Help me understand - Marans

[CHICKEN little 1]

:| I was taught to share. I guess that's why I'll never get rich on selling hatching eggs. The world today?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Martha Stewart has Marans. At least, that's what she read off her cue card on her "Look! I have chickens (OMG)!" episode.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Now that we've gotten some birds to laying age, and have a few dozen younger pullets and cockerels running around, we're able to kind of sit back and observe and enjoy them.

We love the Orpingtons, which is why we have more of them than anything else. They're just neat. We also really enjoy watching the Easter Eggers, and our blue Ameraucana hen is HILARIOUS, talking ALL the time.

But the Marans take the cake. They are SO much fun. I love watching the copper feathers come in on the copper black ones, and seeing them run around with their little bell-bottom feet. They seem to have really good instincts for self-preservation, and I'd wager that if we had a predator problem during the day when they're ranging, they'd be the ones to survive.

My absolute favorite rooster is a young cuckoo Marans cockerel. When I go out the back door and to the patio gate, he sees me and comes RUNNING as fast as his little chicken legs will carry him to where I am, and just stares at me, like, "So? Where is my treat?" None of the other chickens rush to me like that. The turkeys do, but not the chickens. I had NO plans to save any cuckoo Marans cockerels, and his brothers are already in the bachelor/dumpling pen, but this guy has ensured himself a place here by sheer force of character. If nothing else, we'll use him over some EE hens to produce olive-eggers. I love those dark olive eggs.

One concern I have about the direction of the Marans breed in this country is size. I see, within the various breed clubs, lots of talk about selecting for size, and as usual in America, it seems that the bigger the better. But if you read the French standard, these birds are supposed to max out at between 7-9 pounds at maturity, depending on whether pullet or cockerel. I'd hate to see people start heavily selecting for size, and inadvertently selecting against some desirable trait.

I do notice that my hatchery cuckoos are way bigger than my privately-bred copper blacks. Time will tell where all this goes. In the meantime, I am, like some other posters here, happy to share my own beginning in the breed in the form of fertile eggs, extra cockerels, or even young started chicks for local folks. I honestly believe that it's in the best interest of this or any scarce breed to get as many of them as possible into the hands of as many people as possible. Quality will out, in the end.

 

[hcammack]

I am getting Blue copper and Black copper marans for $5 a chick

Here but I guess it might be a speacial offer and I am not breeding just for something pretty to add to my flock.

Henry

 

[ginasmarans]

I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. If you want some nice birds with darker than usual eggs,but aren't obsessed that everything is "just right", You should be able to find eggs or birds at reasonable prices. I think mine are reasonably priced. I am working to improve not only egg shell color,but trying to breed for breed standard. That takes money and time. Most serious breeders have been at it for many years, so once they achieve success,they have invested serious money. I do think some prices are over the top, but that is my opinion. Show quality eggs for any breed will probably cost you much more than just regular eggs from the same breed.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
I still want some of your cuckoo eggs if we go to the BlogHer event in Nashville next month!

 

[ginasmarans]

Hopefully they will start laying better by then,lol. They seem to have slowe down a little earlier this year. Just drop me a line and I'll let you know.