Need your maran expert advice NEW PICTURES

[chevgrl]

okay I'm in the process of narrowing down my Roo flock. I seem to be horrible at picking chicks to keep, cause I've got 7roos and 8 hens. which is Fine with me because i cant decide which color i want to work on. Anyways here are my roosters to pick from. I'm pretty sure which 2 i should keep cause its obvious. but need your advice. I'm wanting to go with the blue coppers and experiment on the copper barring. All of the Marans in the pics were hatched in April so their still young.

Also for hens I have 2blue hens(with the copper gene, one in last pic), 1 blue/barred Maran hen (Last pic), two blk Marans (with a copper gene), and a blk copper Maran hen and 2 splash hens.

(Roos 1&2 just started showing copper the last week.)

1. Copper/ Barred Maran Roo (love him)

2. Blue copper Maran Roo (love him too!)

I understand with the hens and other roos Ive got I know that i could easily get another splash maran roo. But this guy has the body i like and great personality along with fantastic "leadership" skills....HAHA, but it isnt possible to get the barring out of him, or I'am putting myself behind a step in the color market I want.

3. Splash Maran roo

4. other Roos.

Im also in love with this roo! hes good with his hens

here are the hens the one on the right Has slight barring (the older she gets the fainter the barring gets) the one on the left is my blue hen.

 

[Kaceyx73]

Hi chevgirl.

That's a nice flock. You mentioned leadership skills. They are not to be underestimated, nor forsaken. Ever.

Vic was originally bought at around 8 months for the primary purpose of guarding the "out of the brooder" chicks from being harassed by yard cats. His name is short for Vicar, as he was to be my Vicar in the coop when I wasn't around. If you aren't familiar with the term, it just means a replacement of sorts. Its usually used as a designation for the Pope, he is a Vicar of Christ. I'm not catholic, but it was a word I added to my vocabulary a few years back.

Anyway, the point being, dominance in chickens isnt limited to who's the biggest, baddest, or the meanest. So many young roos get a bad rep for being overly aggressive, when it is really a matter of not having a stable, dominant figure to tame all that testosterone flowing around. Its the difference between alpha males in humans and dominant males. Dominate men are the so called "strong, silent type" vs the ego-maniacs that beat their chest to brag about how bad they are. You can brag all you want about your exploits until the bouncer walks by and smiles at you.

If you have the makings of a great flock leader, keep him. Let him be the one to help raise successive generations. He will take care of them, and will put them in their place when they get overly aggressive. You can help with that. It doesn't take a chickens little pea brain to know you are much more dangerous than any other roo. You dont have to be mean, just firm. Dont yell and scream, just call their name with a quiet but stern voice. If they dont respond, walk them into a corner or make them turn from you. If you have kids, they will respond the same way, if you start early enough.

Its never about making them, kids or animals, into something at enmity with their purpose in nature... dominance is nature, and its more about guiding and teaching than brute strength.

Ken

 

[Kaceyx73]

Oh, I noticed the roo in the first couple of pics likes getting under things... those darn combs are always collecting spider webs...

 

[chevgrl]

So I'm new to Marans and I get more and more confuse the further I research breeding marans. some say the biggest deal is producing #4 color'd eggs. And others work on the "Maran" standard as far as comfirmation. So should I start with Hens that lay dark eggs and work with their color or should I start with chickens comfirmation then develope their color afterwards?

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
Yes they do! I was holding with one hand him in one hand and had the camera in the other haha I couldn't put either down. So I left it lol

 

[tjebarr]

Is your main point in breeding your marans to sell the chicks or build up your own flock?

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
I want to build up my own flock the next couple years. Then maybe sell then if I can develope them how I want.

 

[Chef]

How are you trying to develope them? Are you just interested in the dark eggs or are you trying to breed to a standard?

If that first pic is of a golden cuckoo he is not very good quality at all IMO. The second cockerel you say is a blue copper looks like he may be a blue birchen that is carrying gold but maybe a blue copper. If he is his coloring is not good, and he has clean shanks. Number 3 the splash looks the best to me but he doesnt have feathered shanks either. Not that you cant breed that back in but better to start with it. The other roo's I like the splash to the left in the pic with 2 splash birds. The blue bird with the barring on the next looks mixed up, and the blue cockerel below that looks ok from what I can see. I don't see any color in him yet. The last 2 pics of the girls I would say I like the blue pullet best. The ones with the barring I'm not diggin so much

Hope this helps! Good luck with your project!

Edit to say: Your birds are very pretty none the less. I am just giving my opinion based on my novice experience.


Chef

 

[chevgrl]

Almost all of my hens but one has feathered shanks. 2 of the roos have clean shanks.
The Barred roo isn't a cuckoo cause it doesn't have barring all the way through him its just his hackles and saddle feathers. My favorites are the splash and the very last roo pictured. Remember these are still my 1st gen. chickens to my project. I will upload some more pics of the roos and hens

 

[Chef]

So if its not a cuckoo then what is it? Unfortunately there aren't any marans that have only barred hackle and saddle feathers. Its either a cuckoo or its mixed up.


Chef