want to find TOP QUALITY Black Cooper Marans Breeder who ships CHICKS!

[crazy4eggsJulie]

We are searching for a REPUTABLE breeder of Black Copper Marans that will ship no more than a dozen CHICKS to Texas. (not eggs!)

Not interested in Bev's or Valentine's...I was hoping to buy directly from Wade Jeane so there would be no surprises or deception in the transaction but someone told me he does not have the line anymore.

Does anyone out there have his first generation birds by chance? If so, are you willing to sell their offspring for an affordable price?

We are just a family. We have 2 handfuls of chickens in various breeds. They are like pets (we have 4 kids) and they are "babied" worse than cats and dogs! We got chickens for the eggs and will hopefully have a great rainbow of colors to choose from when they start laying. My 10 year old is a little entrepreneur and hopes to sell the extra eggs he collects to his Nana's friends. I LOVE those chocolate eggs! I want the REALLY dark ones though. I am aware that they lighten as the cycle goes on, but many people are mis-advertising their eggs/chicks. I don't know WHO to trust!

We simply cannot afford to be "taken." I want to buy from someone who can guarantee that they have top quality birds. No mixed pens. Please contact me, if this is you or if you have had an awesome experience with a breeder.

I also love the golden cuckoos, but would only want a trio of those.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Try Little Gem Hatchery in GA. I believe their stock is from Whitmore Farms but they can tell you and are really great to work with. I have some from them and they are extremely healthy stock and I have gotten birds from many different breeders and hatcheries.
They also have Golden Cuckoos, which I also have gotten from them. I like the egg color and have no complaints about them whatsoever, which I can't say about others I have purchased from.

 

[jqs birds]

There is an auction on Eggbid right now for black copper marans chicks. .

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Quote:
Thank you. Yes, I've been watching but have heard so many "horror stories" of online purchases of misleading egg color... I don't know who is reputable out there...

 

[ruth]

Hi Julie - I posted the following on one of your many other threads about this topic and thought it relevent here also. In that thread you had dismissed yet another breeder and in this one seems Bev and Valentines also bit the dust and aren't good enough.

"Julie - you are new here on BYC and I'm not quite sure what you are up to. You claim to only want a few BC Marans for "pets" but then have trashed one breeder after another for everything from defective birds to egg color. You claim to know nothing about chickens and have a dozen threads asking everything from (can they be in 100 degree full sun with no shade all day) to (how loud and how often do the roos crow) - BUT you want only the best of the best of B.C. Marans and through several threads you have eliminated one reputable breeder after another. Maybe the reason the breeder referenced above got "tacky" with you is the same reason I've just declined selling to you - because you have sent a dozen PMs asking everything from basic information to wanting to be sure you get perfect chicks and black eggs.

Here's a quote from the PM that finally made me decide NOT to sell to you.

If you don't mind, my husband has a few concerns I would appreciate it if you could address...he wants to be sure that we will not receive any chicks with flaws, webbed feet, defects, etc. I just assumed that breeders do not send chicks flawed in any way, but he said I should be sure and ask first.

If you are not trolling on here then I would suggest, as I did in my PM, that you research raising chickens. After you have raised chickens for a while, (normal, everyday, run of the mill "cheap" chickens) then maybe consider B.C. Marans. But, in the meantime, please stop posting these threads and trashing reputable breeders and claiming they are all misleading about their flock and their egg color. Until you've raised B. C. Marans you really have no idea what all this breed entails. Standards are still being set and improved upon and argued about. If you are only wanting solid black eggs I would suggest food color/easter egg dye."

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Quote:
Thank you. Yes, I've been watching but have heard so many "horror stories" of online purchases of misleading egg color... I don't know who is reputable out there...

The only sure way to know their egg color is to get eggs. They may show you pictures of eggs, but you never know if they are really from their birds.

 

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Ruth-
Wow I am shocked! I don't even know where to start. EVERYTHING I have said is absolutely true. I am honest and open about the fact that we are brand new to the chicken world. I have never even once pretended to act like I know what I am doing. I am just trying my best to research and learn as much as I can. When you read my post you should have clearly seen that we LOVE our chickens and treat them like pets. We're having a blast! Naturally, like everyone else trying to get fun colors of eggs in their flock, I ran across the marans breed and LOVED the eggs that can be so dark they look like they are made of chocolate. How fun is that?!?! But, there is SO MUCH feedback out their about good and bad breeders, etc. You breeders are CHARGING TOP DOLLAR for these eggs and chicks. Who in the world wouldn't ask a few questions to make sure they are legitimate? And who wants to pay so much money and not get what they paid for because someone cares so much about making money that they are willing to deceive others and alter photos representing what their hens lay? I have nothing to hide...but I can't help but wonder when someone gets SO DEFENSIVE when I ask if the chicks I get won't have defects like webbed feet or crippled legs. Why is that not a fair and valid question? My husband and I were reading a thread where someone commented about receiving problem chicks from a reputable breeder on here. They PM'd me and said to specifically state that I do not want defects or I could possibly be sent some. I said "I assumed breeders wouldn't" in a kind way-(like I am certain these real breaders aren't going to ruin their reputation by sending flawed chicks) I wasn't implying that YOU would. My husband said I better ask just to be sure. We were having to pay you $145 for only 12 chicks. One would think that $145 would buy you a few questions. Maybe I should have asked if anyone knows a reputable breeder who actually cares about people and helping them get started-not just the paypal payment.
I never said the Davis Line or Valentine lines weren't good enough either. Never even came close. Simply said those aren't the lines I am interested in. I wanted Wade Jeane lines because of all the posts, this seems to be the line with the most satisfied owners. My post about the other breeder is not ugly. It is 100% factual and I went to GREAT LENGTHS to word things kindly so as not to be ugly-just truthful. My problem with her had nothing to do with asking questions. She was actually kind enough to answer my questions without telling me she didn't have time for me. She simply did not get my email and didn't hold my birds for me. She thought I just dropped out of the conversation. When she saw that I had indeed sent her my order and that it somehow got lost in cyberspace she sent a long aplogy note that was very nice. I would have gone through with the sale if people had not have contacted me in the meantime and told me they were not pleased with her egg color. I have the right to listen to others and make choices accordingly. I did not bash her in any way and if you will read the posts I even came to her defense! Just don't want to waste my money. Don't have enough of it! Also--I have no idea why you are saying I want black eggs? What kind of chicken lays BLACK eggs? I've never heard of it and I've never asked for it. I said I like the DARK ones. I clearly told you in my email that I am not interested in FLAWLESS chicks. Just not deformities please.
see a portion of the email:
Oh Ruth,
you don't have to worry about me. I won't be any trouble. I have NO PLANS whatsoever to show the birds. I don't even know most of the standards. We are just brand new to this whole thing and don't know how everything works. We've never purchased from a breeder before. My husband wanted to make sure we asked questions before we jumped into an expensive purchase. We were asking about the major defects like webbed toes, cripplped legs...obvious deformities. Not tails or colors. I don't even know what they are supposed to look like. I absolutely understand that you cannot afford to replace a single chick, etc. I think he meant more if several arrived dead.

