Pink, Do you think the older hens are keeping him submissive? He has been with his girls for about 6 weeks now. The freezer camp boys are young too and aren't crowing yet. I need to go out and get some pictures of him so y'all can critique him.
Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!
- Thread starter Wynette
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If he has been in there for 6 weeks now then it must be the older girls keeping him on his toes and in line, good call!
But never fear.. once he figures it out you will hear his proud songs and suddenly he will seem all grown up.
If he has been in there for 6 weeks now then it must be the older girls keeping him on his toes and in line, good call!
- Oct 27, 2011
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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.
Thank you and thanks for your help!
So, my Black Copper Is really a Birchen? Is that defining characteristic between the black copper and birchen the gold on his neck vs. the copper on the bcm? That is the only difference that I saw when looking at Birchen pictures. Is it possible then that my hen that is in the 3rd picture is a Birchen as well. She was sold to me with both the roosters but again...I was told that the rooster was a black copper and isn't so maybe the hen is not a black copper either? How can I know the difference on the hen? What is roach back? I tried searching it out, but all I find is that it is a deformation in the back... Yes, his eyes are really that dark. :-( Are the birchens crossed with other marans too like the blue copper with a black copper to get a mixed hatching?
Next question, are the birchen marans as popular (well, as must have) as the black and blue copper? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on them on the web. :-(
We bought these without having a clue what a marans was...a hatchery was just selling the 3 as a straight run and they were our 3-6 chickens as we were just getting started and had a mixed flock for egg laying. Then I quickly became ADDICTED to my stinkin chickens (as I see most of you have
and we want to breed some. So, I probably need a different blue copper rooster to pair up with my black copper hens and then out of that hatching I should get some blue and some black chicks, right?
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.
Thank you and thanks for your help!
So, my Black Copper Is really a Birchen? Is that defining characteristic between the black copper and birchen the gold on his neck vs. the copper on the bcm? That is the only difference that I saw when looking at Birchen pictures. Is it possible then that my hen that is in the 3rd picture is a Birchen as well. She was sold to me with both the roosters but again...I was told that the rooster was a black copper and isn't so maybe the hen is not a black copper either? How can I know the difference on the hen? What is roach back? I tried searching it out, but all I find is that it is a deformation in the back... Yes, his eyes are really that dark. :-( Are the birchens crossed with other marans too like the blue copper with a black copper to get a mixed hatching?
Next question, are the birchen marans as popular (well, as must have) as the black and blue copper? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on them on the web. :-(
We bought these without having a clue what a marans was...a hatchery was just selling the 3 as a straight run and they were our 3-6 chickens as we were just getting started and had a mixed flock for egg laying. Then I quickly became ADDICTED to my stinkin chickens (as I see most of you have
and we want to breed some. So, I probably need a different blue copper rooster to pair up with my black copper hens and then out of that hatching I should get some blue and some black chicks, right?
- Sep 28, 2008
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Birchen are rare. They have a tendancy toward laying a much lighter egg. Lots of ppl like them... the silver birchen are very pretty.
I agree with Pink on the blue rooster.... He looks "gamey" also. I would use a rooster with "good substance" and a must is good eye color. Nothing good can be produced with that male. I do not have the same feeling about the birchen. He could be useful with the right females... especially if you want to know what genes lie underneath. He would tell you if your bc hens were carrying birchen... Both parents have to have it for it to show up. If you try to weed out birchen you can use this male to do it.
I agree with Pink on the blue rooster.... He looks "gamey" also. I would use a rooster with "good substance" and a must is good eye color. Nothing good can be produced with that male. I do not have the same feeling about the birchen. He could be useful with the right females... especially if you want to know what genes lie underneath. He would tell you if your bc hens were carrying birchen... Both parents have to have it for it to show up. If you try to weed out birchen you can use this male to do it.
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This is my young sissy BCM roo. LOL
Feel free to critique. He will be my flock rooster for now. He may not be SOP for BCM but his personality is turning out to be ideal for my small group of girls.
