OK, to start with I am pretty new to breeding chickens. I have been breeding gamebirds for over 8 years now. Never had or wanted any type of color variations in my gamebirds. But have been studying and trying to learn all I can about raising marans. I have purchased marans from some of the best lines I could find. Can someone please explain how to breed marans to achieve certian color variations. I have cuckoo, Black copper and blue copper. I need some advice as how to breed them to achieve good feather color. I don't want a bunch of mixed up marans throwing off colored chicks. I have them all seperated according to thier color and lines as of right now. I also have clean legged and feathered legged marans and want to introduce feathered legs into to all my stock. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Breeding Marans/ Need Help
- Thread starter steelshot
- Start date
Thats neat! As a fan and new promoter of the breed, and potential future breeder (I'm not dedicated enough yet) I appreciate your efforts!
You can join the Marans breeders group on Yahoo, they are a wealth of information - there is the Marans Chicken club on yahoo too. Also continue to research, the genetics and mixing of lines even of the same color pattern are a critical issue, and you can let those with experience guide you before you make their mistakes ( these are the top line breeders you're referring to, like Bev Davis, etc and they are on yahoo groups)....this can be a touchy subject, I've learned! Indiscriminate breeding and selling is doing a disservice to the breed, and people who are really serious about it are appreciated by novices like me! I have marans from several different lines, some are even excellent lines, but I would not dare breed them, or claim to, for others. I will keep any I breed for eggs right now. No other purpose but my own. I hope to follow your progress in the world of Marans! Keep me informed!
I want to start a Marans promoter/breeder list on my Blog page, can I include your name?
You can join the Marans breeders group on Yahoo, they are a wealth of information - there is the Marans Chicken club on yahoo too. Also continue to research, the genetics and mixing of lines even of the same color pattern are a critical issue, and you can let those with experience guide you before you make their mistakes ( these are the top line breeders you're referring to, like Bev Davis, etc and they are on yahoo groups)....this can be a touchy subject, I've learned! Indiscriminate breeding and selling is doing a disservice to the breed, and people who are really serious about it are appreciated by novices like me! I have marans from several different lines, some are even excellent lines, but I would not dare breed them, or claim to, for others. I will keep any I breed for eggs right now. No other purpose but my own. I hope to follow your progress in the world of Marans! Keep me informed!
I want to start a Marans promoter/breeder list on my Blog page, can I include your name?
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I presume your copper blacks & copper blues are French type. What about your cuckoos? Are they French type (as opposed to the British type)? Are they dark cuckoo or gold or silver cuckoo?
I imported the first copper blues into Britain from France only four years ago & they're here in US already....goodness (they weren't very easy to find in France either) .
The copper blues & the copper blacks can be bred together they will behave like other black/blue splash. Sometimes the copper hackles do not show on the splash. If you have proper French stock you will be able to do interesting things with your cuckoos too.
All of your colours ought to have the same gene at an important locus called the e-locus meaning that you will easily be able to make more colours from what you have, & they'd be stable.
I imported the first copper blues into Britain from France only four years ago & they're here in US already....goodness (they weren't very easy to find in France either) .
The copper blues & the copper blacks can be bred together they will behave like other black/blue splash. Sometimes the copper hackles do not show on the splash. If you have proper French stock you will be able to do interesting things with your cuckoos too.
All of your colours ought to have the same gene at an important locus called the e-locus meaning that you will easily be able to make more colours from what you have, & they'd be stable.
- Thread starter
- #4
My black and blue coppers are both from french lines. I have dark and light cuckoos. I am in the process of hatching out some golden cuckoos. I am also on the waiting list for some of Bev Davis's eggs.
I am supposed to already have some of her stock but I want to acquire it from her myself just to be sure. One isssue I have is that all of my cuckoos are clean legged. I want to introduce feathered legs into my cuckoos but really am not quite sure what the best way to do that is. I really need to join that yahoo marans group. If any of you experienced breeders have time maybe someone could create a list of breeding possibilities and what offspring would be produced by those breeding. Example
cuckoo x black copper=?
Thanks for responding to my post and yeah tfpets
you can put me on that list. Please keep the info coming. Thanks
cuckoo x black copper=?
Thanks for responding to my post and yeah tfpets
you can put me on that list. Please keep the info coming. Thanks
Hello,
Will your golden cuckoo birds have leg feathering?
