Looking for pictures of Marans matching the proposed APA standard

[Cuban Longtails]

Onthespot - what a beautiful cockbird!

Do you have a shot of his chest area so we can see what it looks like?

I've been looking and looking for good photos too. Especially of the proper tail set in both cock and hen. Looking at my own, I see too much of a squirrel tail in the males but I may be too critical.

 

[millebantam]

I may be in the minority, but I have been culling mine more for type than egg color. I never wanted these things, and only bought the first few a while back at the urging of my 12 year old son, and his obsession with the "Marans Craze". I didn't even consider them part of "my flock".

Since then, they kind of "grew" on me and became a sort of pet project. I believe that my motives and objectives are clear, since I got involved with this, understanding that I have never sold an egg, nor do I have any intention at this time of ever selling an egg. I have probably eaten thousands of dollars worth of omelettes, lol.

I have currently a dozen or so laying hens, both black copper and blue copper running together with 3 black copper roos and a blue copper roo. I also have an additional 60 or so juveniles in different growth stages. My overall egg color is lacking, with the girls averaging 5's and 6's, but I think that some of my birds are looking close to the proposed standard as well as I can understand and interpret it.

My flock is a mish-mash of different lines, and some birds display stronger characteristics than others, as well as deficientcies. The weather is awful today, but I'm willing to take some pics of what's out there in the near future for discussion and critique. I also understand that I have a long way to go, but do intend on exhibiting some of them next spring, when I think that I have something worthy of representing the breed.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I have 2 roos and a hen that are American standard Marans....well they are just 4 months right now and so far so good. I will take pics of them when I go back out...I have a hen that is French standard...I am raising for the French standard but end up with American standard birds

I am still learning alot about them too. So this is a helpful thread.

Onthespot has a really nice roo!

 

[Krys109uk]

I am raising for the French standard but end up with American standard birds

What do you see as the main differences?​

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

The feathered shanks so for....they are all 4 months old so their coloring isn't totally matured yet.

And when I say that I mean it is based on what I have learned so far on the standards.

I will put up their pics a little later and you guys can critic them for me

I want to get as close to a perfect French standard flock as I can possibly get with a dark egg color too.

 

[cottagegarden]

onthespot-he looks better than MOST (0:
tailset looks good from photo, eyes good, earlobe red, doesnt look like he would have excess color on the breast, he just looks nice and black and glossy, cant see wingbay
You may be working on..looks like an extra comb point, some gold in the hackles(bt not as much as they seem to usually have)

Deff a keeper!!

 

[cottagegarden]

We may be chasing unicorns at this point in time looking for meeting the proposed standard.
But, I think it would be VERY helpful to get these pics of BCM up. Perhaps "this is what I understand needs worked on with my bird" pics would be ok, too?
People gotta learn somehow.
I did try and start a "what are you working on with your Marans line" thread a few months ago but it got locked as seems to be the hazard of this breed discussion.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I think this is a much more helpful attitude than a challenge to put up pics of perfect birds. There IS no perfect bird, but it can be very helpful to look at IMperfect birds with an honest eye.

If I get a chance later, I'll post pics of a coupla my birds. I have a handsome birchen roo, unfortunately clean legged, that you might like to look at.

 

[onthespot]

I don't have any good current pics of his front right now, and he is moulting so I don't want to post THOSE kinds of pics, LOL. Here is one when his clutchmates were approaching point of lay.
He has only a very few, two or three brown tinged feathers in the black up under his throat. He is in othe far left I think. He is for SURE not the one lying down with brown shoulders. He is either the one far left, or the one just behind that one.

 

[amazondoc]

Here's a coupla pics of my birchen cockerel. Unfortunately he is clean legged and did not come from a dark egg, so I won't be using him for breeding.

I also have blue and splash birchen cockerels, but this is the only "black" birchen I've got --