🐣🐥Black Copper Marans and Whiting True Blues. Lots of videos🎥

[TexasBlues]

We have 4 - 10 week old black copper marans and 9 young Whiting True Blue chicks.
I hatched the eggs in a small foam hovabator incubator with the waffle thermostat. The Marans eggs were locally sourced and the true blues were shipped.
The chicks were hatched and raised in the office indoors for the first 2 weeks and become quickly socialized with the dogs and family. They are brooded in a large fish aquarium with a heater plate for the first 2 weeks then I move them to the outdoor brooder which is larger.
I don’t know if everybody does it, but from day 1, I call them right before I hand feed them and they will enthusiastically come to me when called after a day or two. I don’t call them unless I have some feed or treat to back it up, so they typically trust me when I want them to return to the coop or move them around the yard.
They are fed a local Texas food called elite chick in the yellow bag. I want to say it’s 22% protein and I also add probiotics to the young chick’s water.
My goal with the backyard flock is to have a sustainable mixture of different colored layers from the dark brown marans to blue whitings and then potentially cross the 2 to create green/olives.
Next on the chicken list… I will need to address permanent housing and also rooster to hen ratios soon.
Also** click on the quality setting in the YouTube videos to 1080HD to get the best views. Thanks!

 

[TexasBlues]

 

[Kung_pao]

Looks like you’re off to a great start. I have whiting true blues and I’m picking up black/blue/splash copper Maran eggs next Saturday. Looks like we have similar taste in chickens lol. Those chicks look great, very healthy birds.

 

[TexasBlues]

Following along...

Thanks! I just started playing with videos and YouTube and chickens. I’ll try to keep it interesting.
Here’s a video of the marans doing their favorite thing. You can see the smallest cockerel close up, he’s very friendly compared to the larger cockerel that doesn’t like to be touched. Any idea how long I can keep 2 roosters and 2 hens together?

 

[wrathsfarm]

Following along...

 

[WhoDatChick]

Thanks! I just started playing with videos and YouTube and chickens. I’ll try to keep it interesting.
Here’s a video of the marans doing their favorite thing. You can see the smallest cockerel close up, he’s very friendly compared to the larger cockerel that doesn’t like to be touched. Any idea how long I can keep 2 roosters and 2 hens together?

Great videos! And I love how you have them trained! Those little peeps were hitting me hard I just love them

 

[TexasBlues]

Here’s the little chicks from today.

They’re slowly starting to get to know the older marans. I’m introducing them in small controlled sessions. Hopefully when it comes time to fully integrate them it will go smoothly.
If you notice in the video the dark chick with spot on top of his head. That chick was the last one to hatch a full day after the other 8. I ended up helping him get out of the egg and coincidentally that chick is extra friendly. Always the first to come over to me and doesn’t mind being picked up and handled. He doesn’t seem bothered when away from the hatchmates either. I like his dark feathering and yellow legs/beak. The other 2 dark chicks have dark legs. I’m guessing he’s going to be barred. I say HE because of the spot on his head, but I don’t think that matters. I’m not experienced with sex linked traits.
I was told by the breeder there was some barred or cuckoo patterned hens in the flock the hatching eggs came from. I don’t think there were barred roosters.
The light blonde colored chick looked like it had a muff when born, but it’s faded some. The 2 blonde looking chicks sure stand out. If I was to breed for natural camo, I’d probably leave them out and just use the 4 chipmunk patterned ones. The chipmunk and brown/red ones blend in nicely with the dry pecan leaves. There’s 2 with arrowhead markings on their heads like brown leghorn chicks. And there’s 2 that don’t have head/face markings. All 4 of those have brownish barred wings.

 

[wrathsfarm]

This is a quick 'cobble' run I had to get up for the growouts to get them outside time. Just to throw you an idea or 2. It's just 3' tall hc roughly 6x7 and I can pull the plastic off for sun....Way more function than flash. On the one side is just 2 outdoor tables with steel over and on side to block rain/snow/wind for the free rangers. Cold winter wind is frigid here in Michigan.
Hope it helps with a quick idea for you.

 

[wrathsfarm]

You can keep them together until they start harassing the pullets trying to mate. Watch their behavior. Cockerels mature much faster than pullets. The boys try to mate and the girls are not ready/clueless what's happening.
And then you need to make the decision to keep them together or separate them. It could go good or bad.

Just to add on to this. You'll get varying opinions on how people manage their cockerels and pullets.
Me personally, I separate the cockerels from the pullets at first sign of harassment. And I don't let them back to together til at least the time ALL pullets are laying for at least a month.
Roughly that's at 7-8 months. And even then that's really too early.
An experts opinion I highly value told me that pullets should be kept from breeding until at least a year old. And along that same thought eggs should not be hatched from hens younger than a year.

I've just recently started free ranging my 3 BCM (8 months old) with the other 6 hens and Roo, but only free range. Their separated at roost time. This keeps them from being stressed at the Roos peak mate times.
Others do things differently, this is my way, and I have the available pens. Next year I'll be separating all my cockerels and only allowing hen contact during breeding.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Great videos! And I love how you have them trained! Those little peeps were hitting me hard I just love them

I agree.