Search results for query: *

You are correct. The combs are also a giveaway, even at this age. The males will have fleshier combs than the females.

In regards to the humidity question: It all depends on where you live, the incubator you use, and even the room you keep the incubator in. Marans lose moisture very slowly due to the thick shells. As a result, they will need lower humidity then other breeds. I live in southern louisiana and...

A good practice to use while searching for your birds is to ask for photos with the Marans color scale next to the eggs. People can very easily change the lighting of their photos and make the eggs appear dark otherwise

They are few and far between. Those that do offer stock for sale will charge a very high price. I'm not sure who exactly to point you to, but the breed club is a good place to start, as well as the Marans Facebook pages

There is a color scale for the Marans eggs, that goes from lightest acceptable color to darkest. The darkest color is a 9. Very few birds lay that dark of an egg, but those eggs that are 9s are indeed the darkest brown eggs you can get. There is an influx of poor quality 'Marans' that simply lay...

An option you should openly consider is getting adult birds to start. Every newcomer, including me when I started, wanted to begin with chicks. What I've gathered from my own experience and seeing what others have gone through, starting with adults is a smart way to go. Not only do you know...

None of my Marans are aggressive, and most in my area aren't either. People only have what they allow themselves to keep. An odd mean bird may pop up every now and then, but it should be culled just like a severe physical defect. I want birds that will forage and fend for themselves on during...

Looks like a very dark black copper. He has a wry tail so I wouldn't use him for breeding

Marans of America club is the breed club page on Facebook. They have a page for non members and members. Also look into joining pages local to your state for chickens, some may pop up. I see some on rare chickens for sale/swap.

Yes that's not a terrible price. More than they are worth but I know scammers that got $25 a chick. There's nothing wrong with taking your time and enjoying them for a little while. They are still chickens and will lay eggs. In my area pullets can sell for $20/25 each so you will make a little...

I can't begin to count how many people I know of that have gone through this same thing. I almost think everyone in the poultry world has experienced this at some point. You can always sell them as brown egg layers, not marans, if they don't work out. How much did you spend on them? Edit...

Yes single mating is one female with one male. You can't force broodiness, and some lines of breeds will not go broody, or will want to brood constantly. I've had one hen go broody in the past 3 years out of the 20 I keep at any time. It entirely depends on your individual birds. If you are only...

Mr Don is a wealth of information and won't steer you wrong. We do all have to start somewhere and can't know everything from the get go. I still have much to learn as well

Mossiness is the copper/brown coloring all over the chest of girl 1. It is expressed as small flecks of color where they shouldn't be. The majority of her chest has excess copper color and mossiness. Occasionally chicks will show some mossiness in their wings and it can molt out. but when it is...

I'm not sure girl 1 will be suitable for breeding. Lots of mossiness at this age generally won't molt out. Boy 1 looks to be overly mossy as well. Boy 2 looks to be a pullet. Boy 4 may be female as well. A few have very heavy leg feathering that will pair well with the sparser feathering on...

I would cull. I haven't found that they grow out of it, and if it is appearing as a chick then they carry the genes. One of my LP had vulture hocks from a young age, and still has them as a hen in my egg flock.

Black Marans are a solid black bird. Black Copper have a copper coloration in the hackle of the hen and male feathers of the cockerel.

Yes, some hens will lay a glossier egg, with other having a more matte appearance. If your line has a good temperament, are vigorous, and have a healthy carcass, then I think you are in a good direction and should preserve those traits as much as possible. There are few genetic diseases to...

Inbreeding is not as big a concern in poultry as it is in other animals. In fact, you will be able to breed darker egg laying hens by inbreeding if Ragnar has good color genes as well. You can determine that by breeding him with a hen that lays white eggs and hatching females from those eggs. If...

The left chick in the second picture looks to already be developing a comb