Raising Marans for meat.

[Morrigan]

For a little background; life threw me a curve ball this spring with my meat bird raising. I had a good rooster who was 1/2 broiler and 1/2 naked neck. Last year he had 100% fertility and I got lots a nice big birds from breeding him. He was good with people and the hens seemed to like him. This spring, however, none of the eggs in the coop were fertile. After spending some time observing, I realized that "big boy" had, in fact, gotten too big and top heavy to successfully mate, and was actually starting to injure some of the hens. Had a caught wise a little earlier, I would have saved one of his off-spring to replace him. Ce la vie. It got me rethinking my plans and wondering if I should just focus on a single dual purpose breed.

Around the time big boy was becoming gumbo, I was hatching out some shipped eggs with the thought of bringing some new genetics and color into my layers. Eight weeks later, I now have 3 very nice looking maran cockerels, and 2 maran pullets. I also have a cream leg bar cockerel and a couple of CLB pullets.

So I now have the option of using marans as dual purpose birds. I fully understand that heritage birds are smaller, but that is OK. But, I'm curious as to whether others have raised them as such and how they felt about taste, rate of growth, hardiness, temperament etc. To be honest, I'm not that excited about maran as a breed, and find myself thinking about Sussex, Orpington or Dorking as more interesting options if I would to go forward with a single breed.

But, since I have these marans, I'm considering trying them out for a year or two. My other option would be to keep the little CLB cockerel just for the fun of breeding some olive eggers and keeping my broodies happy, and then look to replace him next year with a breed I'm a bit more excited about.

There no right answer, but I always enjoy hearing what the people here have to say.

 

[Sussex19]

I haven't eaten a Marans yet, but thinking about culling one any day now.
He will be on the old (9 months or so, and he looks tough!) side, so won't be the best example. I don't think he has nearly as much meat on him as my Sussex and partially my RIR x Orps x Sussex are a lot bigger.
I can let you know how he looks when I butcher him, although it will be a little while before I can tell you how he tastes. (chicken backlog in the freezer)

 

[Morrigan]

I can let you know how he looks when I butcher him

Thanks -- I would appreciate that.

 

[Ridgerunner]

how they felt about taste, rate of growth, hardiness, temperament

We all have our own preferences, we raise them in our own unique circumstances. They will perform differently for me than they will you. You will feed them, house them, and just manage them in general differently than I will. I don't consider it that important to you what I think about them raised in my conditions and cooked in my kitchen. I think it is very important what you think about them when you've raised them. You have a great opportunity to form some opinions on Marans this year.

To be honest, I'm not that excited about maran as a breed, and find myself thinking about Sussex, Orpington or Dorking as more interesting options if I would to go forward with a single breed.

It is interesting how our opinions can change once we try them. My suggestion is to get 5 Sussex, 5 Orpington, and 5 Dorking cockerels at the same time and raise them together so it is an apples to apples comparison. See which you think best suit you in your conditions.

 

[Morrigan]

My suggestion is to get 5 Sussex, 5 Orpington, and 5 Dorking cockerels

I like this idea.

 

[Shadrach]

For a little background; life threw me a curve ball this spring with my meat bird raising. I had a good rooster who was 1/2 broiler and 1/2 naked neck. Last year he had 100% fertility and I got lots a nice big birds from breeding him. He was good with people and the hens seemed to like him. This spring, however, none of the eggs in the coop were fertile. After spending some time observing, I realized that "big boy" had, in fact, gotten too big and top heavy to successfully mate, and was actually starting to injure some of the hens. Had a caught wise a little earlier, I would have saved one of his off-spring to replace him. Ce la vie. It got me rethinking my plans and wondering if I should just focus on a single dual purpose breed.

Around the time big boy was becoming gumbo, I was hatching out some shipped eggs with the thought of bringing some new genetics and color into my layers. Eight weeks later, I now have 3 very nice looking maran cockerels, and 2 maran pullets. I also have a cream leg bar cockerel and a couple of CLB pullets.

So I now have the option of using marans as dual purpose birds. I fully understand that heritage birds are smaller, but that is OK. But, I'm curious as to whether others have raised them as such and how they felt about taste, rate of growth, hardiness, temperament etc. To be honest, I'm not that excited about maran as a breed, and find myself thinking about Sussex, Orpington or Dorking as more interesting options if I would to go forward with a single breed.

But, since I have these marans, I'm considering trying them out for a year or two. My other option would be to keep the little CLB cockerel just for the fun of breeding some olive eggers and keeping my broodies happy, and then look to replace him next year with a breed I'm a bit more excited about.

There no right answer, but I always enjoy hearing what the people here have to say.