I am very sad to find out that you have this kind of heart and attitude. There is no way you will be able to prosper with wonderful Mr. Jesse Bryant's flock. You may have bought his birds, but you definitely didn't buy his reputation and will never be able to uphold it treating people the way you do. For all of you out there that are reading this...here are the so called posts that I wrote that "TRASHED REPUTABLE BREEDERS" according to "RUTH"

#1 No need for any more answers. Deal went VERY SOUR. An email got lost in cyberspace. When I contacted her about it, she was completely unprofessional and hurtful in her comments. Really Tacky.
Thanks for saving me from a HUGE mistake guys!

THIS IS THE KINDEST wording to tell the truth I could come up with!
She WAS hurtful. SHE was UNPROFFESSIONAL. IT was tacky! I could have said it alot worse!
Keep reading though...same thread...

#2 Well, after I sent a copy of the email, etc. she did email me and apologize and offer to go on with the sale, (which was nice) but now I don't know WHAT to do!!!! We have been searching and searching for someone locally and finally found her. So, I REALLY wanted to buy from her. But-I want dark eggs and good stock and of course want to work with a professional. So, I'm TORN!

#3 Yes. My first impression of her was great as well. And I think she probably is a good person. She didn't get an email response from me for some reason (perhaps it went to her spam folder) and it caused a misunderstanding. She did not handle it like a professional. However-in her defense-when we got to the bottom of it-she apologized and offered to complete the sale. This made me feel alot better about it all. It takes a big person to apologize. I'm still considering it, but uncomfortable because of some of the things she said to me. I was really hurt at first, but can't judge her because we are all dealing with different things at different times in life. Sounded like she's under quite a bit of stress right now. I actually posted the question on here before the misunderstanding so that I could get some feedback about the egg color. It's SO HARD to know who to trust out there. It's also difficult to weigh the feedback as we all have our own idea of how dark the eggs should be.

and finally...the SUPER destructive one...
#4 Not interested in Bev's or Valentine's.

I don't see how any of these four comments have trashed anybody? I think it is wrong of you to blow things out of porportion. BYC members, look into it for yourself.

 

[JewellFarm]

I am in the process of getting eggs from Ruth now, and she is super friendly and nice. She always promptly answers my e-mails, etc. I think your wording could have been a little different and tho you may have meant things one way, you were taken another way. At any rate Ruth is now the owner of Jesse's flock and she has wonderful birds.

As far as the egg coloration issue, you do realize that as the egg laying season progresses the eggs lighten in color? If you don't want to spend a lot of money, maybe buying hatching eggs would be a good secondary route for you to take. You may have some hatch with better characteristics than others, but you will continually strive to improve your flock as others do.

Also, I would recommend doing research on the breed. Figure out the standards you are looking for and ask for pictures. If you see that is not what you are looking for then kindly say thank you but no thank you and continue with your search. I do understand what you are saying about spending the money and wanting quality, but you are just going to have to do your research to find out what is best for you. I have seen a lot of bickering back and forth on here over BCM's, so yes it is a touchy subject for some, and understandably so for Ruth who now has one of the top flocks around, IMO.

It is my understanding that Wade Jean no longer has BCM's. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. At any rate, good luck with your search.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I have had my frustrations with BCMs. I have spent over 375$ between live chicks and eggs and only have ONE hen that is decent for breeding!!! Only one! Geesh. I have only bought from members on here that were recommended to me. I understand someone being very outright about it. We all take things differently and perceive them differently than others mean them sometimes....... GOOD LUCK to you though! It is work and patience and money to find good ones worth breeding

All in the process.....

 

[EweSheep]

BCM are a work of their own. It takes time and money and dedication to have it breed for consisently in future generation. After all, its fairly new and alot of times, even Bev quoted, there will be some inconsistency in the breed because it takes the genetics and knowledge to perfect the colors, type and dark egg colors.

Good luck in finding one!