Welcome to Black Coppers!
Wade Jeane Flock
My Wade Jeane Black Copper Marans came to me from a breeder who assures me that he obtained them directly from Wade Jeane.
The hatching eggs arrived in Ridgeville, West Virginia in great condition, very dark and uniform, in mid-October 2008.
Both a cockerel and a pullet successfully hatched on November 10.
I have treated this founding couple of my Wade Jeane flock with great care, giving attention to their comfort, health,
and nutrition.
These are excellent specimens of the
Black Copper variety of the Marans breed and I’m eager to see the dark eggs that are typical of this expertly-bred line.
From among their offspring I will select only those pullets and cockerels hatched from eggs laid by the hens that consistently
lay the darkest eggs and come nearest to the ideal standards of the breed for my breeding program. I will
keep records to allow me to know which roosters pass along the most desired traits. As I begin my flock
I am so grateful that Wade Jeane has labored so hard to bring the breed to this level of excellence that I intend to maintain
and attempt to improve.
My Bev Davis Flock
I was fortunate to
obtain Black Copper Marans hatching eggs from a breeder who had received his birds directly from Bev Davis only months before.
I incubated these with my Wade Jeane eggs and they hatched with them on November 10, 2008. These produced a pullet and
a cockerel, providing me with the Adam and Eve of my Bev Davis line but, unfortunately, a predator took my Eve before she
and Adam could produce offspring. These too are wonderful examples of the breed and I have obtained another pullet from
this line, hoping to begin getting offspring in the fall 2009.
I'm now hatching my first chocolate-colored eggs
from my birds. I will work to maintain the high breeding standards that brought these Marans to their current state
of close conformance with the standards.
Future Plans
For 2008/2009 I expect to produce offspring that
are crossed (Wade Jeane and Bev Davis lines) and offspring that are purely Wade Jeane and purely Bev Davis. This does
not suggest that I value one line more than the other. They are equally beautiful.
As the "best
of the best" emerge from each line and from the crossing of the lines, I will make careful choices for future breeding.
