How to peak a Marans?

[Mosey2003]

 

[jeepgirl13]

At a year old, you'll want to definitely have him rest in the fridge for 4 days to loosen things up and he may be best in the crockpot for pulled chicken. Don't worry about a specialized diet, just remember to pull him off of feed 24 hours before the deed. Still give him water but you want the crop empty.

Last night after work I talk a walk-about with my husband and we pulled 11 dud cockerels. With breeding comes culling, as there are certain traits you don't want to continue to see in a line if you can help it and you don't want to send them on to someone else. In 2 of them I didn't like how they stood, 1 could have been a penguin. 1 had a funny feel to his keel bone. Another was too lean in the pelvis. 2 had become cronies to the leader rooster and he was letting them get away with bullying. 2 weren't going to get any bigger and the other 2 were much too passive and getting color leakage. Most of them had wonky combs, some with middle toe feathers in the Marans and other odds and ends.

The rooster is the most important part of the equation. The hens matter too, but a cull hen will also lay eggs and with the right rooster she may outdo herself in progeny. If she has a short back you want her with a long back roo. If she has a high tail, you want her with a low tail rooster. Balancing out traits and then sorting the offspring for the look you want to see. All while keeping the vigor and health intact.

The Marans are the only type we have where I attempt to follow the SOP, since the Black Silver is in contention for recognition. The rest of the flock is personal preference since a standard doesn't exist for them.

I'm pretty happy with my project birds, I have plans for this guy! The sun yellowed out his silver but the Bresse hens won't care when he goes in for an outcross. The daughters from that will let me know what egg color gene he carries and hopefully the boys get more breast meat. Technically he's an Olive Egger but I need to find out what he inherited by crossing him to a light colored layer. After a lot of my roosters lost their comb tips last winter I've been working on improved winter hardiness with a Walnut comb.

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This is a marans? He looks just like a really aggressive EE too I used to have. Only mine was much smaller. By 3 months he was already flogging my son who was 6 or 7 at the time. That little guy made for some tender bbq.

 

[Mosey2003]

This is a marans? He looks just like a really aggressive EE too I used to have. Only mine was much smaller. By 3 months he was already flogging my son who was 6 or 7 at the time. That little guy made for some tender bbq.

You can get that coloring in more than one breed, yes. That bird pictured is much heavier than any EE would typically be, though.

 

[mandelyn]

@jeepgirl13

No, he's a Hybrid, 50% Marans to get that color and to add a chunkier frame to a different cross.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

He is handsome, @mandelyn , very showy! Definitely has the upright Araucana back, but not too short and a gorgeous tail! I won't know much about my Red Mottled Marans boy until I separate him because he's afraid of my Jersey Giant, won't grow out his "sexy" feathers and JUST started crowing at 5 1/2 months. (Now he is making up for lost time). He's going to get some exercise, I want to cross him to Brahmas when he's a little older.