And just for fun....here are some of my young marans.
Splash:
Pretty sure this is a young bcm roo.
My Blues were being shy so I couldn't get any decent pictures of them.
Feel free to critique. He will be my flock rooster for now. He may not be SOP for BCM but his personality is turning out to be ideal for my small group of girls.
And just for fun....here are some of my young marans.
Splash:
Pretty sure this is a young bcm roo.
My Blues were being shy so I couldn't get any decent pictures of them.
Meeting all the Marans folks at Crossroads including Bev Davis and her spectacular dark eggs - including one from a bantam Marans. Edgar Mongold did a presentation with the birds. Teaching us what to look for with the various colours and LOTS of sprigs! Lots of bad combs too!!
LOADS of Wheatens. I'm taking lots of pictures. I likely won't get those uploaded until I get home. Just waiting for Wynette to arrive and then we're heading back to the show. CRAZY place. 10,276 birds in all, I believe. Also got to see a pair of Edgar's bantam BCMs. Got pictures of those too that I will share.
- Sep 28, 2008
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Thanks BG!!! I will be watching the post.
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thanks for bein willing to be our "reporter" for the Crossroads! I sooo can't wait to see pics of everything!
thanks for bein willing to be our "reporter" for the Crossroads! I sooo can't wait to see pics of everything!
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I'm so glad some people from the Marans group are gonna be taking pics at Crossroads. I am really looking forward to seeing the birds!!!
I had fun playing 'reporter' when I went to Newnan show last year. I wish there was another big show closer to Florida. Are you guys getting any snow up there at the show?
VIcki, I'm glad you got one of those little b*$t@rd$!! I'm sure the others will be back soon as they get hungry enough. I hope you get them too. I know there is still one around here that comes up on the patio looking for catfood. We have a motion detected security light that goes off and we go out there and see it running away. I need to set a trap on the porch. It also looks into the nestbox I have set up there for the freerangers. I have to keep the eggs picked up or he eats them and comes back for more. Its always something lol.
It rained good here this morning so all the runs are wet and yucky again. I sure do need to get these runs permanently covered. Least it cleared up for the FL Vs. GA football game lol.
I had fun playing 'reporter' when I went to Newnan show last year. I wish there was another big show closer to Florida. Are you guys getting any snow up there at the show?
VIcki, I'm glad you got one of those little b*$t@rd$!! I'm sure the others will be back soon as they get hungry enough. I hope you get them too. I know there is still one around here that comes up on the patio looking for catfood. We have a motion detected security light that goes off and we go out there and see it running away. I need to set a trap on the porch. It also looks into the nestbox I have set up there for the freerangers. I have to keep the eggs picked up or he eats them and comes back for more. Its always something lol.
It rained good here this morning so all the runs are wet and yucky again. I sure do need to get these runs permanently covered. Least it cleared up for the FL Vs. GA football game lol.
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thats so true....just never ends. i'm ready for those suckers....soon as i shut up the cats in the barn tonight ill bait the traps again and set them along the route they took down the fenceline from the old cemetary next door and see if i can snag them...the only thing i caught after we got that one was our neighbors crazy wild cat.... they came less than two hours after it was dark...so they must be hungry indeed....ill be battoning down the hatches when the sun starts fading....got the gun loaded with the safety on just inside the backdoor and extra bullets in my coat pocket...im not playin....
hows things down your way today?
thats so true....just never ends. i'm ready for those suckers....soon as i shut up the cats in the barn tonight ill bait the traps again and set them along the route they took down the fenceline from the old cemetary next door and see if i can snag them...the only thing i caught after we got that one was our neighbors crazy wild cat.... they came less than two hours after it was dark...so they must be hungry indeed....ill be battoning down the hatches when the sun starts fading....got the gun loaded with the safety on just inside the backdoor and extra bullets in my coat pocket...im not playin....
hows things down your way today?
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