Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Wynette]

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It's a GREAT feeling, right? To see the fruits of your decisions...and know you're moving in the right direction. Sometimes, you have to "shoot from the hip" when you make decisions. When they move your flock forward, it's such a huge learning tool, and it DOES make you feel so awfully good about your birds!

I took a bit of a step backward over this past winter...I was so discouraged and felt like I was taking 1 step forward & 2 steps back. I'm finally back on track now, but just wanted to encourage everyone to keep going and not feel like throwing in the towel when (if!!) you take steps back occasionally like I did. Always remember with Marans that these birds are brand spankin' new to the APA (officially) and haven't even been in the U.S. long at all, so - we'll likely never know what all went into development of them, and because of that, it'll sometimes throw a monkey wrench into our breeding programs...but - they are SO SO worth it!

Kathyinmo - your little olive egger gal is looking so pretty! I'm glad you hung onto her! Yep - those Marans gals are givin' her the stinkeye for sure about cleaning her feet in their water!

Neat that they found good use of that metal thingy, whatever it is!

flowerchild - you've surely been bitten by the Marans bug! WELCOME!!!

brigitte - welcome to you, as well! I'm glad you found us!

finsfan - hello, and thanks for posting pics of your new gal! It's kind of hard to tell a ton from the pics, but she looks like a pretty gal. Has she begun laying yet? If so, how is egg color?

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all

Thanks all for the egg compliments! Olivia should not be too far behind as they both hatched at the same time.

Kathy ~ Love your foot bather and the indignent looks of the BCM girls. "How dare she sully our water??"

Nice find in the furnace nest box!

Ivy ~ I know what you mean about the sweat. I had to wear my hat the other day just so I could see! Had to put my red bandana under the hat as a brow band. Within 20 minutes both were soaked, and Pip was not thrilled with the hat...again

Looks like more of the same for the next week.

The chooks all look like they are acclimating to it. Hope they don't dig up my big Catalpa tree, they are digging dust bath holes all around it.

Had a very restless night last night. I now know NOT to eat applesauce before bed! Then, my male dog kept alerting and going crazy at different times all night long. Got up with the flashlight and the shotgun at one point as he was starting to freak me out. Went out about 6:30 this morning to let the free rangers out. Both of my dogs were with me, and knew I was about finished, so they were up on the deck waiting to go in to eat. I turned toward the house, and I see a blur of white & brindle.

A rather large blur! Didn't have my glasses on, only my readers, but I knew it was a dog from down the road. They have American Bulldogs, and another one had come down here one time. At least I hope it's their dog, and someone hasn't dumped a dog out here like was common some years ago. I'll have to trek up to the neighbor's and ask them to keep their dog at home. My male would've fought with it big time, and my old girl would've tried to help and probably get hurt in the process. Not to mention, I don't know how the chooks would fare. Just glad I didn't have to start the day with a dog fight! It ran when it saw me, and my dogs didn't get wind of it until it ran off...thankfully. Ahhh,

 

[Debbi]

Wynette,

I know how you feel. It does get frustrating not to get the expected results quicker! Seems like it takes FOREVER to get anywhere, especially when you have small hatches. But like you, I was looking over my first F1s last night, and I do see improvement with them! My dark x dark breeding produced some lovely colored and shank feathered pullets. Three of the others are getting in some color, and they are still so young, it may come in more. The two with the nice color have way more than any other hens that I have! I do have a hen with a STUPID COMB that will be banquished from the breeding pen. Those combs do pass on easily, and I think now I won't be doing any breedings with anything with a bad comb. Feathered shanks seems to be much easier to obtain, so we will work on the combs first. One of the 5 week old cockerels has the red spotting on his breast and nice copper hackles! But of course, he came from the funky combed hen, and has one as well.

I'm going to hold onto him for a bit to see how he colors out though, as I've never had this much color, especially this early! So, don't be afraid to do the dark x dark breedings, they can and DO produce color!!

Oh yes, the big chunky type is there as well on the pullets and the small roos too!

Six roos will be culled out, and then I will be seeking a 5-9 month old Splash roo!!! I needs those BLUES!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

Debbi~ SOoooooooOOOOO Happy for you and Charlotte! Congratulations! Her sister that I have is laying as well....I caught her yesterday. Her egg is almost identical. Her egg is the nose in the photo above. These eggs are going to go under Darryl my Splash hen today along with any others that the girls give me today. Here's a close up of her egg. It is the lonely egg on the far left.

Kathy~ Love the birds and love the junk pile!!!!!!



Great big Welcome to all the new folks joining us here since yesterday.....it's very cool to see so many folks new to Marans.

Gilavina~ My outlook about breeding chickens completely changed last year when a fabulous BYC'er was PM'ing me and asking some breeding questions.....my lightbulb came on when he said to me....."Oh...I got it.....build the barn first and paint it later, right?" Now I'm sure he was not the first to coin the phrase, but it was the first time I had heard it used and let me tell you..I am a changed chicken breeder for sure. Suddenly it all made sense.

 

[pinkchick]

Debbi~ I'm tellin' ya.....someone should start a STUPID COMB thread. LOL! I will show ya'll some stupid combs when my sister Karla (the biggest Marans thread lurker in the world

Hi Karla! See you tomorrow! ) gets here with her camera...it takes AWESOME photos and you will just drop your jaw when you see one of my little Blue Copper cockerels comb. I promise.

 

[pinkchick]

I will be seeking a 5-9 month old Splash roo!!! I needs those BLUES!!!!!

Geeeeeezzzzzzzz I wish we lived closer to each other!!!!!!!! I could set you up with lots of Splash roos to choose from.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:

May have to do that! JR's would make the Penne breeders very jealous! The young roo (5 weeks) has what looked like an ingrown comb when it first started coming in. Well now it's evident that he has his mom's stupid comb, another carnation!

Seems like it's the typiest of the roos that get them too! I just know this one is going to be a stunner when he is grown, and his color will be awesome too.

JR is so darn pretty and sweet, it just makes me ill. Live and learn, but ALL bad combs are going!!!!!!!!! Will have to get some pics today of these young ones. Maybe this evening when it cools a bit...yeh right

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Geeeeeezzzzzzzz I wish we lived closer to each other!!!!!!!! I could set you up with lots of Splash roos to choose from.

Yes, and I know you would! I want a big, beefy, heavily feathered shanks/toes, medium length legs, nicely colored, 5 or 6 point comb with off the neck clean blade, sweet temperamented roo. Now, that's not too much to ask for, is it??

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Geeeeeezzzzzzzz I wish we lived closer to each other!!!!!!!! I could set you up with lots of Splash roos to choose from.

Yes, and I know you would! I want a big, beefy, heavily feathered shanks/toes, medium length legs, nicely colored, 5 or 6 point comb with off the neck clean blade, sweet temperamented roo. Now, that's not too much to ask for, is it??

Nope that's not too much to ask for at all, don'tcha know! Now go out and buy yourself a lottery ticket too my friend!

 

[Raven1]

Well Deb if you come close to Tn any time soon I have two that fit the bill! They have some beautiful Copper coming in and that is a problem for me I wanted solid splash and that is how they were sold to me but Oh Well....