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

[ruth]

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Thanks so much. That's very kind. I have NO idea what a blue copper should look like. I didn't actually order these. I ordered 5 Black Copper Marans and I got 3 BCM and 2 blues - luckily I ended up with a male and a female. I'm not sure what to do with them now. I guess I could breed them to some Black Coppers as well as each other. Right now, they are hiding out in my carport staying out of the freezing weather. They freerange with everyone else. The female was up in a tree when I tried to take the pics.

I do love Will's birds and his farm is like a cathedral

how did his Black Copper turn out for you Ya build that big boy a breeding pen and put some black copper ladies in there with him they will make great babies!

Well, actually....here's the roo - no copper at all. There wasn't any copper in any of them and only a hint of leg feathering.

I don't want to start any trouble and I'm not complaining. But, I don't think these are Black Copper Marans. I thought they might be regular Black Marans and maybe he had messed up the order, but his site doesn't mention Black Marans.

I know he contacted us and said that he had a delay/backorder for the Black Coppers and did I want him to leave them off the order or just fill in with more Welsummers. We said we could wait but he sent the order anyway. There were to be 25 Welsummers and 5 Black Copper Marans. I could tell right away there were three possible Black Coppers and that the other two were definitely Blue.

But I LOVE my Blue Coppers and I guess I'll breed him to some Black Coppers from my own line.

 

[ruth]

Here's the Blue Copper female - up in a tree so it's hard to see:

 

[hcammack]

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I do love Will's birds and his farm is like a cathedral

how did his Black Copper turn out for you Ya build that big boy a breeding pen and put some black copper ladies in there with him they will make great babies!

Well, actually....here's the roo - no copper at all. There wasn't any copper in any of them and only a hint of leg feathering.

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x204/chicklady/bcmroo-1.jpg

I don't want to start any trouble and I'm not complaining. But, I don't think these are Black Copper Marans. I thought they might be regular Black Marans and maybe he had messed up the order, but his site doesn't mention Black Marans.

I know he contacted us and said that he had a delay/backorder for the Black Coppers and did I want him to leave them off the order or just fill in with more Welsummers. We said we could wait but he sent the order anyway. There were to be 25 Welsummers and 5 Black Copper Marans. I could tell right away there were three possible Black Coppers and that the other two were definitely Blue.

But I LOVE my Blue Coppers and I guess I'll breed him to some Black Coppers from my own line.

In all honesty Will does have problems with his line just like anyone does but that is a pretty extrem example of that. ( I am not Will and I am saying this off the record by the way) I have talked to him and he said that he prefers to have no copper lacing in the breasts of his hens so he went about breeding that out and apparently over compensated because at one point (when you got your chicks I guess) His flock was producing a % of plain blue and black coppers. When I talked to him about this he said it was really bad but he has culled back in the other direction now and is getting some fantastic birds from his flock. I have seen the best Blue coppers I have ever seen running in his flock his black copper are also looking much better and egg color was looking good last time I was out there. Are you planning on breeding his wellsummers they are fantastic are you happy with the egg color you are getting from them? I was super pleased with the eggs mine were laying when I had them almost as dark as Marans but with speckles.

Remember I am not Will so this is just what I have heard don't go spreading it please and I am defently Baised

but he is trying his best just like everyone else with marans and his flock is looking much better now.

 

[ruth]

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You know, I don't know if it's the freeranging or the fact they are eating two 50 pound bags a day of scratch and assorted feed but all of my roos are big - 12-15 pounders. I don't handle any of my birds and I don't have any mean roos. I could pick them up if I had to but they normally like to stay a step ahead of me. I think he has/had slight feathering on his legs but I'd have to go look. I think he only has stubs left right now.

Here's one of my very first Black Copper Marans chicks that hatched from my first flock. I had separated them and left them separated for 3 weeks before I hatched their eggs. This guy hatched and within days was so much bigger than his brothers/sisters. I can only assume that he had to be a mix - but of what I have no idea - I'm thinking my huge Black Orpington might be the daddy. Talk about big.....

 

[ruth]

Hi Henry - thanks for the info on Will's birds. I'm not disappointed. I really only ordered them to mix with my lines but that was before I realized I should probably just keep my line pure. I've never said a word about it before now and I sure don't want to cause him any problems.

I love the Welsummers and have posted pics of them and their eggs on that thread. There's one of the Welsummer females in the pic I just posted above. They just started laying. Here's their eggs - beautiful:

They lay their eggs under my carport - in fact, right beside that big red toolbox. That huge BCM/mix male has taken to at least one of the Welsummer females so he sits there on that black tool box, by the nest, and keeps guard over them while they lay. If you look closely you can see a hen down there. No other roo bothers him or his girls - can't figure out why

 

[kathyinmo]

Ruth, I think the big guy does look Orpish! Hey, would that be sooo cool ... you could produce dark Orp eggs ! LOL

 

[onthespot]

WOW! That's a big guy! Looks like an orp cross. I have one little bantam cochin x marans pullet nearing point of lay. My neice set down the banty roo in the wrong pen for just a second before I saw him and said Oh No as he bred a hen! Those buggers don't waste a second do they!!! She was the only mix out of that oopsie... kinda cute hen. really sweet, with her head set back like a cochin, and a rounded butt.

 

[ruth]

He is a big guy and a sweetie too. He pretty much keeps to himself and his little gang of female Welsummers. His tail is about three feet long.

 

[hcammack]

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How cool would it be is she laid dark eggs

Thats so funny I can just imagine that happening.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

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I dont have a yahoo account can you post the pics? or the best or most interesting ones?

Sent ya an email!!