Birchen Marans Thread

[BCMaraniac]

There is a Blue Birchen. But they are pretty rare because it is difficult to get the blue and the silver together. Usually it ends up all blue. It should look like an Isbar but with no gold in the hackle (and of course all the other Marans features). I applaud you if you are pursuing the Blue Birchen as it is very challenging.

In my opinion, a Birchen needs to have silver in the hackles. No silver and it is Black Marans. Apparently this is a common problem that even Bev Davis had when crossing with another color. Many of the Birchen Marans reverted to having no silver. The fact that you are seeing a splash makes me think that somewhere down the line, someone crossed them with a Blue or a Splash. I don't think the Splash would qualify as a Birchen either because it seems the Splash genetics would wash out the silver.

Neither my Bresse nor my Marans had any frostbite this year. The only frostbite victims were the Cream Legbars.

The pullets are definitely blue and they definitely have silver hackles. The reality of it is that I went to buy a splash rooster, and ended up buying 3 splash roosters just learning to crow and I bought the pullets too, 2 blue, one black, and one splash. I have no other birchens. The splash roosters have silvery saddle and neck/hackle feathers. I really didn't know and still don't know anything much about the birchens. I really thought they were coppers when I went. The lady I got them from didn't know what she had either...the eggs the breeding pair came from were gifted to her.. I got them cheap, really. She had the roosters priced $10 each, so I bought all 7 of them for $75 She needed to get rid of them. She wanted to focus on her Shamo and Thailand birds.










These lower two birds are the parents, and the pics above that are the offspring. Sorry for picture quality. These were snapped with cell phone back during the winter. I didn't get any pictures of the blue birchen pullets. I'll get pics to show you and see what you think.

 

[DCchicken]

Pretty birds BCMaraniac. Your black hen actually looks like the Smoky coloring, which if my memory is correct, is a mutation of Domianant white.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Pretty birds BCMaraniac. Your black hen actually looks like the Smoky coloring, which if my memory is correct, is a mutation of Domianant white.

Thanks. I don't own the two parent birds, and she looked blue to me.....she isn't my black. I didn't get pictures of the black pullet or the two blues that I have. I just got pics of the Splash ones. With the splash roosters, what would you expect to get if bred to birchen hens?

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: My CCL, Rhodebars and some Marans all had frostbite here. The Rhodebar was the worst.

I am crossing my Birchen roo with my Blue Marans. She is really blue not from a copper line, I made her. I hope to have a few more solid birds down the road but I would LOVE to see the Blue Birchens come from them too.

 

[BCMaraniac]

My CCL, Rhodebars and some Marans all had frostbite here. The Rhodebar was the worst.

I am crossing my Birchen roo with my Blue Marans. She is really blue not from a copper line, I made her. I hope to have a few more solid birds down the road but I would LOVE to see the Blue Birchens come from them too.

My poor Bresse.....one looks like he has a Mohawk, and the other just a little bump where large points once were. I have been meaning to get some pics of them, but am embarrassed. On a positive note, there was no infection, and I just left alone the necrotic tissue which was black and dry. The points have just now come off. In fact, one of them still has some dry black tissue there, but I figure it will come off soon. There has been no bleeding whatsoever by letting it come off on its own.

I don't know what to do with mine, though I have put one of the splash roosters in with a couple of black Marans that are out of a copper line. They are going to be meat birds, but I thought I could see what they look like.....blue for sure, but who knows what else.

 

[DCchicken]

Thanks. I don't own the two parent birds, and she looked blue to me.....she isn't my black. I didn't get pictures of the black pullet or the two blues that I have. I just got pics of the Splash ones. With the splash roosters, what would you expect to get if bred to birchen hens?

I am probably going to mess this up because I don't have much experience with splash+birchen, but I would think that you would get mostly splash but probably no silver. You probably will get quite a few pure blacks with no silver. But this is just a guess as I have not charted this out yet. Interesting mix and one worth exploring. Either way I think you are going to have to cross back to a Birchen (Silver Black) to get the silver come through. Just do not ever cross a Birchen Marans with one with Copper. Copper is hard to get rid of in your Birchens.

Just make sure to keep track of the egg color. A Marans (of any color) is not a Marans if it does not have the dark, chocolate eggs. IMHO.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I am probably going to mess this up because I don't have much experience with splash+birchen, but I would think that you would get mostly splash but probably no silver. You probably will get quite a few pure blacks with no silver. But this is just a guess as I have not charted this out yet. Interesting mix and one worth exploring. Either way I think you are going to have to cross back to a Birchen (Silver Black) to get the silver come through. Just do not ever cross a Birchen Marans with one with Copper. Copper is hard to get rid of in your Birchens.

Just make sure to keep track of the egg color. A Marans (of any color) is not a Marans if it does not have the dark, chocolate eggs. IMHO.

I am going to cross the splash over my solid black Marans out of a copper line.....but they are strictly to raise for meat because I caponize my roosters and poulardize the pullets. I will observe the colors, but nothing more.

 

[DMRippy]

Splash crossed with a black will give 100% blue. The silver would get passed 100% of the chicks...but that does not mean it will express....same goes for a copper

 

[lawatt]

love all this discussion of birchen genetics, which i am still trying to get my head around -- particularly as i've hatched some eggs from my one birchen cockerel & two birchen pullets, and among the black offspring I also have hatched two that appear to be wheaten:


this was them at hatch -- they are now about 10 days old, and i need to get more updated photos! but can anyone explain how these chicks can be produced by two black/silver parents?

 

[DMRippy]

love all this discussion of birchen genetics, which i am still trying to get my head around -- particularly as i've hatched some eggs from my one birchen cockerel & two birchen pullets, and among the black offspring I also have hatched two that appear to be wheaten:


this was them at hatch -- they are now about 10 days old, and i need to get more updated photos! but can anyone explain how these chicks can be produced by two black/silver parents?

My guess is they are NOT wheaten but rec white. Both parents must be carrying it for it to express.