Blue Copper and Splash Copper Marans Discussion

[magdelaine]

I am limited on space for one thing and thought it might be better to re-home him before he gets too mature? But wonder now if they will stay more mellow because there are two of them? Also worry that I'll have more trouble re-homing an older roo?

It looks like you have plenty of space, at least in your run. Males that are raised together will get along fine, and if they get uppity with each other then having the space to run away is enough to keep them peaceable. I have three males free ranging together right now. Partly because I don't have the pens to house them, partly because I have a GSD that ate a couple of hens that I'm reforming (so they are out there to test her), and partly because I don't want to give up their genetics if I don't absolutely have to just yet. They are like the three musketeers, lol, wandering my yard. They tussle a bit but for the most part get along.

I would keep both so you can watch how they shape up and how their tail angle matures, etc.

 

[BeachBumBiddies]

It looks like you have plenty of space, at least in your run. Males that are raised together will get along fine, and if they get uppity with each other then having the space to run away is enough to keep them peaceable. I have three males free ranging together right now. Partly because I don't have the pens to house them, partly because I have a GSD that ate a couple of hens that I'm reforming (so they are out there to test her), and partly because I don't want to give up their genetics if I don't absolutely have to just yet. They are like the three musketeers, lol, wandering my yard. They tussle a bit but for the most part get along.

I would keep both so you can watch how they shape up and how their tail angle matures, etc.

I beg to differ about the "males that are raised together get along fine" thing...I have 2 brother Gold Laced Brahma cock birds & the bigger one ALWAYS kicks the smaller one's butt. He will NOT leave him alone if they are housed together for even a minute. Otherwise he is a sweetheart though. Sibling rivalry I guess. lol

 

[gilavina]

Here's a couple quick shots I took this morning of the growth progress on the oldest chicks. They just turned 3 months old. Definitely hitting another growth spurt, some of them are walking around on stilts I swear haha. They are gonna be big. Loving the copper development as well.






The two dark blue cockerels in the back are definitely showing alot of promise.



I swear he gets bigger everyday.

 

[snowbird]

Vicki, I really like the type on your Marans. Too bad some of the big time breeders do not have Marans like these. Don

 

[gilavina]

Vicki, I really like the type on your Marans. Too bad some of the big time breeders do not have Marans like these. Don

Thanks Don! My dad always jokes that I've always had a natural, but super critical eye when it comes to breeding and selecting birds for a bloodline, but that's how I've been able to make such progress on them. I have plenty of work to do still, there is no doubt, but I think I've built a pretty solid foundation to grow from. Might not be able to raise a ton of birds right now due to other aspects of life needing attention, but I'm doing what I can to keep the line moving forward in a positive direction.

 

[shannybell]

Hi, I hatched several blue maran chicks this spring and so I follow this thread for advice on blues and splashes...to learn what is good and what is not so desired (coloring, conformation, etc). But to simplify things and have it all in one place as a starting point, is there somewhere that these traits/qualities are listed or shown in picture form for those who aren't experts to see? Thanks.

 

[doubleleft]

Here's a couple quick shots I took this morning of the growth progress on the oldest chicks. They just turned 3 months old. Definitely hitting another growth spurt, some of them are walking around on stilts I swear haha. They are gonna be big. Loving the copper development as well.






The two dark blue cockerels in the back are definitely showing alot of promise.



I swear he gets bigger everyday.

These are Awesome birds (congrats) . I've not seen any Marans this nice in a while .
The eye for selection is scarce and definitely a treasure . I see so many so called breeders selecting and often wonder to myself what they are seeing and not seeing , know & don't know .
The old saying often applies "wish i could hire a certain person for their actual worth & knowledge and then hire them out for(self value) what they think they know" .

 

[BeachBumBiddies]

I've bought Marans several times (& spent a pretty penny) & NEVER got any nice ones...the last ones I bought were supposed to be show quality but def weren't....I have since given up on having Marans...

 

[gilavina]

These are Awesome birds (congrats) . I've not seen any Marans this nice in a while .
The eye for selection is scarce and definitely a treasure . I see so many so called breeders selecting and often wonder to myself what they are seeing and not seeing , know & don't know .
The old saying often applies "wish i could hire a certain person for their actual worth & knowledge and then hire them out for(self value) what they think they know" .

Thanks, I agree about the eye for selection and implementing that into practical breeding practices being scarce. I definitely don't know everything when it comes to poultry, but I did have a great growing up from the time I could walk learning poultry genetics, breeding, showing, and etc from my dad, members of the poultry club my family was in and judges that took the time to teach me a lot when clerking and being show secretary. My hope is to continue to improve the line I've spent the last 6 years developing (started with many, many dozens of hatching eggs, many, many cullings, and lots and lots of test mating) and hopefully be able to have some stock to offer to those that have the same desire to put the breed and preserving them and making them the best they can be above making a quick buck or throwing around reputation and etc. After all, in my mind, its about the birds, they should be bred in a way that allows the best to shine thru and let them speak for themselves. Might be kind of old fashioned in the way I think, but I truly do love this breed and want the best for them and if I can play a small part in that, I am honored to do so.

 

[gilavina]

I've bought Marans several times (& spent a pretty penny) & NEVER got any nice ones...the last ones I bought were supposed to be show quality but def weren't....I have since given up on having Marans...

Don't worry, you are not alone. I started solely with hatching eggs as that is all that was available. Culled many of the chicks from entire hatches and started with about 10 birds total from 5 different lines (took about a year and a bit to get those birds). I test mated everything I held onto, crossed all the lines with each other to test them further, took notes, photos, banded and tracked everything I hatched. Each year I realistically held back maybe the top 2 or 3% the first two years, and about 5% the 3rd, and in the 4th and 5th years about 10-15% and did more test mating, more crossing of lines, culled adult stock that were not providing what I was looking for. This is my 6th year and due to circumstances limiting me on time and etc, I hatched a total of about 40 chicks. The photos earlier are from the first hatch of 10 I did. 7 out of the 10 are showing real promise, but wether they make the cut to the breeding pens will remain to be seen. There is still a ton of work to do, but it is possible to make improvements on hatching stock provided they do not have any disqualifications.
The forums here have people with some amazing experience and knowledge to help people move forward with birds, so if you feel like going for some birds again, ask around on here for where people got their start and feel free to ask for lots of advice. As far as advertising hatching eggs as show quality, I believe it to be rather misleading, particularly when most breeders might keep 10% of the stock they hatch out that actually meet the criteria of 'show quality'. No line is going to hatch out show quality 100% of the time, in fact, sometimes there might be a whole lot of crap with just a handful of birds that show promise and with as mixed up as the marans are from indiscriminate breeding (often the focus of making money taking priority), there's a whole lot of work to do. I hope you are able to find some that will give you a good start someday, I might be a bit partial, but think they are worth it.