Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[fowlman01]

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My first time judging Marans eggs was yesterday. That was pretty interesting. I think the APA should promote more of that. There seems to be a lot of interest and it is easier to ship eggs than it is to ship a bird to a show.

I have to find some gloves for judging. The problem is that I have to be able to feel the bird through them. The thing I hate most about getting old is that things that used to bounce right of my skin now open me up and I bleed like mad. Part of it is that I am also taking a blood thinner, but the skin is not nearly as thick as it was. I was also spurred by a SS Hamburg banty, but he was slow enough that I saw it coming and he didn't do much. I was not very careful taking him out after he did that. Technically I didn't have to judge him, but I hate to do that. After 30+ years of judging I have only refused to take out one bird. That was a white male Cornish LF that was remarkably fast for his giant size. He was probably the largest Cornish I have ever seen. (Lewis Strait line). There was no way I was going to wrestle with that guy.


Walt

I feel for you Walt. Band Aids have become a standard part of my judging bag along with the Standards, extra pens & my business card. Before I venture into the show hall I drop a couple of band aids in the pocket of my judging coat. Just one of the many joys of growing older.

I keep band aids handy all the time. This is really the about the only thing about growing older that really annoys me. If I find some gloves that work I will let you know.

Walt

 

[Wynette]

Morning, friends!

KYtinpusher - welcome to the Black Copper Marans thread!

For me, the VERY best way to learn about the type we are striving for in this breed is via pictures - pictures of birds that have placed/won at shows, sketches on the Marans websites, etc. Look at the pictures, compare them to the SOP as you're looking, and before you know it, you'll be training your eye to be able to seek out the good AND the bad. Also, the more you learn about issues that are going on, the more you will learn how to breed them out via your choices of who to breed to who. For me, I simply cannot hatch thousands of chicks each year, so I work hard to learn about type, knowing I will be able to apply what I've learned when moving forward.

You sound like you're going about your research in a complete and thorough way - kudos to you - you will be so happy you did, as you may find, when beginning with better stock, that it takes less time to get your type down-pat!

 

[Cattitude]

*sigh* The eggs I was so happy to win are not going to be coming. The hens have suddenly dropped production and the seller has refunded my money.

Someday I shall have my BCMs!! I'll just keep trying!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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Thank you! I had to go over this a couple of times. LOTS to think about. I appreciate your pictures. That helped too. I look forward to seeing the Wheatens and the Black Coppers at Crossroads. That should help in my education as well.

 

[snowbird]

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NYREDS, where would you suggest new Marans people get the info. to keep from getting taken to the cleaners. I have yet to find anywhere that I could trust to give me the info. I would need before buying. When I started out I spent several thousand dollars on eggs that should of been eating eggs. Thr problem is there is just not that many dedicated Marans breeders that are selling eggs and adult fowl. The reason for this is that there is more buyers than there are sellers.

We should look at how many breeders were selling eggs for up to 150 a dozen two year ago and have now vanished. This is not just Marans either.

The Marans club website has a lot of info including the Standard description of the breed. Marans are "hot" right now & apparently demand exceeds supply. This will change as more people begin to breed them & the novelty wears off. As with many other hobbies there are always fads in the poultry fancy. Marans are hot among a certain element of the fancy but something will come along to take their place.
As to where to go to talk to people about Marans or any other breed you can't beat a chicken show. In my experience poultry people are only too happy to talk about their birds & with rare exception most are willing to share stock to get people started. There are, of course, opportunists who are less than honorable in their dealings but I think they're in the minority. I raise show dogs as well & I assure you the poultry fancy is much less cut throat than the dog fancy.
Getting into a new breed/variety by buying hatching eggs from unknown sources is a crap shoot at best & more than likely a waste of time & money. No offence meant but spending several thousand dollars on eggs is just crazy. Especially when you know nothing about the source.

Thanks for the comments as I am relatively new to show poultry and just trying to figure out all the inside info. from the oldtimers. Apparently you are not aware of how hard it is to get good Marans that will work in the SOP.

 

[AmiableHen]

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(Madly taking notes about which breeds to avoid ...

)

Check out Bantam Salmon Faverolles....my daughter was interested, and now they are a family favorite. So droll, and cute.

They get along well with our BCMs, Orps, Chanteclers, etc.

 

[Debbi]

Walt,

Have you tried something like the Isotoner gloves? They may not stop all cuts, as they are quite thin, but you can feel things through them. If nothing else, they may help sop up the bleeding.

Not funny, I know. This old hide isn't as tough as it used to be either. Things that used to just scratch me, now turn into bleeding and scarring. I really feel for you judges handling all of those roos...

 

[geebs]

WALT I am glad you liked the egg shows... Anyone can do those.... Keep your ugly mutts at home and send in the purdy eye popping jewels... What a BLAST... I have sent eggs to several shows... IT IS EASY... all you NEWBIES... You should try it... No one cares how ugly your bird is and the criticism stays at home....Just remember when selling the birds that a beautiful egg layer.... Is usually the one you wouldn't dare take to the show...

(personal experience here)

 

[Lotsapaints]

Don I agree and I sure don't want to add up what I've paid in the last 2 years to get about 5 good chickens to have a start.........to everyone else that is trying to start good luck and keep culling any DQ's trust me they breed on good thing is the culls taste like chicken

 

[fowlman01]

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Thanks for the tip. I know of those gloves and I will try them.

Walt