International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[bigsurfwaves]

Helpful post - thank you. I want dark eggs and various shades, unique plumage that is different than most dark layers and olive egger crosses. I obviously want to keep wheatens and BC separate but I'd like advice on whether the blue copper, splash or golden cuckoo should be put in the BCM or Wheaten pen. I can tell the eggs apart and can ;likely improve egg color with any of the crosses. I'd like the ability to sex the chicks and plan to do that with the golden cuckoo offspring. I am just wondering what I may get with some of the crosses and how desirable they may look. I knew blue wheatens was a possible project but wasn't sure what else might be possible

Plan 1: Breed BCM to SOP - keep separate
Plan 2: Breed wheaten - keep separate

Other side project options that utilize BCM #9 rooster and Wheaten rooster to improve egg color in my other different hens... "work with what I have!'

My ????s

Golden cuckoo hen x BCM rooster = barred males but what color pullets? Solid black or black with gold leakage?

Golden Cuckoo hen x Wheaten rooster = ??? sex link cross?

Blue Splash hen x BCM rooster = ??? 1/2 blue (copper?), 1/2 black (copper?) mix?

Blue Splash hen x Wheaten Rooster = ????

Blue Copper hen x BCM rooster = 1/2 blue copper , 1/2 BCM ... yes?

Blue Copper hen x Wheaten rooster = 1/2 blue that carry recessive wheaten gene, 1/2 wheaten ?

Breed blues with half wheaten gene back to blues and get blue wheatens of various unpredictable quality to continue working with. Correct?

I also have one attractive black birchen marans hen with good shape but her legs are very lightly feathered and her eggs are not very dark. Not sure what to do with her at this point.

 

[Tstraub]

If you do decide to set Tuesday I may be able to set also. We could do a double hatch day!!

Good luck with whatever decision you make, bud.

My incubator is preheated and ready. I currently have 19 eggs. Only 4 are pure marans all from Betty. The rest should be marans hybrids. I’ll give them until noon tomorrow to lay any more. I’m not sure exactly how many my incubator can hold since it’s a homemade one and there is no manual to consult about such things. I’ll put in as many as I can fit. If you want to synchronize your hatch with mine that could be fun and we can compare the hatch and the chick development after the hatch.

I did give my broody Jerseys Giant 9 light green eggs yesterday and she has been sitting still so far. She is in everybody’s favorite box so the other girls are not real happy about it but she is stubborn enough to hold her ground I wasn’t necessarily planning to use a broody but the timing worked out to hatch on Easter to it was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

 

[Bantambird]

It looks like their are 3 grayish looking chicks? What are those?

Blue silver

 

[wrathsfarm]

My incubator is preheated and ready. I currently have 19 eggs. Only 4 are pure marans all from Betty. The rest should be marans hybrids. I’ll give them until noon tomorrow to lay any more. I’m not sure exactly how many my incubator can hold since it’s a homemade one and there is no manual to consult about such things. I’ll put in as many as I can fit. If you want to synchronize your hatch with mine that could be fun and we can compare the hatch and the chick development after the hatch.

I did give my broody Jerseys Giant 9 light green eggs yesterday and she has been sitting still so far. She is in everybody’s favorite box so the other girls are not real happy about it but she is stubborn enough to hold her ground I wasn’t necessarily planning to use a broody but the timing worked out to hatch on Easter to it was too good of an opportunity to pass on. View attachment 3769282

I set this morning at 10:15... I calibrated the externals yesterday and humidity is good on display. I'm keeping that around low 30/60%. Temp is way off on display, @ 99.5 actual display shows 109.5 so 10 degrees off. Im running a tad warmer around 100 degrees actual. I've read little higher temp and low humidity is best so I'm flying with it and we'll see what happens.

 

[wrathsfarm]

My incubator is preheated and ready. I currently have 19 eggs. Only 4 are pure marans all from Betty. The rest should be marans hybrids. I’ll give them until noon tomorrow to lay any more. I’m not sure exactly how many my incubator can hold since it’s a homemade one and there is no manual to consult about such things. I’ll put in as many as I can fit. If you want to synchronize your hatch with mine that could be fun and we can compare the hatch and the chick development after the hatch.

