Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

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They are SOOOOOOO SWEET! Can't wait to see them in a few more weeks, they grow and change so fast.

 

[flgardengirl]

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Is the boric acid a powder that you mix with water? Can you get it OTC?

Boric acid is found in Borax as in the powdered laundry detergent. I haven't used it on mites but I know people who use it to kill fleas by sprinkling it on thier carpets, leaving overnight and vaccuuming up the next day. I have heard it is also good to kill roaches if you place some in a little dish up high in the cupboards where they can get to it but the other pets and small children can't.

 

[pinkchick]

Question???


Has anyone that works with Blue Coppers or Blues ever noticed some or a few random dark blue feathers on the body of them? Does this molt out upon maturity? Is it caused because perhaps it is an offspring that was produced from a Blue Copper roo and Splash Copper hen, did some splash come across resulting in the random dark blue feathers?

I have 2 little Blue Copper pullets that are showing a couple of dark blue feathers on the body and was wondering. Thanks in advance!

Kim

 

[lildinkem]

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Is the boric acid a powder that you mix with water? Can you get it OTC?

Boric acid is found in Borax as in the powdered laundry detergent. I haven't used it on mites but I know people who use it to kill fleas by sprinkling it on thier carpets, leaving overnight and vaccuuming up the next day. I have heard it is also good to kill roaches if you place some in a little dish up high in the cupboards where they can get to it but the other pets and small children can't.

I use Borax too. I mix it with hydrogen Peroxide and water then pour it on my dogs.

 

[pinkchick]

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Nope.....no happy bubble here geebs. I have had my fair share of problems with mites, though it is not often, but I do treat for them on a regular basis.

I use Neem oil. Organic and VERY SAFE.

1 gallon of water
2 tbsps of Neem oil
Shake well and pour into hudson sprayer, spray EVERYTHING in coops, cracks, crevices and chooks.
Spray 3 times during first 10 day period upon outbreak and spary one time a week for control. Sounds like alot of work but with the hudson sprayer it goes fast and I get the chooks when they get in my way and they are running under or around the sprayer. I do go on a chicken round up once a month and spray each chicken down. Works great! I use it on all of my vegetables and flowers as well.

 

[flgardengirl]

I have noticed a stray dark blue feather here and there on some of my blues and blue coppers. One of my blue copper boys (with not so great coloring) even has a pretty bright shiny dark blue feather in his light blue tail feathers- its pretty but prob. not good lol. Mine have not went through a actual molt yet, but are laying age and the ones that had it when thier feathers first came in, still have them. I don't know how much of a fault it is or if it really is one. I have wondered about that myself...hope someone else knows the answer.

 

[Wynette]

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Okay, my personal opinion - that first roo, I would not keep. He has white tail feathers coming in, which will only get worse, in my experience. I had one of those boys, and man, I just wanted to pluck those feathers out. Also, his shank feathering is much too light; it shoudl extend all the way down his legs and preferably, down the OUTSIDE toe as well. Other than that, I like his size & he looks nice & balanced (his tail is just fine in carriage). The 2nd boy I like the coloring of better - but I can't comment on his conformation, as he's sort of hunched over....both have the nice, solid black chest, both have good coloring, both have good tail set. THe 2nd one, if he's the same age as the first, appears to be a bit lighter...I could be wrong. I think a good place to start is to think about all the things we've been working to breed out: squirrel tail, mossiness, white feathers, lack of shank feathering, and to a lesser degree, eyes too dark, small size, irregular combs. Those are just off the top of my head, and for me, would be the order I look at in regard to significance. Once you get past your "list" of things you don't want, you can sort of cross them off your list & move on to the next one. The proposed SOP has areas that are up to interpretation, and I honestly don't think that a mahogany versus a copper hackle would be a DQ in the show pen, but I'm unsure on the straw colored hackles...those, I would go ahead and cull personally, because I just don't care for them, but I don't know that it would be a DQ.

So - I guess just decide what you DO want, and choose the very best two examples you can or however many you decide you're going to keep, and move on to your next generation!

