Birchen Marans Thread

[write2caroline]

Hi

There was not a thread for just chatting about Birchen Marans. I have two roos and a pullet. I was hoping to have 2 pullets and one roo. The roo is too the left of my Cream Legbar pullet.







They were hatched 2nd week of May from GFF. I think they are beautiful but I am a little biased being their chicken momma. They seem to grow slowly. I thought they were bantams for a while but they are starting to grow into their feet and have a lot of feather growth to do. My pullet is really sweet and friendly. The boys are more cautious. They are not crowing so I know they are still immature. I am very pleased with them so far.

Anyway. Wanted to see what other people had to say about this gorgeous breed.
Cal

 

[Lotsapaints]

We talk about Birchens on the Marans thread mostly they are not of the same quality as the Black Coppers but there are people working with them including me but I consider mine just "project" birds working on size and color. Welcome to "the dark side" we all love our Marans

 

[GaryDean26]

I have a pair of Birchen Marans that I hatched from eggs the beginning of May. I got a dozen assorted hatching eggs from Greenfire farm and they threw in two (2) Birchen eggs. I didn't think that I wanted more Marans until I saw the eggs. The rooster hatched from the only #8 Marans egg I have ever seen, and the pullet came from a respectable #6 (which is about where my Cottage Hill BCM line comes in at the beginning of their laying cylce).

One person told me that the Greenfire lines all end up with red or straw colors in the plumage, but so far I only see white on the cockerels and his hackle feathers, saddle feathers, etc. have all come in. At this point would the straw, mohogany, etc. show? Does this come in later than 12-13 weeks or did I luck out and get a keeper?

When you say the Birchens are not the same quality as the Marans what things specifically have you seen that they lack?

 

[Lotsapaints]

They need to molt again they should at 9 months and then around 14 to 18 months and I have seen pictures of the gold in Greenfire's. I've seem pictures of many faults not just from GFF ones with sprigs, white in the ear short backed not as large as they should be, split for gold, white feathers not enough shank feathering all the Marans faults just more so. Some have nice egg color some do not. Birchen isn't an easy pattern to breed so it adds to the degree of difficulty. All Marans are a challenge just that Birchens are more so I hope yours turn out good enough to breed from we need more people who want to work with them. They are eye candy for sure.

 

[GaryDean26]

Thanks Lotsapaints. I did take another look at the cockerel last night, and the saddles do look like they may be getting some gold in them.

At least there are no sprigs. There is white in the ear tuff. I though that was correct since the BCM have copper in the ear tuffs. Do you mean white on the ear lobe as opposed to red ear lobes? The lobes are red. Yes, this the Cockerel has a shorter back than my BCM lines. The Pullet is shaping up good though. Both the pullet and the cockerel have good feathering on the shanks. I am not sure if these are both complete for Birchen though. The pullet's chick down has a lot of white to where she looked more like an extended black chick. She is starting to get some white in the hackles, but is still very faint. She is only 3 months old so she could get more hackle color, but at this point I am guessing that she may be split (or complete) for extended black. At any rate I am excited to see the egg color and will likely do some testing hatches from this pair just to see what they produce. I don't have any serious plans for this pair at this time. If they prove out that could very well change though.

 

[Lotsapaints]

many of these faults take time to show up (and I meant the ear lobe) sometimes they wait for 18 months to appear that's why the old timers didn't want to breed from any stock under 2 yrs old...I mate them sooner just take notes and band them I just took several birds to the sale that took over a year to show faults if I had hatched chicks from any I would take those too....no use wasting feed. The gold can be bred out difficult but possible I have a nice cockerel who is showing some gold I think I might try and use him I'll see how hard it is to work around....

 

[pinkchick]

Just found this thread!!!!!!!!!!!!! Waaaahhhhhhoooooot! Thanks for starting it Caroline! Hoping others from the big Marans thread see this one and come visit and chat about the Beautiful Birchens!


Hi Lotsa!

 

[TheCosmos]

The first chicks from my birchen rooster hatched last night and this morning. I am wanting to work on blue birchen, but I have a lot to learn about the genetics behind it.

The hen that produced these eggs is a splash. The eggs weren't super dark, but I am hoping over time I can darken them up.

My boy Hyperion. He is almost 9 months old..



The splash hen that laid the eggs, Dragonia - sorry not a great picture. She is about a year old.



And on to the babies.. There are 7 total. I didn't get pictures of all of them.. seemed to have missed one. I'm assuming they are supposed to be blue, but what color they have elsewhere is where I am lost. LOL

#1



#2


#3 & #5


#3


#4


Hatched them out with a Brinsea Mini Advanced with Auto-turning. 7 out of 7. Love that little thing.

Also wanted to add that all of the chicks have shank feathering. The rooster has heavier shank feathering than the hen, but it appears that all of the babies have a considerable amount visible already.

 

[GaryDean26]

I like you cockerel. my cockerel DID turn out to have the yellowish/cream tint to all of his white plumage below the hackle.

Yes, your SBM x Splash hen should have blue 100% blue offspring. I am not sure what the genetics of you splash hen are. Is she built on Birchen or Extended Black? Silver or Gold base?

I am surprised by how dark the chicks are. The blue chicks I have seen have always been a gray flannel color. Most of yours look black.

 

[GaryDean26]

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