small and narrow, I know longer have to use the small and narrow in my breeding, No white feathers in tail and wing.

 

[Debbi]

Thanks Walt!

Thanks Pink!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
So, maybe your friend could work with us to import some REAL FRENCH BCM . . . .

Maybe they have ones without white feathers, with the five point comb, tail feathers at 45 degree or less, AND AND AND lays a really dark egg . . . .

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR FRIEND LIKE YA ? ? ? ?

MathAce, Have you ever tried to pull a rabbit out of a hat? The BCM's breeders over there have the same issues we have here and if my friends did have the perfect bird, they don't like me that much to give it up!

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Here in the US, Brown Red females should have copper on the top part of the breast. Most of the BCM's I have seen are pretty dark and tend to lack the copper on the throat or top of the breast. Now....this is just what I have seen at the last few shows I attended. One was the first qualifying meet for the BCM's. This coloring of the females seems to match the proposed SOP description.

I was incorrect about no shade of slate being listed for the leg color. It says: Dark Slate, bottom of feet pinkish white.

Walt

The BC female have been well represented on BYC. Ruth, has showed some picture of the Female that are colored real good. For the most part some of mine are dark this year since I really concentrated on type and size, will work more on the color this year as I have enough decent female to make color breedings.