Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

Question for all, What is up with all the Marans chicks showing up on BYC with virtually no leg and foot feathering ? Folks this is something that we all will have to cull for in the future. I have culled my Marans at hatching for the past two year. The pullets I sell for layers to backyard egg people.

Some say this can be fixed in one year by way of mating, I say prove it. If you ever plan on breeding to the SOP and Marans standard sooner or later those Marans with no leg feathering will have to be taken out of your breeder flock. It is just not right to sell eggs from these Marans and say they are bred to the APA Standard. Just look at the past few pages where folks have been ripped off .

This is just the way I feel and everyone can do as they please. Don

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
They also sell them on Ebay. I had asked if they could post a pic of the hens and eggs. She finally answered me several days later asking for my e-mail addy. She sent me a pic of some hens, but it was pretty dark and I could not make out anything really about the birds. No egg pic either. Thought I still had it, but looking through my e-mails, I must've deleted it. I wasn't too impressed. If you are selling quality stock, why not show pics of them? JMHO

 

[Cadeau]

Ok - new pics - they're kind of dark b/c it is very stormy, but.....is this better??

His comb and kind of shows his eye color...I wish it would come across in photos. The eye is AMAZING!

kind of dark, but is this any better?

From behind

From the front

I looked at his legs again - they are a light grey. Def not as dark as my other BCM - more like my Blue CM.
The undersides of his feet are pink

 

[Debbi]

Much better pics! He is a lovely boy!!

 

[Cadeau]

Thanks!
Do you think he's nice enough to use for breeding?

If so, any ideas for areas he needs improvement (for picking hens?)


I come from a horse background, does this work the same way for chickens??
i.e. pick mates who support each others' weaknesses
OR
for chickens, can you only work with the best of the best?

 

[Cadeau]

What are THE most important qualities to find in breeding stock?

As in - which traits are a MUST for breeding stock b/c it is very hard to fix in further generations??


Which are the Easiest to fix??

Thanks for putting up with newbie questions!

 

[geebs]

uh...yep... He has all the qualities you are looking for.... Nice rooster...

Saddle color is great...He is not a little dark IMHO. He is in the range you are looking for... (could he have more saddle.. ya) but this is a really nice rooster... Could he have some flames in the chest... ya but you cannot discount the other qualities... eye color is spot on... shank color is great... He posseses enough black and a very nice mahogany/copper balance... Hens with some color in their hackle will cross nicely with him.

 

[geebs]

that is the proper eye color and I think that is one of the most important factor is looking at the eyes and the legs and the overall bird and finding a good balance...All over the bird... This bird is the bomb for color. To improve him another subject would have to be wider at the base though this bird isn't done growing so the jury is still out.... and the ear tufts would have to match the head a little better... Generally I look at type... substance. This bird has enough substance and stature and fits into the profile that we like to see for "shape" then I look at color.. Eye color for the rooster is the top of MY list along with shank color and overall hackle color... One of the things lower on my list is amount of feathering on shanks... THere must be some... His is a little light so hens with better feathering will help. I hope this helps answer your question. If not... hit me up again.

 

[Cadeau]

Here's another question:

Is the "not too much, not too little" desired leg/foot feathering like the chick in Debbi's avatar??

This roo has similar foot feathers (when they're not wet!!) but he also has some feathers on his middle toe, which is not desirable, right??


Also - did anyone publish the new APA standard for BCM yet??
Can anyone direct me to that link??


THANKS!!

 

[Debbi]

Yes, I'd sure use him for breeding! Nice color, you may find he will help out the darker hens with less hackle color. Best to best breedings are a nice thing in theory, but even then you get some junk.

Compensatory breeding seems to work well with any animal. How old is this guy? He may fill out a bit more, and he has one point too many in the comb, but his comb has a nice shape to it and the blade is off the neck. Not a big problem as I see it, 1/2 point deduction I think for additional or lacking points in the comb. Try breeding him to the hens with the best color and combs and bodies, and even the dark hens to hopefully add color to them. JMHO