I've been wanting to experiment with Marans for a little bit now, when I found these at the local flea market I let my chicken addiction get the best of me. They looked very healthy, and they were reasonably priced (four hens and a rooster for $60) so I went for it! These Marans presumably come out of a good line from a breeder in Ohio; this guy's knowledge of the breed was limited so I'm sure the line has dropped significantly while in his care. I've spent the entire afternoon researching, and with the knowledge I have gathered in an afternoon I can tell that these birds have some defects. For starters, the cockrel has only sparse copper coloration in his Hackel and none throughout the body. The copper coloration on the hens is negligible. These Marans are nearly a year old, can I expect more copper coloration to develop in coming years?
If not, how difficult would it be to get a good copper coloration back into these birds (I.e can I expect some progeny to express more copper coloration)?
Here are some images of my birds, I just took these and it's a little late so they're not the best quality!
If not, how difficult would it be to get a good copper coloration back into these birds (I.e can I expect some progeny to express more copper coloration)?
Here are some images of my birds, I just took these and it's a little late so they're not the best quality!