I am so frustrated with my Marans!

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I LOVE Marans! LOL I have one that really loves me, really

And 2 others that like me alot. The rest just love me when I have food

They are all interesting little guys.

I bought my first batch as chicks from a member on here, tgcole. He was very nice and informative and we waited till the chicks were around a month old before shipping them. He even shipped me 2 extra chicks with my order of 1 dozen.

I have since bought some hatching marans eggs from another member on here. I hope they hatch.

I say invest in live chicks.

 

[L&Schickens]

Quote:
I have a white cockerel and a BC Cockerel that I am thinking of selling. Both are nice birds with good feet. I would like to keep the 2 pullets I have left for as long as I can any way, so I can get at least some nice dark eggs to eat. I wish I had more pullets, but between the bad feet and the raccoon, I only have 2 left.

 

[millebantam]

It is very easy to get fed up with the Marans, but most of the blame has to be laid on the breeders, who I believe, the vast majority are out to make a quick buck with no regard to the quality of the breed itself.

Here's my story. I had sworn not to jump on the trendy, Black Copper Marans bandwagon, but my 12 year old son was persistant for months asking me to get him some Blue Copper Marans for himself. I eventually caved, and bought some very pricey eggs form a VERY well known Marans breeder both here on BYC, and on Ebay. I bought 6 and the seller sent 9. I got 7 to hatch. The pictures below represent what came out of those eggs. Now keep in mind that the seller was adamant about the quality of these French standard, feather-legged, very dark egg laying, Wade Jean line, Blue Copper Marans.

What we got were blue Coppers with well-feathered PINK legs and yellow legs, a splash with non-feathered GREEN legs, and some Birchen looking mutts with non feathered legs, among a few other atrocities.

The eggs that these scrubs hatched from were very dark, but it is quite evident that there isn't one bird even close to what I expected to end up with. I won't cause a contraversy and name names, but be aware that even those "well known, trusted sellers " are peddling junk. Here are the picks of my mess. Enjoy, lol.

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[monarc23]

Quote:
Wow!

I am so sorry you had to deal with that! That one even has brighter eyes than the BC marans pullet im trying to decide if she's too light in the eyes to keep or not. Green legs!?!?! Yellow I can understand (the wheaten gene) but green!? Wow. They "look" like marans from a quick glance but then you look at what you mention and you really see what you're talking about! I have been very lucky to pay what I consider a very little amount of money for the birds I'm getting and sure all are not the quality I'm looking to breed for, but so far most are looking very well and I feel very blessed. I wish others the same with this breed.... I honestly think those charging an arm and a leg are out to deffinatly make a buck.... and those who post pictures of thier birds with off colored eyes saying that they are working hard on the breed really confuses me. I have petted out SEVERAL marans so far... and I only have one older pullet that I plan to keep for my breeding flock, the other pullet im pretty sure is going into a layer flock just because of her eye color. I'm being extreemly picky, and I don't even know half of what there is to know about these birds yet.

 

[tellynpeep]

Quote:
Wow. I'd be interested to see what color eggs those girls lay. Did you communicate with the seller about your hatching results? Could they explain about possibly a stray rooster in the flock? Very fishy indeed...

 

[Choll]

I bought 2 dozen BCM eggs from Ruth and 1 dozen from bargain. Ruth sent 26 eggs but 4 got cracked in shipment. I hatched 16 of the 22 that went in the incubator. All 12 of bargain's eggs arrived unbroken and I hatched 7 of them. The chicks are 3 weeks old, doing very well and looking good. This is my first experience with Marans, so they can be hatched from shipped eggs.

I put 53 Welsummer eggs in the incubator and only hatched 12. I have only 3 pullets and 9 cockerels. 3 pullets out of 53 eggs is very disappointing!

 

[blackdotte]

The Blue cockerel has the correct leg colour. The Splash is a cross bred (green = yellow + black), yellow does not come from Wheaten. Can't see if legs on the Blue-Red cockerel are yellow or white, if white I would run him on for a while. Last two are gold/silver splits (cross of gold birds and silver birds) & should be cullled. So you have 1 possible keeper
David

 

[monarc23]

Quote:
what does it come from then??? That's what I've read it comes from and it makes sense.

 

[cariboujaguar]

L&Schickens :

Quote:
I have a white cockerel and a BC Cockerel that I am thinking of selling. Both are nice birds with good feet. I would like to keep the 2 pullets I have left for as long as I can any way, so I can get at least some nice dark eggs to eat. I wish I had more pullets, but between the bad feet and the raccoon, I only have 2 left.

I'm interested, let me know how much and where you are (I forget) if far away my hubs can pick them/him (depending on price LOL) on his way back to WA from CA

 

[CHICKEN little 1]

blackdotte wrote:The Blue cockerel has the correct leg colour. The Splash is a cross bred (green = yellow + black), yellow does not come from Wheaten. Can't see if legs on the Blue-Red cockerel are yellow or white, if white I would run him on for a while. Last two are gold/silver splits (cross of gold birds and silver birds) & should be cullled. So you have 1 possible keeper
David

O.K. I have to ask. How in the world can you get a cross of gold x silver out of Blue Copper eggs?

The reasoning for culling? Dumb questions I know,but I would really like to know.