Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome! - Page 3157

Anyone on here like to talk about what you have to do to raise fowl that will look alike and will look like peas in a pod. It can be done and will tell you how to do it if you are interested.

Quote:

Originally Posted by culler 

Anyone on here like to talk about what you have to do to raise fowl that will look alike and will look like peas in a pod. It can be done and will tell you how to do it if you are interested.

well, heck yes! I'm always up for a good conversation! I bet everyone else would like to get in on it too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by culler 

Anyone on here like to talk about what you have to do to raise fowl that will look alike and will look like peas in a pod. It can be done and will tell you how to do it if you are interested.

I'm all ears

It must be a long post.... we are all holding our breathe waiting for the secret!  lol

Will start off with not real big posts as my internet lately has been dropping off.

For the people that can not or will not cull this will be a waste of time reading this for you. Will start with acquiring fowl or using existing fowl. We are talking about inbreeding or close line breeding as either will work in this breeding program. You can not start with fowl with DQ's or major faults.

If you are buying fowl to start with at least buy from someone that is at least linebreeding. If you use the scatter bred fowl to start you will just end up taking longer to get the uniformity we are looking for.

To start off single mate every female you are going to start with and band all fowl with wing and leg bands as you never know when they will lose a band.

The first year chicks you will breed the young male and female back together. Cull any off spring with a DQ or major fault. You will breed the very best brother and sister back together on right on down the line year after year.

There is more so you can ask questions and make comments as we go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debbi 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arielle 

I am fortunate to have email access to a master breeder--he says about the same thing. Type is most important. However, it's hard to see pictures of type, and pictures are so much fun!

 

Type is of the utmost importance, BUT ,  a DQ is a DQ! They are there in the SOPs for a reason. One is not any less of a DQ than another, they are DISQUALIFYING FAULTS!  A Squirrel tail is no less of a DQ than a side sprig. The reasons being if they are bred forward, it will make it just that much harder for the population to breed out! When people show and win with obvious DQs, the problem expands and continues, hence the problems we are having with this breed now. Not that this is the only breed with problems, but in it's infancy in this country, we sure aren't doing the Marans any justice by making light of age old DQs and letting people win and pass them on.  JMO
 

 

But is a moderately flopped over comb over far enough to REALLY be a DQ? Is that too upright tail REALLY a squirrel tail or is it just too upright? Both of those things CAN be judgement calls. Sprigs are clear and those, as far as I could see from the recent pictures posted, were all DQ'd. Seems to me the judge at Newnan made a lot of comments about the birds he was seeing and those were noted on the cage cards.

Marans are in their infancy around the world. The problems aren't just on this continent. In fact, I'm told they have just as many problem in France!

Don? Sister to Brother?

You have specifically told me in the past to NEVER breed sister to brother, UNLESS necessary for reasons such as loss of stock and so on.

Unconfuse me please?

Quote:

Originally Posted by culler 

Will start off with not real big posts as my internet lately has been dropping off.

 

For the people that can not or will not cull this will be a waste of time reading this for you. Will start with acquiring fowl or using existing fowl. We are talking about inbreeding or close line breeding as either will work in this breeding program. You can not start with fowl with DQ's or major faults.

 

If you are buying fowl to start with at least buy from someone that is at least linebreeding. If you use the scatter bred fowl to start you will just end up taking longer to get the uniformity we are looking for.

 

To start off single mate every female you are going to start with and band all fowl with wing and leg bands as you never know when they will lose a band.

 

The first year chicks you will breed the young male and female back together. Cull any off spring with a DQ or major fault. You will breed the very best brother and sister back together on right on down the line year after year.

 

There is more so you can ask questions and make comments as we go.

I use the line breeding method, and agree with everything you've said so far, just wonder what your view on spiral line breeding is? Do you ever use the spiral method when line breeding?