Heather Soane, First Australian to Exhibit Black Copper Marans
Heather Soane was the first person to show black copper Marans in Australia. She'd been breeding the birds for several years by the time they were officially imported, and believes her bloodline was smuggled into the country from Belgium or Poland.
In this conversation Heather discusses:
Why she believes her black copper Marans were smuggled into Australia rather than being "Aussie line" recreations
How she bred them and what faults she encountered including mossiness, loose feathering ("bustles") and lack of copper colouring on the females
Her understanding of how the French achieve such dark eggshell colours
The impact of Croad Langshan blood on some lines of Australian black coppers
How she kept her line pure without introducing any outside blood for a decade
How she ended up with 10 different varieties including blue coppers that emerged spontaneously from within her wheaten and black copper Marans
How she created her own line of cuckoo Marans by using Barred Plymouth Rocks
The resistance she encountered when first showing Marans
The particular diet she feeds her Marans
Who her influences and mentors have been
What variety she's working on now
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Introducing Chook
Meet your host, former foreign correspondent turned heritage chicken breeder Jane Cowan and get a first listen to highlights from season 1 of Chook. The Podcast, a show for backyard chicken keepers and serious breeders.
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Megg Miller, OAM, Australian poultry legend
Doyenne, grand dame, matriarch. However you encapsulate her, there is only one Megg Miller. In this candid and wide-ranging interview, Megg:
— Reflects on her adventures over 35 years at the helm of Australasian Poultry magazine including how she navigated what was a male-dominated culture in the 80s when she began showing
— Speculates on challenges facing the future of chicken keeping in Australia including her prediction that poultry shows will not continue indefinitely, but go online instead
— Gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of her life post-AP, which published its final issue in early 2025
— Shares her own coop set-up at home
— Offers her view on what defines a "chook person"
— Describes the fascinating process by which brain development is stimulated in the embryonic chick via exposure of the right eye to more light through the eggshell
— Discusses her top tips on managing flock health including her chemical-free approach to internal and external parasite control, how to trim rooster spurs and whether or not straw is good bedding material
... and much more.
Fresh, free-ranging conversations for backyard chicken keepers and serious breeders. Hosted by former foreign correspondent turned chicken breeder Jane Cowan. Accompanies the quarterly magazine Chook Journal.
New Zealand