First is the taste is what they eat. This applies to any chicken. If they're fed commercial feed and live permenantly in a run then that is your bird taste defined right there.
If one wants chicken that tastes like free range chicken then one needs to free range them. I know, deceptively simple but often overlooked.
Marans for the American market/meat per feed pound are not going to provide the portion size required by those who are used to the carcass of say a Cornish Cross.

I'm pleased to read you've discovered one of the many drawbacks of mixed breed chicken keeping. Large roosters and small hens are unlikely to provide high fertility rates.
Light Sussex is a popular so called dual purpose breed here in the UK for people who free range or range their birds. They make good all rounders for eggs and meat and will happily adapt to a wide range of keeping conditions. What the USA hatchery stock of this breed is like I have no way of knowing but I suspect they will be much like hatchery stock in general; look a bit like the real thing but without some of the important attributes.

If I was to range or free range then Marans or Light Sussex would be my choice. Not a lot of point in keeping a large chicken breed if they are heavy and slow unless one is happy feeding the predators. That rules out Orpingtons imo whatever their progeny.

I've kept French Marans from France and they fared quite well as free rangers and bearing in mind I can get three meals at least from a bantam, I found them large enough to fullfill their dual purpose reputation.

 

[Morrigan]

First is the taste is what they eat. This applies to any chicken. If they're fed commercial feed and live permenantly in a run then that is your bird taste defined right there.
If one wants chicken that tastes like free range chicken then one needs to free range them. I know, deceptively simple but often overlooked.
Marans for the American market/meat per feed pound are not going to provide the portion size required by those who are used to the carcass of say a Cornish Cross.

I'm pleased to read you've discovered one of the many drawbacks of mixed breed chicken keeping. Large roosters and small hens are unlikely to provide high fertility rates.
Light Sussex is a popular so called dual purpose breed here in the UK for people who free range or range their birds. They make good all rounders for eggs and meat and will happily adapt to a wide range of keeping conditions. What the USA hatchery stock of this breed is like I have no way of knowing but I suspect they will be much like hatchery stock in general; look a bit like the real thing but without some of the important attributes.

If I was to range or free range then Marans or Light Sussex would be my choice. Not a lot of point in keeping a large chicken breed if they are heavy and slow unless one is happy feeding the predators. That rules out Orpingtons imo whatever their progeny.

I've kept French Marans from France and they fared quite well as free rangers and bearing in mind I can get three meals at least from a bantam, I found them large enough to fullfill their dual purpose reputation.

I'd love to free range but my predator load is crazy high. My birds are yarded behind electric fencing. It's not ideal but there are weeds, bushes and bugs in there. They do eat pretty well as I use them to dispose of my garden extras and meat scraps. But being nimble and predator savvy is not a requirement.

It's most likely being a function of being somewhat older and more active, but I notice a distinct difference in taste between my heritage and heritage/hybrids and CX and rangers. I prefer it actually.

Well, unless the hens express a clear preference for the CLB, or the marans are all jerks, I will probably give marans a go this year. I will say that they are very attractive to look at.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I raise BCM and process excess cockerels and roosters with some regularity. I think they are some of the best-tasting and most flavorful of the (many) dual-purpose breeds I've sampled. They do tend to have lean breasts - especially compared to CornishX - and large legs, which is just fine with me.

 

[kfelton0002]

I have owned Marans for close to 10 years and have processed quite a few cockerels and a couple cocks for meat. There isn't as much meat to the cockerels if you free range, they get leaner with increased activity. I have found that confining to a pen and keeping the young birds I intend to butcher on broiler feed until feathered and then a 20% protein pellet with a little grain mixed in as a finisher fills them out pretty well. I've only ever butchered Marans cockerels historically after they've begun to crow just because they are slower developing. I use the meat in the pressure cooker for soups and stews, tacos, chicken salad, etc. as the meat has to be pressure cooked to be tender and then you can pull it apart. If you butcher at 12-16 weeks they will be more tender but not as much meat.

I currently have several Marans cockerels I am growing out to butcher in the fall, as well as some olive egger cockerels (Marans/Legbar cross). The drawback with plucking a black bird is the unsightly black pin feathers. I mainly skin them and cut them up for the pressure cooker as they arent really worth the effort of scalding/plucking and keeping whole in my opinion unless you want to salvage the skin. I plan on scalding and plucking a few of my broilers. I just prefer the process of skinning. However it gets harder to skin a cockerel the older he is.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

My male I lost this winter was under a year old and he was massive for something not breed to be eaten. I needed both arms and determination to move him, though to be fair, I am a smaller human too. He also wasn't from a commercial hatchery, so he likely wasn't breed in the pressure to hatch as many eggs as possible