Marans, but what color

[Buns]

Ok, this one I get - black cuckoo marans BUT, when they have the feathered shanks, are they referred to as "French" or simply "black cuckoo marans with feathered shanks"? Does using the word "French" imply specific breeding or status other than the feathered shanks? I want to be correct when I am describing them. Bird 1.

Bird 2. Now, this one I am unsure of. It appears to have a dilution gene but the pattern is only expressed in part. I don't know what to call it.

Birds 3 & 4. These two girls I believe are splash although they do not have dark splashes on them yet. Well, actually, we found one little smudge of dark on the one pullet last night, but it's easily overlooked. Hoping for more color as time goes by. They are both clean legged.

Last question. Bird 5. Some of the cuckoo patterned birds are obviously a lighter color and not black. What is the correct color term for them? Notice the bird in the back has an incomplete cuckoo pattern as did bird 2 above.

Thanks for any help. I am going to sell some of these birds and I just want to be sure I am describing them accurately.

 

[banjoejoe4783]

if i where buying marans they would have to be fether leged wich is the french line birds
the color is cookoo on the first. the second look like a blue cookoo progect or blue/ cookoo cross not shure or the splash then the same as the second on the last two looks like blue cookoo progect or blue/cookoo cross

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Are you sure birds #3 and 4 aren't lavender? I don't know anything much about genetics. I'm just asking.

I have one lavender d'Uccle and she looks kind of gray.

 

[roocrazy]

blue barred

 

[banjoejoe4783]

ther is no blue bared it would be blue cookoo

 

[Illia]

There's no such thing as a blue cuckoo or lavender Marans.

The difference you're seeing in the barring is 1) gender and 2) quality

The feather shanked cockerel there is just gorgeous! He's referred to as a French Cuckoo Marans, instead of just Cuckoo. French means he follows by the french standard, which requires feathered shanking. And congrats! There are so few French Cuckoos out there. . .

The weird diluted one looks honestly to me like someone crossed something else with a cuckoo. . . Often doing that will smudge the barring quite a bit. No, it is not blue. Blue would throw a lot of random black feathers, too.

Your splash girls (look like Splash Copper) do not look true "splash" yet because it is a marking that slowly comes in. When I first got my splash colored birds I thought the same thing, then learned that it is like lacing - It does not come in until their second feathering.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Time for someone to create lavender Marans!!!!

 

[Illia]

Oh boy. . . Seriously, people are created Lavender everything's. If someone creates such, they had better do it right.

 

[geebs]

description:

Cuckoo....not black cuckoo
possible blue cuckoo but could simply be males Yes Illia they exist.

Splash copper is one of the lighter birds
Splash is the second one.

All marans that are feathered are referred to as French.. The american standard is being adapted after the French standard so all american showbird lines will need to have feathered shanks/toe. It is fairly easy to put feathers on them in breeding it into them... not a big deal unless you are planning to show at an apa show. Even at smaller shows it is adviseable to have the best example of the breed or risk a DQ on a nonfeathered shanked bird.

Welcome to the breed.... If you are not a serious showperson... They are marans and a nice little group of chickies they are.

 

[onthespot]

There are blue cuckoos. I had a nice roo before, and gave him away, didn't need him. I used him for a while with my barred olive egger project.