Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

haha....you're terrible! wait

.....are you sayin i'm stupid? Ahahahahaha!!

 

[Illia]

Opinionated people or people who don't like me, go ahead and rage about it, but - I'd use Ameraucanas.

Why? Their bodies actually compare better than Orpingtons, and if you've noticed, when you get single comb flukes from Olive Eggers or when you keep breeding OE's down the line, you get some very nice dark brown eggs.

Now of course, there are indeed other traits to deal with, but to me it's a closer road than Orpingtons. And the egg color is a big thing here. Along with of course the main body shape. Yes, most Lavender Orpingtons are seriously far from either American or UK standard and would do okay for Marans, but, I see more Ameraucanas fitting than project Lav Orpingtons. My two cents. Either way it is indeed a long project that requires tough decisions and hard culling.

Personally, really, I just wouldn't do it.

I'm tired of seeing Lavender hit every breed out there. I'm actually working on a new color introduction to Marans, it will take a long time yes, but it isn't Lavender.


Quote:
I think you oughtta show me some pics.

Wheaten is easier to work with than Copper when it comes to Blues and breeding, however, there aren't too many seriously great Wheaties out there, and a lot of them have not the best egg color. But that aside, if the birds are great, just remember to cull hard. Wheaten is recessive to Blue, and will look like a Birchen or a Lemon-Blue when crossed with it, so down the road in the project, cull out ANY suspected leakage. And if you have a Wheaten pop up, cull both parents.

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
Oh my Goodness NO! If your stupid goodness I don't even want to know what I am. I'm talking the E^R copper talk lol

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Oh my Goodness NO! If your stupid goodness I don't even want to know what I am. I'm talking the E^R copper talk lol

haha i'm just dishin it back at ya

no worries...i'm kinda ornery.... but like to keep it under wraps

 

[chevgrl]

Goodnight All... Illia thanks for chimming in for us!

 

[skylinepoultry]

Quote:
Thanks. I've been trying to remember where I read that about the blues coming from coppers... I don't know if it was on a forum or where it was. What you are saying does make sense tho..and it would make sense why the egg color is harder to find as dark as the BCMs. Do you think maybe the blues weren't as popular and over time got kind of swallowed up into BCM or Blue copper flocks? I'm really wanting to find some solids and work with them, but it makes me curious if I'm just chasing a phantom of sorts, if you know what I mean?

I admit too that I don't know much about the golden cuckoos or how it works or etc.

I don't have any aspirations of lavender Marans...my pet projects are the birchens and solid blues....but if you were to work on a lavender Marans project, what would you cross them with? just curious now that you mentioned it.

I like your photo by the way

Ever thought about Blue Langshans? Just a thought. Feather shanks are already there. Its amazing what you can pull out of a spalsh when your doing complicated crosses too.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
I think you oughtta show me some pics.

Wheaten is easier to work with than Copper when it comes to Blues and breeding, however, there aren't too many seriously great Wheaties out there, and a lot of them have not the best egg color. But that aside, if the birds are great, just remember to cull hard. Wheaten is recessive to Blue, and will look like a Birchen or a Lemon-Blue when crossed with it, so down the road in the project, cull out ANY suspected leakage. And if you have a Wheaten pop up, cull both parents.

Maybe I'm opinionated, but I see nothing in an Ameraucana that resembles a Marans. The AM has the wrong body form (too shallow) and why would you introduce a pea comb, muffs and blue eggs to the mix?

Walt

 

[Illia]

Pea comb and muffs being dominant aren't hard to get rid of. I do understand you on the shallow bit though. (however it does vary, and I've seen a lot of big Lavender Ameraucanas, thanks to the Orp background in some of them) The blue egg part - It's not that I would mean to introduce the blue, it's that it just doesn't harm the dark eggs of the Marans. Of the Olive Eggers out there, I've seen a lot of single combed flukes lay nice dark eggs, and of the second, third gen layers, the single combed ones just keep going at it with good egg color. I don't know egg color genetics too well, but it seems blue just doesn't harm the actual darkness of Marans eggs, much like white doesn't harm the true blue of an egg. (as in, doesn't make it any greener)


But like said, I personally wouldn't do it anyway, but if I did, I guess I'd go Am before Orpington. But I'd be very choosy about the Ameraucana.

 

[flower]

I just looked up Langshans on feathersite, seems to me that they would be even more difficult to work with. 1. Not easy supply of birds 2. body shape entirely different, legs much longer, many are U-shaped, short back/ higher tails, 3. not all of them are feather legged, I am not one of the dedicated breeders I just happen to be awake. If I do breed I would like to do a good job and if I can not find a decent blue Marans male, I'll go with Ameraucans. I have a very nice rooster and in general enjoy Ameraucans. It may be slightly easier to find a blue Am anyway.
Miss Chunky

 

[flower]

I plan on having a few OEs anyway and Miss Chunky will do just fine as her eggs are at least a six.