Raising Black Copper Marans for hatching chicks

[BirdGirl2004]

Hey guys! I am wanting to raise some Black Copper Marans to incubate eggs and sell chicks. I have never done this before, and was wondering if there was any thing that I needed to know for breeding pairs and pens and different things. I've heard that Black Copper Marans come at a high price, and are pretty rare.
Anybody have any experience in the breeding field?? Thanks!

 

[oregonkat]

Black Copper Marans are not rare any more. Breeding to the SOP (Standard of Perfection) is, like with any other breed, complicated and takes a while. Are you planning on showing these or just selling the chicks as pet chickens? There are MANY sellers of BCM hatching eggs and, yes, they can be very expensive because everyone wants the darkest eggs they can get. It's the very dark eggs, 6, 7, 8 on the Marans scale that are rare! You can, of course, start with a breeding pair from a trusted breeder. There is a thread on BYC dedicated to raising Coppers.

Are you new to incubating? If so, I HIGHLY recommend ironing out all your kinks with cheaper eggs to start with so you know exactly what to expect with your incubator. Make sure you have calibrated, independent instruments apart from your incubator instruments so that you are sure about what is happening in there. BCM eggs can be tricky to incubate because they require slightly different humidity levels due to the thickness of the shell, especially really dark ones.

Over the years now, I have spent more money than I care to admit on raising these birds and the darkest I have managed to get my eggs is about a 6. It takes a long, long time and many generations of just the right genetics to get to the super darks.

 

[SimplyLivinthatFarmLife]

@BirdGirl2004 ..glad you asked that question because I was interested in breeding BCM for pets only though. Thanks for the information provided @oregonkat .

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi.

I raise French black and blue copper Marans. They are great birds, but I agree they are FAR from "rare". Sadly the only thing that makes a bird rare is whether or not you are willing to spend a little more than average on chicks.

Check out this link for LOT"S of good information...
http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/black-copper-marans.html

Marans eggs aren't tricky to incubate... maybe to candle though. I use "dry" incubation... keeping it around 20-30% humidity through day 18 and then 60-65% for hatch. I sell Silkies and Marans as fast as I can hatch them... for $9/ straight run chick. I sell my layers for the same value as ANY laying bird. Somewhere above that 9 up to $30 once they are laying.

Note that hens get their eggs shade from their sire and cockerels from their dames... being sure you have a darker laying rooster will make all the difference in your flock. Be sure to grow them out past 16 or 20 weeks because I have white feathers pop up now and then in the tail region on males. You wanna cull for things like comb sprigs and split wing.

And for the love of God... feeding high quality formulated ration makes a HUGE difference in your hatch-ability and the viability of chicks! These are dual purpose birds... don't raise them like layers. The need about 18% protein to do really well. And 22% protein was shown to give the best hatch rates. Keep low nutrient snacks like scratch to a minimum. It is empty calories without the added vitamins, minerals, and (importantly) amino acids... that ARE in formulated rations. I choose to feed Purina Flock Raiser with 20% protein and oyster shell on the side for layers. This works well and is a happy medium for my whole flock including roosters, chicks, juveniles, layers, broody's and so on. It is readily available at a price I can afford and usually has a recent mill date. $3 cheaper per bag at one store so shopping around can be worth while.

My eggs are around a 5 with occasional darker than that (and lighter). I am satisfied to maintain. Though SUPER dark is pretty... I'm sure it diminishes the amount of eggs laid.

The things my eye catches and my selection choices... have changed since year one as I become familiar with the breed. All the reading and information is nice... but experience really brings it all together.

The Marans are also PLENTY broody. Only laying 3 eggs or so per week... I don't do breeding pairs. I like to keep about 4-5 hens and I practice line breeding... done correctly you never have to worry about bringing in "new blood" or disease.

If selling is your goal... know your market. And know that getting a good breeding program going takes a lot more time than I would have thought, and it isn't uncommon for me to be a season behind my goals.

Also... running black/blue/splash together dilutes your black and blue to me, so I prefer keeping my colors separate if I'm doing more than one. And crossing a blue egger to a Marans does NOT equal a true Olive egger as many like to claim on their first generation crosses.

 

[oregonkat]

And crossing a blue egger to a Marans does NOT equal a true Olive egger as many like to claim on their first generation crosses.

I crossed my BCM with my CCL hen and got new pullets that just started laying me these eggs: That's mom's egg in the middle and one of my BCM pullets on the top. Pretty good olive color, no? Why would crossing a blue egg layer and a Marans not deliver an olive egger?
Great post BTW, lots of super info!

 

[BirdGirl2004]

Awesome! Thanks SOO much guys! I didn't realize that there was SOOO much involved with breeding copper marans
I honestly was just going to buy a rooster and a couple hens from somebody and start hatching them.... yikes.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

I wasn't going to show them... I was just going to raise them to sell.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

I was thinking... I have a jersey Giant roo, an was wondering if it would be easier to breed with jersey giant hens?? I was going to show them in the fair though...
Thoughts??

 

[Ursuline Chick]

@BirdGirl2004 ..glad you asked that question because I was interested in breeding BCM for pets only though. Thanks for the information provided @oregonkat .

@SimplyLivinthatFarmLife I have a 3 month old FBCM cockerel (can send a recent pic) just starting to feather out with his copper and tail feathers in adult colors, that I can not keep. If you are interested PM me as to where you are, he is full blooded, from good stock and I am giving him away to the right person. I also have a full blooded French Blue Copper Marans cockerel and may have a Splash cockerel. They are from Cypress Duck farm stock and hatched under one of my FBCM broodies. I am in New Orleans and willing to travel to meet you if you are interested. Would rather them have a good home, than send them to freezer camp. Thanks for considering this.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

I have a 3 month old FBCM cockerel (can send a recent pic) just starting to feather out with his copper and tail feathers in adult colors, that I can not keep. If you are interested PM me as to where you are, he is full blooded, from good stock and I am giving him away to the right person. I also have a full blooded French Blue Copper Marans cockerel and may have a Splash cockerel. They are from Cypress Duck farm stock and hatched under one of my FBCM broodies. I am in New Orleans and willing to travel to meet you if you are interested. Would rather them have a good home, than send them to freezer camp. Thanks for considering this.

Man... great offer but I live about 13hrs and 30 min from you Wish I could get them! Hoping you find them a home!