 

[snowbird]

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[TurkeyMountainChickens]

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They do vary wildly! My current fave cockerel (Mack, the one whose pic I posted the other day), started crowing at five weeks. Another cockerel (Jonas) from the same hatch lived to four months, and NEVER crowed. But he was definitely a rooster - saddle and tail feathers were coming in. I think he was just trying to pretend he wasn't so Mack wouldn't pick on him!

He somehow managed to injure his spine (I'm thinking dog attack?) and we had to put him down.

He was a pretty boy, too.

 

[ruth]

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Originally Posted by ruth
I would like to wish Ms. Bev Davis a warm BYC welcome. We've all heard so much about you and I hope you find your visits to BYC to be enjoyable. I know everyone will appreciate your many years of experience and your expertise and your willingness to help us all with our questions.

I have a question that I think others share as well:

If the existing French standard for the French Black Copper Marans, that has been in existence for "a long, long time" calls for specific "standards", then why are the current "proposed" APA standards different from the existing French standards?

For example:

Leg color - existing French standards is pinkish to light grey - new APA proposed is "dark slate"

Tail angle - existing French standard is MAX 45 degree (not exceeding) and DISQUALIFICATION at 60 degrees. Proposed APA is 60 degrees (without losing any points) and exceeding 60 degrees.

Please help me and others understand how/why certain groups are trying to change the long-standing French standards that describe what a French Black Copper Marans should look like. And, if the APA accepts the new proposed standard, will it still be called a French Black Copper Marans or are we going to call it the American Black Copper Marans? Because, if it's accepted and we all start breeding toward the new standard, aren't we breeding away from the old one, and wouldn't the birds then not qualify as a French Black Copper Marans if being judged by a French judge based on French standards?

As a breeder, these are the most important questions I have because it really boils down to - should we all be breeding toward the new proposed but not yet accepted standards or should we continue to breed toward the French standards that are currently in existence and have been "for a long, long time"?

Thank you for any light you can shed on this area.

Monique "Ruth"

Hi Ruth

Thank you for the warm welcome.

To start with, it's a Black Copper. I don't think we need to tag a country name to it. We have tried to write the standard as the French have done but as with every other country the equivalent of the APA requires things written in their terms.


1. the proposed APA standard actually calls for a 45 degree tail angle, not 60. Any tail angle higher than 45 will be considered a defect.
2. The French standard does NOT actually include a DQ for tail angles over 60. The complete DQs in the official French standard read: "
Disqualifying Defects
Lack of size; white or yellow ear-lobes; light-coloured or black eyes; tarsi without feathers, black or yellow; triangular body frame;
horizontal or leaning forward body. Cock weighing less than 3 kg; Hen weighing less than 2.2 kg."



http://marans-club.perso.neuf.fr/standang.htm#standard


3. The proposed color standard is currently being revised, so any discussion of leg color should wait until the revision is completed.

Bev

Ms. Davis - thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I've been reading the various versions of the "standards" off and on for the past couple of years and it seems every time I find the "new" and the "old" and the "French" and the "translation" - I see something slightly different.

I know it would be helpful to me if someone would post a picture of the current French Black Copper Marans award winning roo (the Grand Poo Pa so to speak) and then superimpose a diagram labeling and pointing to the different body parts and the requirements and how it got graded on those areas. Because I know that a couple of years ago, when I first got my birds, I had no idea what some of the body parts even were much less couldn't figure out what color they were supposed to be. I've learned a lot since then but still have so very much more to learn. That's why this forum can be so helpful to everyone if all breeders will work together and not form sides but instead encourage and actually help one another. For example: If and when standards are decided and I have birds that have the copper you need and you have birds that have the leg color I need, we could trade a few.

Ms. Davis - We appreciate your experience and willingness to help us all learn. I sincerely hope we can all work together as Black Copper Marans breeders, but, more importantly, that we can show support and encouragement to those who have no desire to be breeders but simply want to own this beautiful bird that lays such lovely eggs.