When you say light & dark cuckoo what do you mean? Could it be that the males are light, because they have two barring genes & your females are dark because they only have one, or is there another difference? In UK dark cuckoo is the variety without gold or silver hackles. It would be either on E/E birds or ER/ER birds with black enhancing genes, maybe melanotic (Ml). This is about what I'd expect your cuckoo marans to be carrying, or something inbetween.
Is it the plain cuckoo birds on which you want to put feathered legs? You could even make your own line of golden cuckoos & silver cuckoos at the same time
Will your golden cuckoo birds have leg feathering?
When you say light & dark cuckoo what do you mean? Could it be that the males are light, because they have two barring genes & your females are dark because they only have one, or is there another difference? In UK dark cuckoo is the variety without gold or silver hackles. It would be either on E/E birds or ER/ER birds with black enhancing genes, maybe melanotic (Ml). This is about what I'd expect your cuckoo marans to be carrying, or something inbetween.
Is it the plain cuckoo birds on which you want to put feathered legs? You could even make your own line of golden cuckoos & silver cuckoos at the same time
- Thread starter
- #6
I have two seperate cuckoo's lines from different breeders. One set is very dark colored and the other set is lighter in color. Niether have feathered legs. One is off the late Harry shaw's line and the other is off the fitch line supposedly. I want to introduce feathered legs to both lines. But I don't understand enough about thier genetics to know how to achieve this. Can I breed some of my black coppers to a cuckoo and get a feather legged cuckoo out of this breeding? I am just trying to understand what you would get when you breed different colored marans.
Quote:
You are right about different lines producing different colors, and they may all be off "standard" thus the reason to be careful about the crosses, and I want to thank you for being concerned. Even though the Cuckoos may be from good lines, and the bird may be pretty, does not mean it will conform to the desired traits - and/or breed true Marans that produce dark brown eggs on the Marans color scale. I do have several cuckoos in my flock that have the feathered legs. Unfortunately - I cannot guarantee some of their backgrounds.
I just started getting a little magazine called FancyFowl Magazine and it has a good background story on the Marans, but it's a little vague about genetics. They spelled predator wrong on the front page too, so their editing must be limited? (predetor is how it was published)
You are right about different lines producing different colors, and they may all be off "standard" thus the reason to be careful about the crosses, and I want to thank you for being concerned. Even though the Cuckoos may be from good lines, and the bird may be pretty, does not mean it will conform to the desired traits - and/or breed true Marans that produce dark brown eggs on the Marans color scale. I do have several cuckoos in my flock that have the feathered legs. Unfortunately - I cannot guarantee some of their backgrounds.
I just started getting a little magazine called FancyFowl Magazine and it has a good background story on the Marans, but it's a little vague about genetics. They spelled predator wrong on the front page too, so their editing must be limited? (predetor is how it was published)
- Thread starter
- #8
I just got off the phone with the breeder I purchased my golden marans eggs from and he said they were off of Bill Braden's line. He also said his were not feathered legged. I recon I need to find some feathered legged cuckoo stock.
Yeah, as long as you keep track, and get ahold of the people who know from experience what lines are compatable - some are not...Mine are as follows:
My first Cuckoo Marans pair - purchased from Carla Freestep - Originally from Valentine Hatchery lines
Two Cuckoo Marans Pullets - purchased from Wendy Jackson - Kelly Cratty and Iona McCormick lines
Four Cuckoo Marans chicks - undetermined sex but probably 3 roosters - purchased from feedstore but from breeder Tina Cardin of Two by Two petting zoo - unknown genetics - I'll work on finding out
7 Black Copper Marans chicks - Parents are hens from Valentine Hatchery and Red Dirt Ranch, Rooster from Wade Jean
I am not breeding now, but I am keeping track of the lines for separation later....I do have feather legs in my cuckoos, so you may approach some of these breeders if they meet your standards?
My first Cuckoo Marans pair - purchased from Carla Freestep - Originally from Valentine Hatchery lines
Two Cuckoo Marans Pullets - purchased from Wendy Jackson - Kelly Cratty and Iona McCormick lines
Four Cuckoo Marans chicks - undetermined sex but probably 3 roosters - purchased from feedstore but from breeder Tina Cardin of Two by Two petting zoo - unknown genetics - I'll work on finding out
7 Black Copper Marans chicks - Parents are hens from Valentine Hatchery and Red Dirt Ranch, Rooster from Wade Jean
I am not breeding now, but I am keeping track of the lines for separation later....I do have feather legs in my cuckoos, so you may approach some of these breeders if they meet your standards?
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- Thread starter
- #10
They look just like my darker strain of cuckoos but mine don't have them nice feathers on thier legs. They are are some nice looking cuckoos.
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