BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[southernmomma]

Don't the [COLOR=333333]Langshans have feathered feet?  That would be a problem for me. I have seen other breeds that had feathered feet in the yards of friends and they seem to carry pounds of mud and poop around with them.  But they do seem to be very handsome and stately birds when cleaned up.[/COLOR]

I like the Langshan, they have a beautiful silhouette. I don't believe their feet are heavily feathered but perhaps enough to be an issue depending on how they were kept. If you talk to BGmatt about them you will be impressed~ they have a great history and he is very passionate about them. Personally I will be interested to see where he takes them as he has a determined plan.

M

 

[LindaB220]

We thought about it but saw a number of people complaining that pluckers can beat up the meat, so we decided not to bother.

I've heard that the reason for beating up the meat is because they only put one chicken in instead of two or three

 

[bnjrob]

I've heard that the reason for beating up the meat is because they only put one chicken in instead of two or three

Ha - I'd never even heard that you're s'posed to put in more than one bird. Interesting. Ah well, we pluck pretty fast - my hubby is really fast at it but he has more practice from doing it as a kid.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

Don't the [COLOR=333333]Langshans have feathered feet?  That would be a problem for me. I have seen other breeds that had feathered feet in the yards of friends and they seem to carry pounds of mud and poop around with them.  But they do seem to be very handsome and stately birds when cleaned up.[/COLOR]

Speaking from past experience, if you have clay soils, stay FAR away from feather-legged chickens. Ours walked around with huge mud/poop balls on their feet when we lived on clay soils. Here, we have sandy soils, and I am allowing a single feather-legged test pullet, as I really wanted a dark brown Marans egg in my egg basket. She is not big enough yet for me to pass judgement, though.
Best wishes,
Angela

 

[Turk Raphael]

Speaking from past experience, if you have clay soils, stay FAR away from feather-legged chickens. Ours walked around with huge mud/poop balls on their feet when we lived on clay soils. Here, we have sandy soils, and I am allowing a single feather-legged test pullet, as I really wanted a dark brown Marans egg in my egg basket. She is not big enough yet for me to pass judgement, though.
Best wishes,
Angela

Thanks for the information Angela. We're pretty well locked and loaded on the Buckeyes but did relent and ordered 25 Dark Cornish for the freezer this fall.

 

[LindaB220]

 

[3riverschick]

Speaking from past experience, if you have clay soils, stay FAR away from feather-legged chickens. Ours walked around with huge mud/poop balls on their feet when we lived on clay soils. Here, we have sandy soils, and I am allowing a single feather-legged test pullet, as I really wanted a dark brown Marans egg in my egg basket. She is not big enough yet for me to pass judgement, though.
Best wishes,
Angela

Sussex will do in clay soil. If you don't care if you have APA SOP or "French type" Marans, get some of the English type with no leg feathers. Some of the Cuckoo strains lay very dark eggs. Look for pure Fugate or pure Ripley strains. I know several people around the nation still have them. Ran across their websites and advertisements while surfing the Net. My 1st flock of Marans was Kelly Cratty strain. English type. Cuckoo color and Black Color. Wonderful birds! I know at least one person I saw still has the pure strain. English type. If you decide you ever want to show them, just bring in a feather legged cock for a year and hatch out some chicks. Some will have feathered legs and you can show them.
Frankly, I think this feather legged stuff is way overblown and it should have been optional in the APA SOP except for 2 clubs warring over the subject. It is a cultural thing anyway?!?! In France, they pasture their birds on grass. So the feathers don't get mussed. Plus, its a proven scientific fact that if you run clean legged birds out on the cold, wet, dew grass in the morning, they will develop stubs of feathers.
ok, so along come the English. They love the Marans and import it to England. But...here's the rub... they yard their birds. The yards get muddy and the feathers on the legs/feet get a mess. So the Brits selected out the leg/feet feathers on their Marans for cleanliness sake. Along come the American. With a huge country, many climates, and lifestyles. There is no "national trend" on how the birds are yarded/pastured. Everyone does what works best...where they live, with the property they have. But the 2 Marans clubs get into it over which type of feathers is more "legit". Like a Marans won't be a Marans because of leg feathering?!?! That's preposterous! Marans is body type, and darkness of egg. In the end, the 2 Clubs got the APA to approve feather legged Marans. Frankly, I think it was a disservice to the breed, putting it at odds with the management style of a notable number of fanciers and breeders. The cleanliness solution for folks who yard their birds seems ( at this point) to be flooring the yard with river sand. ( not play yard or beach sand which both have too much silica)
I strongly feel the feathered legs/feet should have been optional in the APA Standard. That way the most number of people would have been encouraged to take up this breed. However, that is neither here or there now. An opinion based on nature and hindsight. The only difference between English and French Marans is the one feather legged gene. Easily bred in, less easily bred out.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[gjensen]

I do not know what it is like to manage feather legged breeds, so I cannot speak of it. It had been a turn off for me, but not as much anymore. A breed like a Langshan is a pretty neat breed to me. Do not see any of them around. Guess I like unique.
I would keep them on grass, and we have very sandy soil.

 

[Arielle]

My marans dont have mud clinging to the leg feathers. Perhaps it is that they have lighter featherein g than the chochin, or I don't have a s much mud as others, though I don't think so. I prefer the clean legs myself-- breeding to get leg feathering right is rather silly IMO. But that is the requirement so I do. It's like English angora rabits v. french angoras. Next time I'll go for an English angora.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

I currently live on sandy loam, and hope the French-type Marans pullet will fare well during wet weather here. We had Mille Fleur D'Uccles on clay soil, and they were a pitiful, ugly mess. I got the Marans pullet with plans to breed my own olive-egger next year, am also getting Ameraucanas from Urch this year. Although Dorkings are my first poultry love, having a colorful egg basket is a close second, so am also getting white and brown egg laying breeds from Mr. Urch as well.
Planning, plotting and keeping my fingers crossed,
Angela