Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Chicken Junkies]

Quote:

Hi Randy,

Just thought I'd show you the results of the Wheaten Marans eggs you sold us. These are some nice big, healthy Wheaten Marans chicks. Can you tell what sex these two are yet?

The little Silkie in the cup is from the egg Kathy grabbed out of the refrigerator and gave us. I'd say it is a miracle chick, but it acts more like a little terrorist. Tiniest chick, but it rules the brooder. lol I'm keeping it just because I know it has tough genes. :0) The two Wheatens posed like troopers for the pictures, but the little Silkie kept jumping out of the cup. So funny.

Love your beautiful dark chocolate eggs and gorgeous chickens. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[VillageChicken]

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It wasn't your use of terminology that was confusing. Many folks on this forum are trying to learn about chicken genetics, how they work, what makes their birds the way they are, why certain combinations produce certain things.

When folks read that "blacks are blues diluted with white" this creates misunderstanding. The Andalusian blue gene that produces Black/Blue/Splash is very different from the two main genes that produce self whites.

It is important to talk about what kind of white genes birds carry because they act differently when crossed to another color. If someone wanted to breed red pyle marans, they would need to use dominant white. You wouldn't know what genes your whites carry unless you cross them to a different color. Someone might want to improve size or shank color, creating white marans based on silver wheatens would eliminate the problem of slate shanks.

As far as color bleed through, or "leakage", I don't believe it is a uniform thing at all. Leakage occurs in many colors, not just white, but happens in blues and lavs when combined with s+ gold background color. It is not uniform in these cases. What I have seen as uniform is the yellowing of hackle and saddle feathers in pure recessive white birds like Bresse Gauloise that are not sports from another color. These feathers change more readily than the body feathers because they are structurally different. I believe they absorb more UV's and don't reflect them away the way body feathers may. If this is considered a fault by MCCUSA then entire lines of birds based on recessive white may be disqualified.

I wasn't implying that your birds don't breed true. But if they are dominant white instead of recessive, if/when white marans become more popular, only the strains that are recessive white are likely to remain pure, as dominant white can present a self white bird that carries something recessive underneath, and we know not all breeders are as scrupulous as they should be.

Cuckoos are an example of how barring hides a genetically mysterious bird underneath, and the state of cuckoos, and especially golden cuckoos, genetically speaking, is a huge mess.

 

[berkeleysprings]

way to early to tell , it takes me 10 days or so but if i was to guess id say hen on left and roo on right and as for the silkiee in the tea cup , just ad hot water and some sugar ....because all the silkiee roosters i have are mean and always attack me
Quote:

Hi Randy,

Just thought I'd show you the results of the Wheaten Marans eggs you sold us. These are some nice big, healthy Wheaten Marans chicks. Can you tell what sex these two are yet?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/74976_wheaten-marans-chicks.jpg

The little Silkie in the cup is from the egg Kathy grabbed out of the refrigerator and gave us. I'd say it is a miracle chick, but it acts more like a little terrorist. Tiniest chick, but it rules the brooder. lol I'm keeping it just because I know it has tough genes. :0) The two Wheatens posed like troopers for the pictures, but the little Silkie kept jumping out of the cup. So funny.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/74976_wheaten-marans-silkie.jpg

Love your beautiful dark chocolate eggs and gorgeous chickens. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I have a theory on why they like to lay in the same box - - -SAFETY.

It is kinda like when we go shopping for a new car . . .We ask our friends and read consumer reports. We are trying to find the best car to buy.

When the hens try to decide which box to use and they find a box with an egg in it, then they know this must be a really really safe spot to lay an egg.
I don't believe it is a broody indicator because mine lay in the same box all the time, but don't go broody.

Just my theory. ..

 

[VillageChicken]

I think you're right... it's something instinctive. My leghorns have 4 boxes to lay in, and most of the time I find all the eggs in one box. They seem to have a favorite, and only lay in the others when the favorite is occupied.

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
I have a theory on why they like to lay in the same box - - -SAFETY.

It is kinda like when we go shopping for a new car . . .We ask our friends and read consumer reports. We are trying to find the best car to buy.

When the hens try to decide which box to use and they find a box with an egg in it, then they know this must be a really really safe spot to lay an egg.
I don't believe it is a broody indicator because mine lay in the same box all the time, but don't go broody.

Just my theory. ..

The only broodies I have had are my silkies & they all 3 pile into the same box, but they do hatch those babies out.....LOL

 

[Raven1]

Thanks everyone on where to find White Marans I have sent off some e-mails

 

[Ivywoods]

In my layer pen I have over 30 hens. They ALL use the same nest. It is the only choice they have, other than the coop floor. I have an antique tin egg nest. It is about 24" x 48". It has ONE hole in the front that they enter. It is one community box. It is also a roll out nest, so all the eggs roll out to the front. I don't even have to go into the coop to gather eggs (unless someone lays one on the floor) I just walk into the front equipment/feed area of the building, lift the lid on the egg tray and there they are! In fact one buff orp hen has breen broody in there. No eggs under her... they all keep rolling out. I put her in another pen for a while and she freaked out, so I put her back in the coop. Right back into the nest she went.

 

[VillageChicken]

Some Marans from a January hatch

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all!

Thanks Lisa, VC, and Sew! The safety thing makes perfect sense. Seems like it's always the same three type of eggs in the same box, so I'm thinking it's the 3 older girls doing this. The two younger ones lay all the way down on the other end of the 5 nest boxes, and lay in their own box. Silly chickens.. My one girl Pretty, does her egg song before she lays! She runs in the coop then starts sqwaking for all to come in and watch her. I's hysterical!

They all line up in front of the nest box, and stare at her until she lays. She's pretty quick too, guess she doesn't want to lose her audience. Once she's done, she's outta there, and everyone goes back about their business.