Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Don,

Could you post it here too? I'd like to understand what you are talking about as well.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
X2!!!!

Maybe I misread that post but if it didn't have anything to do with color genetics then I apologize and eagerly await what you have to teach us Mr. Don!

 

[pinkchick]

Hey....I didn't mean to run everybody off!

Don just so you know I wasn't being arguementative either with the Black Blue thing.

I think I mis read the post and took it out of context and jumped onto a different thought. Was not my intent.

Ya'll haffu come back and play......Hens and Roos has chickies hatching...I can't hang out here all day by myself peeps! That's dangerous!

It's dangerous because there's auctions for hatching eggs.

 

[poularde]

Pink, I think you are much too nice to run anyone off! I wish Don, would explain it a little more to us all.

I am a bit confused also. I know Don, has a lot of knowledge and I would also like to hear more of what he has to say about Blue Coppers and BCs.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
I've hatched a couple of pullets with feathered shanks out of lots and just hatched some from another breeder that are cousins to my birds and have more with feathered shanks and I still have a couple of hens that are laying light eggs now but they were dark so what's up with that? Those Cratty/Braden hens are big lowriders but I have some more culling to consider I'm going to try and post pictures when they feather back up from the 9 month partial molt as I don't want more than 6 hens and hopefully the one little rooster I hatched with lots of feathers will be able to replace Pierre as I found a home for him where if I need him back I can go get him he is such a big boy weighs over 10lbs and just turned a year old I love him white tail feathers, clean shanks and all he's a gentleman thru and thru.

Soon I'll be hatching some of my Goldens and I'll see how that goes those need the most work and I have some ideas time will tell. I would hatch more but need to find a market for all those not perfect ones instead of going to the auction though I enjoy visiting with Karen and Kim. I need to find out where the swaps are closer to me......

I have found a very nice family who sells dark eggs that will take my culls that lay dark eggs..they bought hatchery Cuckoos saw my eggs and will be replacing those wanna be Marans with some that lay the right color. I did join the local bird club and they said that they have many people ask about Marans and are glad to have a member who has some so hopefully I have a market out there....I can't have more than 99 birds at my house......

 

[Debbi]

Ok, is it just my looney birds, or do other people's roosters/cockerels sing the "egg song" for their hens??? The boys just started this yesterday, and are doing it again right now

At first I thought there was a hawk or some critter on the top of the run or something. Went out there, and they are cheering the laying girls on. As soon as the egg is laid, the noise stops! Great way to know when I have eggs, but these boys are really putting the "fun" in "disfunctional"!

 

[Lotsapaints]

my Golden rooster gets in the box with the hen and sings sometimes seems to get the nest ready for her I think it is in the job description of being a good rooster...

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Oh gosh, I forgot that part!

Yes, both boys will instruct the pullets as to which nest box they should lay in. He will get in it and fuss around with the bedding, then hop out. If she chooses another nest box, he will run her out of it and again suggest to her to use "his" chosen box! Lawdy, these are funny birds!!

 

[xyresicchick]

Quote:
I have bantam Marans. (cuckoo and brown red. I mean.... Black copper... same thing

)


It took me a long time to get the bantams, there are only a handful of people in the country with them. I have only been in contact with two different bantam breeders so far, one of which I got eggs from. From what I understand there are about 2 or 3 more people with them, if even.

My Marans are not French though (they are clean shanked), and their egg color varies from 4-7. Mine are still young, but in the future I want to get a LF hen (I don't care what color) that lays a confirmed darker colored egg.... I recently posted on here I am hoping someone would be willing to part with a dark laying hen. Maybe someone would be interested in trading a dark laying hen or pullet for a bantam cuckoo roo?

I don't know if I am going to have any eggs for sale for a while I would want to work on the color for a while first I think. I still have to figure that out.

 

[xyresicchick]

hint hint i like gold cuckoo.