Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[texasmarans]

Cuckoo Marans can be sexed at one day old with fairly good accuracy.

BCM cannot be sexed accurately before about 6 weeks..

 

[Red Banks]

Quote: If they are slow feathering you will know after the first week.

 

[Red Banks]

It cost the same too feed a great bird as it does to feed a cull. There is a lot of truth to "you get what you pay for." I did not pay Brian Parks any more for his chics than what I got off craigs list and they were all culls. Tom

I believe that is a Snowbird quote. It just depends on what you consider a "great" bird..... not everyone wants the same thing from their chickens and that is the great thing about chickens!

 

[Red Banks]

I
Quote: Feels Right Farm is also on the rare breed auction. I got my BCM from her. Beautiful and she is great to deal with.

 

[Old Man Tom]

" It does not cost anymore to feed a great one than a cull!" I'm willing to wager some one said it a hundred years before Don Lee, (Snow Bird) did!! TOM

 

[Red Banks]

" It does not cost anymore to feed a great one than a cull!" I'm willing to wager some one said it a hundred years before Don Lee, (Snow Bird) did!! TOM

Yes.... it is a very old saying. I have said it many times in the past about horses.

 

[Barbara L]

​

I can sex mine at a day old. And i have been right 99&
Of the time
Along with my bantams
But most time i forget to. If i keeping any
So i have to agee with the Marans can be sexed.
But then i have seen people that will not let you sex the chicks
I just walk away if they don't let me

 

[FaerieChicken]

Hello All....

I am looking into perhaps obtaining some BCMs. I have a local breeder of multiple breeds of chickens and 1 is Marans. Here is a copy of the egg description:

Eggs: The large, dark, chocolate brown eggs of Marans are in very high demand. What makes a Marans’ egg different than other brown eggs? The brown coloring on most eggs is the result of a pigment that is part of the makeup of the egg shell. The dark coloring of a Marans’ egg is the result of a coat of pigment which is spread onto the developed egg shell as it passes through the hen’s oviduct. You can actually scrub this pigment off of the egg with water, which you cannot do with other brown eggs. When the pigment is spread onto the shell, it can come out smooth (evenly colored) or spotted. The darkness of a Marans' egg waxes and wanes through a hen’s lifetime. She lays her darkest eggs when she first lays because it takes her longer pass the egg through her oviduct, and therefore more pigment is coated onto the egg. Marans hens are bred by selecting the hens that produce the most pigment over the longest period of time. This makes the breeding process very expensive, and in turn, makes Marans chickens and eggs expensive.

I am wondering about some of the things mentioned. For example:

~"You can actually scrub this pigment off of the egg with water, which you cannot do with other brown eggs."
~"The darkness of a Marans' egg waxes and wanes through a hen’s lifetime. She lays her darkest eggs when she first lays"
~"Marans hens are bred by selecting the hens that produce the most pigment over the longest period of time."
~"This makes the breeding process very expensive, and in turn, makes Marans chickens and eggs expensive."

I guess I want to know what is really true and not so much or in part!
I mean has anyone ever scrubbed the egg shell and taken off the pigment. I know I have removed the bloom which made the egg seem like it was purple or pink when it was just brown underneath, but didn't scrub the egg...

If the egg color is result of excess pigment, then sure I suppose the color could fade out over time, but I thought, like with the Green and Blue egg layers isn't it supposed to always maintain its color? And when any chicken first lays an egg(s) usually they are darker in color, from my experience, but I figure because the egg is generally smaller, their shells seem to be bit thicker too!

I thought that that the Marans eggs were expensive because they are interesting, or super dark, so people get very excited and demand is higher at times for them.

Anyone have input?

 

[Amelia Egghart]

There are only two shell colors: white and blue.

Green eggs are brown tinted bloom over blue shell.

Brown eggs are brown tinted bloom over white shell.

Different shades of brown are the result of the amount of color in the bloom.

Marans should have more color intensity in their bloom. My marans don't have the darkest eggs, but they have do have a rich terra cotta color. The shells are definitely white which looks neat when you crack 'em.

I got mine from a breeder at $15 per pullet. They're beautiful, mostly to SOP with a few minor faults and with qualifyingly dark eggs that have a red hue. Price just depends on your area and breeder.

Check out his parent stock and find out what generation he's selling. If you want to start your own line or have show birds, make sure your aren't buying his culls.

 

[FaerieChicken]

There are only two shell colors: white and blue.

Green eggs are brown tinted bloom over blue shell.

Brown eggs are brown tinted bloom over white shell.

Different shades of brown are the result of the amount of color in the bloom.

Marans should have more color intensity in their bloom. My marans don't have the darkest eggs, but they have do have a rich terra cotta color. The shells are definitely white which looks neat when you crack 'em.

I got mine from a breeder at $15 per pullet. They're beautiful, mostly to SOP with a few minor faults and with qualifyingly dark eggs that have a red hue. Price just depends on your area and breeder.

Check out his parent stock and find out what generation he's selling. If you want to start your own line or have show birds, make sure your aren't buying his culls.

Thank you for helping me. When I crack opem my Green and Blue eggs, the inside is the same color as out.... same with the dark eggs I get from my Welsummers and RIR. Brown on inside as well