Blue Black and Splash Marans

[madelynbelle]

French Marans from Bev Davis Line. I have a splash rooster and a blue rooster covering blue and splash hens so the result can be blue, black and splash chicks. Nice large dark eggs. I pack carefully with bubblewrap to prevent breakage.

 

[Lensters]

What is the roo in the last picture supposed to be? Looks like he could be a Birchen Copper Blue. If you post a close up of his hackle feathers I might be able to tell. Birchen is known to be in the Wade Jean lines but I got a second hand roo from Cree Farms (near you) that was a Birchen Blue and they advertise Bev Davis lines.

 

[madelynbelle]

He is supposed to be blue. He came from the same hatch as the others in the picture. There was another rooster I had with less red coloring on him almost none and the neighbors dog killed him. He is from the Bev Davis line and I did get him from Cree Farms. Does this last picture help at all

 

[Lensters]

He is definitely Blue & Copper but the way the red turns silver at the bottom there must be another gene in the mix. I've spent the last two hours researching colors and looking for pictures of Birchen Coppers but I haven't found much so I can't say for sure that is what it is. Though, Birchen fits for silvering and is known to be in the Cree birds, so I'm guessing it is that.

This is a way out there theory, but there might have been a Welsummer added to this line some time ago to improve the egg color. That would explain the shafting of the hen's feathers and the terracotta hue of the eggs. However, that theory still doesn't account for the silvering of the roo's hackles.

I would suggest that you join the Marans groups:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Marans/

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/BlueMarans/

post some pictures and ask Dick Dickerson and/or Laurie Adams for their opinions. You will undoubtedly get opinions from many people but those two are the best.

Don't feel bad about having an off-variety bird, I spent over a thousand dollars on Marans eggs and have kept nine birds from hundreds of eggs. I have my first eggs from those in the incubator and I hope that I will have a good roo and a couple of good hens once I have culled for recessive genes that I find in the first generation. And then I'll breed the first generation back to their parents looking for any remaining recessives.

 

[madelynbelle]

Thanks for all the great information. I am also going to hatch some after my incubator empties out so I can see if I can replace this rooster next year. The hens that hatched out had beautiful coloring and this rooster was the one I was keeping on the back burner...sad to say how do dogs always seem to hand pick the stock most valuable to kill. I actually like the egg color of my BC better as they are darker, but the size of these eggs is what is so nice. I like the bigger Davis birds as opposed to the Wade Jeanne I have in my coppers too. I paid 60.00 a dozen for my hatching eggs and unfortunately had very poor hatches with them. I am hoping my own eggs will hatch better, but I am wondering if the difficult hatches are due to the fact the shells on the eggs seem thicker than other shells....could be my imagination too I suposed. Thanks again for the info I am going to go out and see if I can get some more input off the Marans site. I also spent hours looking into the Birchen after you said that but only came up with really silver looking birds as opposed to the blue.

 

[Lensters]

Yes, the Davis birds do have good type. That rooster looks like he has phenomenal type, but it will take you a long time to get the color genes corrected. So it depends on what you want to do. If you do show birds you would keep him and sort out the color over the next few generations, but I'm taking a wild guess that you don't show them.

 

[greenfingers]

I don't see how many eggs you are sending in this auction?
Thanks!

 

[madelynbelle]

Guess I forgot the important part. Its for a dozen eggs plus a few extras

 

[Lensters]

I'll take a dozen too, after the "funky roo" has been out of the flock for three weeks.

 

[whidbey]

What is the shipping cost, Im in Wa so just wondering