Blue Marans--Help!!

[phonelady13]

Can anybody tell me what birds you breed to get your first blue maran? I understand the blue color gene. I just don't know how to get started in the blue marans.

I found another site in the UK that has what is called a Belle Blue/Haze. It looks like a blue maran. I'm just not sure if it really is. I know (ok, I think I know) that the true maran will have feathered legs. This one doesn't.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[heathersboers]

French black to a blue splash. This is what we breed and hatch 100% blue

 

[Illia]

If you understand how it works, then you know how to get blue.

Blue x Black - 50/50 blue and black

Black x Splash - 100% blue

Blue x Blue - 50% blue, 25% splash, 25% black


Oh and as a note, there is no such thing as "blue splash" - A bird is either blue or splash.

 

[AquaEyes]

I'm not sure, but I wonder if the OP is asking not how the blue color gene works, but how to get solid blue Marans, as opposed to blue copper Marans. I'd be curious to find out as well. I have seen mentioning of black Marans (not black copper, but solid black), but they don't seem to be as popular as the black copper. One person who posts eggs says she bred her blacks from the black coppers by selecting for reduction of "copper." I read something else about using cuckoo.

I really like the B/B/S series. I am still without chickens, but my "wishlist" for later is for three breeds: Marans, Ameraucanas, and Jersey Giants, all three in B/B/S (I know that basically black and gray sound boring, but it's what I like...maybe after having had exotic cage birds in my life for so long, I pine for something a bit more basic). So I'll be

here for someone "in the know" to jump in. Thanks in advance.



~Chris

 

[Illia]

Black Marans. They are out there. That's the key.


That or Cuckoo, which is what I assume most people use, seeing as most Blues out there have just as poor of egg color. Cuckoo is E/E just like solid black and blue, just get rid of the barring.

 

[AquaEyes]

Quote:
Let's say someone couldn't find solid black Marans, but was able to cross a black copper with a cuckoo. Is the copper caused by a dominant or recessive gene, or by several genes? Is the barring caused by one gene? I think I remember learning that barring is sex-linked, but I'm not sure.

What about the "black marans" that were created by selectively breeding for reduced copper in the black coppers? Are they genetically different (as far as coloration) from black Marans with no black copper ancestry? In some pictures, I see some hens that have little or no copper on their necks. Is this due to a small amount of "copper" or an extension of black on top of the "copper"?

Sorry if my questions are "totally noob."

~Chris

 

[phonelady13]

Maybe I didn't really ask the right question. Can anybody tell me if a Belle Blue/Haze is the same thing as a Blue maran? The UK website I found said that cross is made from a RIR and a Cuckoo Maran. They look the same without the feathered legs and feet.

 

[AquaEyes]

OK, sorry if I misunderstood your question. I couldn't answer either, but I was

waiting to see what answers you got. Have you ever tried looking it up on a UK poultry forum?



~Chris

 

[Glenmar]

I am getting some eggs from a blue roo bred to blue and splash hens. What will the offspring be?

 

[VillageChicken]

UK sells lots of laying hybrids. The Bluebelle is exactly what they say - a crossbreed, not the same as a Marans. The egg color will not be as dark, but it will probably lay more eggs. The hybrid layer industry is big in the UK. They have a much larger variety of hybrids than the U.S.

The Copper (Mahogany + Birchen) gene in BC's is dominant. It expresses more in two doses than one, but will still show in just one dose. It will likely show up in a blue cross as gold leaking through in the hackle feathers - it may not be a clean solid blue that you get from a cross using a BC.

If all you want is a blue bird that looks and lays like a Marans, then it's fine to use any combination of splash, blue, or black Marans that you can find, including the cuckoo, though I would only use cuckoo hens. Anything besides a pure genetically self black or self blue or self splash bird used to create a "blue Marans" will not breed true, nor should its eggs or offspring be sold as "blue Marans".

The main Marans thread had a big discussion about blue Marans, and there are very few out there that are based on solid black/blue/splash genetics or that were produced in a systematic way to produce the proper genetics in the offspring.

If you're looking for Blues, hop on the Marans thread and ask who has real, genetically correct blue Marans.