Marans Thread for Posting Pics of Your Eggs, Chicks and Chickens

[ruth]

I just want to clarify that my term for my "Olive Eggers" of "Blue Copper Marans" was not an official breed term in any way. I should not have used it and did not mean to confuse or mislead anyone. I only call them the Blue Coppers because they are in the same pen with the Black Coppers and have the Black Coppers as their daddies so to distinguish between color, I sometimes refer to them as the Blue Coppers and the Black Coppers mostly because my DH has no idea who the "Olive Eggers" are or who lays what egg.

I'll try to always stick to calling them my Olive Eggers now because, as I posted, I do have official Blue Coppers from Whitmore Farms and was just commenting that they look very similar - except, of course, for the beautiful olive colored eggs which is why I bred these birds. They do all have slate legs and I'll have to take a look at combs and see if/how they differ.

Here's pics of one of the true, Blue Copper Marans I got from Whitmore Farms, along with one of the Welsumers I also bought from him.

Now here's some pics of the many Blue Olive Eggers that are running around my farm.

 

[drom]

I think you made it real clear in your original post that you were discussing your Olive Eggers.

Nice hens, I like the one sprinting across the lawn in the last pic

 

[drom]

elless wrote:

Hi
We just hatched out 6 Blue Copper Marans chicks and I'm wondering if there is a way to tell sex on them with coloring or wing feathers? Please see photo, I'll add more tomorrow.
Thanks, Lisa

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/38561_dscf0033.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/38561_dscf0001.jpg





Oh, I didn't see that post.

Lisa, check out your chick's feet and combs.

As babies, even if the cockerels combs aren't more prominent than the pullets, they should have brighter color. My pullets combs have no yellow/orangey color at all.

And with the BCMs anyway, the pullet's legs and tops of their feet should be darker. They are as adults and I never noticed before just recently that they were darker as chicks very early on. I would think it would be the same for the Blue Coppers, but I don't have any of the Blues.

 

[LydsZoo]

: bun

rabbits.

 

[4kidZ]

Quote:
I totally agree. Thank you for the info, too. Your olive eggers lay about the best color I've seen so far. You're a great inspiration to the Marans community, Ruth

~4kidZ

 

[4kidZ]

Quote:
In my experience, it's the same for the BLUES. But, of course, there is ALWAYS that EXCEPTION! LoL Those end up being my favorites

 

[ruth]

Quote:
I totally agree. Thank you for the info, too. Your olive eggers lay about the best color I've seen so far. You're a great inspiration to the Marans community, Ruth

~4kidZ

Thank you both. I just wanted to make sure that any newbie that might be researching Marans didn't get confused.

But, to add to the confusion......what will I get if I breed my pure Blue Copper Marans with my pure Black Copper Marans? The Blue Coppers are still young and I only have a couple. Will actually sent me two blues to fill out my order for Black Coppers since he didn't have enough Blacks. So if I can't breed them with the Blacks, I'll need to order more Blues since the two I have seem to be females.

As most everyone on here knows, I got involved with Black Copper Marans when Black Copper King came on and started selling them. I had been looking for some simply because I wanted the egg color. My goal was to acquire a beautiful Easter Basket of naturally colored eggs of every color. I knew nothing else about Marans other than the dark egg color. As such I bought my first flock of chicks and have been thrilled to get the dark eggs. However, I was disappointed that demand and prices suddenly skyrocketed about the same time and put a damper on my plans to just EAT the pretty eggs and give them away in my Easter Baskets I make and give to others. Guess I could have still done that. So I built a breeder pen and let them reproduce and started selling hatching eggs. Later I was able to buy Black Copper King's whole flock of original birds, including some that he bought directly from Wade and Kevin Jeane when they got rid of their flocks. I promised Mr. Jesse I would keep the groups he had together at least initially till they settled in. Even though I've been selling hatching eggs and chicks from that group, I hadn't, until recently, paid much if any attention to the breed standards or the French Breed Standards since I was still raising the birds for the beautiful bird and the beautiful egg. Now that I see that there are serious breeders and clubs dedicated to this bird I've started researching more and I can tell the differences in my birds. Some with different colored legs; different points of combs; different eye color; different stance, etc. Of course, there's always the demand for the darkest egg and the hen that lays the darkest eggs I get, probably an 8 on the scale, may or may not be in "Standard". So, first I'll need to separate the hens and see who is laying what because I have some in Jesse's flock that lay the really dark egg every day, consistently, day in and day out. Then I'll need to take a look at Standards and try and put those that best fit together in a breeding pen. All others will be turned loose and allowed to be total cage-free freeranging like all my other birds. I'm sure they'll have a lot more fun. Then I guess I'll begin the process of hatching egg from my breeder group and waiting to see what quality of chick it produces and whether or not that one will go into the breeding program.

So, those are my plans for the future and one day, who knows, you may just see me at one of the shows with my award winning flock.

For now, I really don't take it too seriously and am just enjoying the birds and the pretty eggs.

 

[onthespot]

You are off to a good start ruth. I would much rather start out with dark eggs and a couple extra points on a comb, than a perfect comb and light eggs! Combs are MUCH easier to fix than eggs. That blue rooster with the many pointed comb, it may not be correct to the standard, but I personlly find it just fantastic looking!!! It is like a piece of artwork all it's own.

 

[4kidZ]

Quote:
As usual, onthespot, you are, "ON THE SPOT". It cracks me up when someone offers eggs that are a 7 on the scale and someone asks if they are ALL feathered shanks. You want feathered shanks?? That's easy, but how 'bout THIS #7 egg?! Not so easy.

We also have to remember that even the TOP Marans breeders weren't so much worried about the points, the feathers, etc., until recently when the urge came about to be approved by the APA. Now it's a race for the best bird w/ the darkest egg!

Anyway, to answer your question, Ruth, I have 2 blue copper hens w/ a black copper rooster, and I have hatched out about 25% Blue coppers, and 75% black coppers SO FAR. And all of the blue coppers I have from their eggs have been male. I'll have to look at the genetic calculator for the official answer.

I did get ONE Black marans girl, but that may have been my black copper hen, that free-ranges w/ them. She could have layed a blue copper-looking egg. (My blue coppers are more spotted than my black copper). Which is very possible, as they refuse to use their own nest! The nest is always more comfortable on the other side, y'know!

I am working on a pure blue and black line, and have just added golden cuckoos, blue birchen, and blue wheatens to my Marans project! What was I thinking?? LoL

~4kidZ

 

[onthespot]

I am trying to do blue too, but not copper blue at this time. I have some blue marans and it seems some of the blue hens hide cuckoo... so I am selling those. I have some younger pullets that I will try next year with. They are clean legged. I had a black feather legged roo, but of course he died in the heat. He was going to have the best flock of them all! Any leads on a black or blue feather legged roo from dark eggs... feel free to hook me up.