International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

Finally sitting down the last week to start going through this entire and I’m just on page 25 of the thread. WOW how lucky we are to have this thread with all of this information. I can’t wait to continue and learn. I’m keeping a list of questions in a book and marking them off as they get answered in the thread, but I have some planning questions

I’m making my plans for the fall when I want to finish setting up the beginning of my pens. I’ve got these three BCMs that lay 7 and 8 eggs. If my first goal is egg color and then standards, should I keep these hens in consideration, regardless of their type? I can take some updated photos of the hens at 28 weeks.

Is mixing BBS in not advisable for egg color?

if I brought in someone else’s dark egg line, I’ll go backwards in egg color and who knows what else? I should stick with the same line? Just wondering if I should take as much time to find a new line to mix with these hens or stick with what I’ve got....

What is the preferred age for evaluating cockerels? Pullets can be evaluated once they lay to include egg color in the analysis?

first of all .you can t build you line base on some body else line .especially if the line is not perfect and has too many flows .
you line come from a breeder who breed only for dark eggs . not conformation .maybe they don t know the SOP .
bringing different rooster to your 3 pullets will help a lot especially if he is from dark egg layer flock .
you have a dark egg genes in there so keep you mind open for the rooster if he come from less dark egg as long as he has a correct conformation and correct /complete body pattern .
your pullets are a good starting base ,I know they have flows but they lay dark egg . great trait to have in the start of building any marans line .
good age to select cockerels is 6 months . late maturing 9 months or more .
final selection for excellent breeding practice is 18 months after they first adult molt .

chooks man

 

[jolenesdad]

Opinions here? I had a seemingly totally healthy bird dead this morning when we went out to the coop. It looks to me like a heart attack. Neck bent to the ground, wings outstretched.

ive recently decided to necropsy any death to ensure I’m managing my flock as best as possible. Would you necropsy a one-off death or wait for two in a short time period?

 

[RoosterML]

Opinions here? I had a seemingly totally healthy bird dead this morning when we went out to the coop. It looks to me like a heart attack. Neck bent to the ground, wings outstretched.

ive recently decided to necropsy any death to ensure I’m managing my flock as best as possible. Would you necropsy a one-off death or wait for two in a short time period?

I had a necropsy done to find out why the bird died. Otherwise your always wondering what happen. Luckily I am next to UCONN and they do them for cheap. It ended up being from mold. Which I believe he picked up while free ranging around the yard in the mulch beds. Ever since I fenced in 1 acre with no mulch beds. Have not had an issue since.

 

[Chooks man]

This is why I love this thread and am so thankful for your years of work to educate and share knowledge . I have no interest in showing my birds and participating in that world. It seems to be a bit political at times. I remember like two years ago when I first got interested in marans I came here to ask which club I should join and what the heck the differences were in the two US clubs.... and you told me “you don’t have to be a member of a club to breed a good marans.”

I m happy you took my advice .
I m not part of any Club or Facebook or any thing based on politic .
I just focus in breeding my marans to a best of my ability . I know those birds inside out more than any thing in my life .
you have a good start .if you are willing to put the work needed . you will breed a great looking marans in few years time .
secret is do not rush thing up just to get it going .take your time and shop for a line to get your cockerel .
need to find breeder who breed for conformation . get eggs from them .hatch them and see all the process of them growing like you did with your pullets. you know your pullets very well . so a same thing has to be done with cockerel .that will help you a lot .
If you can find a mature correct cockerel than it is a gift .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Opinions here? I had a seemingly totally healthy bird dead this morning when we went out to the coop. It looks to me like a heart attack. Neck bent to the ground, wings outstretched.

ive recently decided to necropsy any death to ensure I’m managing my flock as best as possible. Would you necropsy a one-off death or wait for two in a short time period?

if you want to be sure you ,have to do it to the first dead bird you find .
look like heart attack to me , but what cause it .

sorry to hear that .happen to me many time .bird just drop dead in front of me .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

I had a necropsy done to find out why the bird died. Otherwise your always wondering what happen. Luckily I am next to UCONN and they do them for cheap. It ended up being from mold. Which I believe he picked up while free ranging around the yard in the mulch beds. Ever since I fenced in 1 acre with no mulch beds. Have not had an issue since.

nice to know what is a problem with your birds before get too serious and too late .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Now my youngest cockerels are 7 months old and the oldest are 10 1/2 months old ,I did make my final selection 2 days ago .
got ready { butchered } 17 . kept only the best of each line ..
here the final number in each pen.
Black Mamba pen =6 = 3 solid Black and 3 cuckoos plus BM
Golden Boy pen =8 = 3 dominant white .1 Golden cuckoo . 1 solid black .1 Birchen . 2 Merneck .1 BC rooster Philip. and GB
Day Walker pen =12= 2 Red Pyle .1 Blue wheaten . 1 Red . 2 dark cuckoo S/s+.1 dominant white { White Manba }. 4 Marneck .1 CLB and DW . this pen has more cockerels than the rest .
Khabib pen =5= 1 BTB .1 yellow buff . 1 BC split Wheaten . 1 Blue tail red .1 Blue wheaten and Khabib .
Frank pen =5= 1 Red Pyle .1 BC . 2 Blue copper .1 Marneck and FR
BlackGen pen =8= 3 Splash copper. 1 BC .4 BLC and BG { Black copper rooster}
Pullets pen = 3 late maturing cockerel 2 BLC and 1 BC
shed pen = 2 BLC
Total cockerels final selection is = 49 plus the 7 adult roosters .
all those cockerels I will keep then till they adult molt . I will test mate them before that .

need to find a compatible pairs to work with .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

BC pullet 7 months old group#6 . excellent body type and hackle marking .gorgeous rich copper .she is camera shy .
she is the one in far back on the last photo. she look like the old school marans hen .stunning .
named her Harmony
she is well bred .her parent where not mine but I designed the mating and I bought the fertile eggs 100 of them to come up with this beauty . best BC I have in the farm . not sure her eggs yet , I will be happy with #4 minimum . you can t have perfect bird ?.maybe ?.hoping ?.but not expecting .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Excellent type pullets .lay dark #6 egg .but she has a worst comb in mu farm .
I like her and I will breed her for sure . love her stand .I m always looking for bird with a good stand .full deep chest lifted from the ground .not too high .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

here a BLC pullets group#6 . .great body type and great walker . she is the largest pullet in the farm . very long/wide /heavy and close the the ground from the rear .well developed abdomen and deep chest .
she is a proper old school marans .
not great for body color will be bred to the solid Black cockerel . his sister lay dark oval eggs .so all good .

she will be a great help to my Solid Black line .they all come from 1st sibling mating .need to add a good stuff to them .

chooks man