Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

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I will have nice dark eggs, and that is what I want!

Kathy~
Nothing wrong with that at ALL my dear!!! I appreciate people who just raise them for the dark eggs.... IMO they contribute just as much knowledge and info on this breed as people who breed toward the standard..... to me both sides of the coin are just as important.

 

[snowbird]

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I will have nice dark eggs, and that is what I want!

Kathy, I see you working with other breeds of poultry and thought how nice it was that you had an interest in more than one breed. It disappoints me that you are only interested in the Marans for the egg color.

 

[pinkchick]

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Don~ I'm not following you, sorry. What do you mean by interested in the complete Marans? Are you referring to a person that is breeding for everything at once?

There are very few people that really care about the Marans type and breeding to a Standard. They are only interested in breeding a chicken that lays dark eggs and could care less what the bird looks like as long as it lays a Dark. To me the egg color is important but also the Marans type is important. Breeding for egg color alone is what has gotten the Marans in the mess they are in now. I guess you can tell I don't like this subject.

Thanks Don! That is what I was thinking. It's okay that you don't like this subject, just the fact that it is being discussed IMVHO, is great strides taken for the breed itself. If no-one talked about we wouldn't know it and would still be stumbling around in the dark. I appreciate everyones contributions and their willingness to share their experiences.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

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Wow, this forum is chugging right along at it's usual breakneck pace!

ON's question seems to have gotten lost here. Personally, I'd want to see pics of both of cockerels in question. Copper bleeding through is a problem in many lines of blues, and should be culled out, particularly in the flock rooster. However, I'd want to see the quality of the other option before deciding.

 

[geebs]

I agree with you Don, however when you eat a bicycle you must take very small bites, so to speak... Marans by the definition starts with the egg color and since the breed is so young that in my mind is the jumping off point. My youngsters are much more correct than the parents. I don't have a direct link to england or a money tree in the backyard so I find something I like and I work with it till it has better form than before, however I am not a seller of eggs and I am not a shower of birds... I am working on both color and type...I am trying to have the egg and eat it too. It is a sticky subject. You have to have some things... you can't have daytime without the sun so let's not try and eclipse it either. I think there are some fantastic breeders working the Jeanne line... I am doing my best. I don't have the Cottage line or the Davis line I am working... I am offering up information on what I have. I can hardly comment on what I don't... I am willing to share my notations with those who are intersted.

I am off to the Fair where I hope to eat cotton Candy, Ride on rides and step in Donkey poop~~

Wish you were here pink... I am getting the Cotton Candy in your honor!!!

 

[pinkchick]

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Wow, this forum is chugging right along at it's usual breakneck pace!

ON's question seems to have gotten lost here. Personally, I'd want to see pics of both of cockerels in question. Copper bleeding through is a problem in many lines of blues, and should be culled out, particularly in the flock rooster. However, I'd want to see the quality of the other option before deciding.

Hi TMC! Missed ya for a couple of days and you are so right about this threads pace. Whewww!


Sorry ON for letting that go unanswered and TurkeyMountain couldn't have answered it any better IMO. Photos would be great, it really helps to see the whole bird.

 

[pinkchick]

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I'll live vicarously through you today Ms. Jan......but be very careful......I've been known to get a queasy tummy on the big rides after I eat cotton candy.

 

[snowbird]

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Just a question but do you absolutely have to breed one of these males. It might be best in the long run to buy a better representative of the veriety. The copper neck is possibly coming from some Blue Coppers.

 

[pinkchick]

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Just a question but do you absolutely have to breed one of these males. It might be best in the long run to buy a better representative of the veriety. The copper neck is possibly coming from some Blue Coppers.

Don~

A solid blue cockerel or roo is pretty hard to come by.....I think I've only heard of a few that can be counted on one hand that have gotten lucky enough to get a solid blue boy. Yes the copper neck is from the blue copper.

If I were breeding for solids I would use the best representation of what I was looking for in that color and I would use a roo that may have a fault or two to try and get there if that is all I had. A person will never know unless they try and if they don't like the outcome, simply cease and move to the next step. After all thats how the process of elimination works right?

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Quote:
I will have nice dark eggs, and that is what I want!

Kathy~
Nothing wrong with that at ALL my dear!!! I appreciate people who just raise them for the dark eggs.... IMO they contribute just as much knowledge and info on this breed as people who breed toward the standard..... to me both sides of the coin are just as important.

I think of it as being like the production red vs. the show quality RIR. The production red is an important layer of brown eggs, being very very good at it. Breeders of Marans who have dark eggs as a goal are providing a handy backyard bird. No, it's not the same as a bird bred to the standard. But neither is a production red.

So long as people are clear about what their birds are when they sell them, I'm OK with it.