Welcome to BYC, you'll find a lot of valuable info here, and lots of nice people willing to help you.
Very nice paints. I raise QH for barrel racing and roping, mainly. I love foaling season.
The great thing about chickens is, you don't have to wait very long to see the result of the breeding.
The Marans are beautiful birds, lots of varieties to choose from and the Marans Chickens Club is working on getting the Black Coppers, and Wheatons listed in the APA standard for showing. Hopefully that will be finished by the end of next year. You can still show them now, feather legged or clean legs, but after they're approved the standard will be for feather legged. So, if you think you might want to show them, it'd probably be best to purchase the feather legged ones.
Good Luck & Welcome
Terry