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
