Thank you very much for all the input. I think I may keep him as my EO roo and use him for occasional BCM breeder to get some good color, high tail chicks that I can breed to the good rooster I am buying!
Marans don't have hgh tails. Take a look at these Little Peddler cockerels. They are pure French line. This is the proper tail.
http://littlepeddlersmarans.com/page1.php
Langshans have a high tail. See here:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Langshan/BRKLangshan.html
Poorly bred Marans tend to revert to a Langshan silhouette. I am not sure why. Langshan
is in the genetic background of the Marans. In about 2002, Black Langshan were crossbred into the Marans gene pool in the US to increase hybrid vigor. Maybe these two facts have something to do with it.
Best,
Karen
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Check out this page:
http://littlepeddlersmarans.com/lpscratch.php
Scroll down to the cover photo for the book "The Marans". What stunning symmetry on the birds there. Look at that rooster! See the subdued tail? Great for a proper example. Perfect attachment to the body.
The Marans, like the Sussex, is a bird of graceful curves. These curves meld one into the other ,creating a symmetry which fills the eye.
No one part of the bird distracts the eye by being extreme. It presents a picture of grace. , Balance. See how the placement of the tail offsets the robust breast in this cock? How the length of the body is in ratio to the depth of the body in the hen? It is the same in the rooster, you just can't see it. See how the neck is strongly set on the body? Not short and set on a
short back. Not skinny and long, set over a
shallow chest. It is a goodly length, without being overdone. Wider at the bottom but melding gracefully into the curves of the body. Yes, I see the blade lifting off the back of the skull. Seems that is ok in France.
thanks again. Once I get the quad (Wednesday) I will post some pictures
also, I have them posted on the swap, if you want to take a look!