I did give my broody Jerseys Giant 9 light green eggs yesterday and she has been sitting still so far. She is in everybody’s favorite box so the other girls are not real happy about it but she is stubborn enough to hold her ground I wasn’t necessarily planning to use a broody but the timing worked out to hatch on Easter to it was too good of an opportunity to pass on. View attachment 3769282

Did you mark the eggs you gave your broody?
Much good luck with your hatches, man. We're only a day off so we're synced for hatch day.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Blue silver

That's awesome. Looking forward to seeing lots of pics as they all grow.
Was this your first hatch of the season?

 

[Tstraub]

Did you mark the eggs you gave your broody?
Much good luck with your hatches, man. We're only a day off so we're synced for hatch day.

Yes, I marked them on 4 places with an X that way no matter what way they are laying I can easily see the ones that stay. I have already taken away 4 eggs that she wasn’t supposed to have. My Wyandottes must be giving their eggs to her

 

[Tstraub]

I set this morning at 10:15... I calibrated the externals yesterday and humidity is good on display. I'm keeping that around low 30/60%. Temp is way off on display, @ 99.5 actual display shows 109.5 so 10 degrees off. Im running a tad warmer around 100 degrees actual. I've read little higher temp and low humidity is best so I'm flying with it and we'll see what happens.

My incubator is pretty close to 99.5 on average. The very middle is closer to 100.5. And the back corners are 98 ish. I’m hand turning so I’ll move them around while turning so none are in the cold spots the whole time

I plan to aim for 30% humidity then 50-60 at lockdown. My previous hatches I aimed higher. All the chicks that did hatch came out clean no sign of shrink wrap. But I had several full developed dead in shell so I’m trying lower humidity this go around.

 

[BlueTheBrahma]

Plan 1: Breed BCM to SOP - keep separate
Plan 2: Breed wheaten - keep separate

Other side project options that utilize BCM #9 rooster and Wheaten rooster to improve egg color in my other different hens... "work with what I have!'

My ????s

Golden cuckoo hen x BCM rooster = barred males but what color pullets? Solid black or black with gold leakage?

Golden Cuckoo hen x Wheaten rooster = ??? sex link cross?

Blue Splash hen x BCM rooster = ??? 1/2 blue (copper?), 1/2 black (copper?) mix?

Blue Splash hen x Wheaten Rooster = ????

Blue Copper hen x BCM rooster = 1/2 blue copper , 1/2 BCM ... yes?

Blue Copper hen x Wheaten rooster = 1/2 blue that carry recessive wheaten gene, 1/2 wheaten ?

Breed blues with half wheaten gene back to blues and get blue wheatens of various unpredictable quality to continue working with. Correct?

I also have one attractive black birchen marans hen with good shape but her legs are very lightly feathered and her eggs are not very dark. Not sure what to do with her at this point.

I’ve been reading the Golden cuckoo marans thread because it’s a variety I want to develop myself so I can have some birds I can put in shows (BCMs are not recognised in the UK as they are French standard). From what I’ve seen, I would say don’t breed them to wheatens as all the best are birchen based but it’s sometimes harder to tell which is which when batting is involved.

The most straight forward way for you is keep all birchens (BCM, BlCM, GCM) in one pen/pens, here you can get sex links and if you keep a rooster more GCMs, even blue GCMs eventually.

Keep wheatens to themselves so their pattern doesn’t affect the others’. Unless you want to breed blue wheatens, then pick a blue that isn’t bad but isn’t your best blue and introduce her. Keep all birchen/wheaten splits from this cross away from the true birchens. The F1 cockerel will be blue copper, breed him back to wheatens and a quarter will be blue wheatens (one quarter normal wheaten, one quarter split BCM and one quarter split BlCM).

 

[bigsurfwaves]

I’ve been reading the Golden cuckoo marans thread because it’s a variety I want to develop myself so I can have some birds I can put in shows (BCMs are not recognised in the UK as they are French standard). From what I’ve seen, I would say don’t breed them to wheatens as all the best are birchen based but it’s sometimes harder to tell which is which when batting is involved.

The most straight forward way for you is keep all birchens (BCM, BlCM, GCM) in one pen/pens, here you can get sex links and if you keep a rooster more GCMs, even blue GCMs eventually.

Keep wheatens to themselves so their pattern doesn’t affect the others’. Unless you want to breed blue wheatens, then pick a blue that isn’t bad but isn’t your best blue and introduce her. Keep all birchen/wheaten splits from this cross away from the true birchens. The F1 cockerel will be blue copper, breed him back to wheatens and a quarter will be blue wheatens (one quarter normal wheaten, one quarter split BCM and one quarter split BlCM).

Got it. Good deal.
The blue splash is the only one then that I'm not sure where to put.