Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[chevgrl]

Quote:
Hmm I none of my splash hens (there's only 3) lay dark eggs

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/79188_img_20111020_172323.jpg

well shoot. I wish I had seen this post before I had to go to work...I took two dozen eggs with me to drop off for someone after work and it had some of my splash eggs in the cartons. They are just as dark as my black coppers...I'll see if she behaves and lays me an egg tomorrow and take a pic of it for you...its dark and speckled!

I'm really starting to think these chickens are just impersonating Marans' but are really a phoney breed

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Lynette! Those eggs of Sassy's are not half bad considering where she came from. I'm so excited for you. That's one of the many things I'm workin on...I'm focusing on still "building the barn" at the moment, but I think once I get an update pic of this blue birchen boy I'm growing out that has only coloring in his neck you'll see how that's coming along!! He's gonna be a giant with that nice dark blue and a wonderfully laced wide chest. To top it off...he's decently feather legged too!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
well shoot. I wish I had seen this post before I had to go to work...I took two dozen eggs with me to drop off for someone after work and it had some of my splash eggs in the cartons. They are just as dark as my black coppers...I'll see if she behaves and lays me an egg tomorrow and take a pic of it for you...its dark and speckled!

I'm really starting to think these chickens are just impersonating Marans' but are really a phoney breed

thatsplash ones you have you mean? Where did these girls come from? The same place the boy you are going to lease from? if so...you can work to darken the color through breeding....there are people on here who have been doing if for more generations than I have with their stock...I am seeing an increase in color....and this year was my F1s... So next year will hopefully be better. I've seen a huge range in the color on splash eggs..

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Wry neck/ crook neck maybe.... does itsit up on its legs and roll over or tuck its heck and rollover. I have a "pet" hen that had this and I gave her a bunch of vitamin supplements someone on here told me to give and she worked it out but I've had others that didn't make it.
Greta walks around nw with her head kind of tilt to the side and every now and then shell have a relapse if she is startled.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/79188_img_20111020_172043-1.jpg

hey!would Greta happen to be an F1 cross of a blue to a cuckoo?

 

[flgardengirl]

I can't take credit for her egg color but they are way better than the one she hatched from. I know the guy we got them from said he had been working on egg color. He originally got his from Gabbard Farms and I can tell now that he has been working on the egg color. I am thrilled, I really expected them to be a lot lighter than this. I can't wait to see what the black birchen hen lays. She is a little on the mossy side so maybe that means she will lay darker HAHA!

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
I'm really starting to think these chickens are just impersonating Marans' but are really a phoney breed

thatsplash ones you have you mean? Where did these girls come from? The same place the boy you are going to lease from? if so...you can work to darken the color through breeding....there are people on here who have been doing if for more generations than I have with their stock...I am seeing an increase in color....and this year was my F1s... So next year will hopefully be better. I've seen a huge range in the color on splash eggs..

Ill see if I get any splashs out of my egg project. I only have like 5 of the ladies I'm breeding for egg color blues and blacks so one of these times I should get lucky with a splash lol

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
Wry neck/ crook neck maybe.... does itsit up on its legs and roll over or tuck its heck and rollover. I have a "pet" hen that had this and I gave her a bunch of vitamin supplements someone on here told me to give and she worked it out but I've had others that didn't make it.
Greta walks around nw with her head kind of tilt to the side and every now and then shell have a relapse if she is startled.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/79188_img_20111020_172043-1.jpg

hey!would Greta happen to be an F1 cross of a blue to a cuckoo?

Yes my poor sweet greta was! And the splash is eloies

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
That's so awesome! I have a ways to go til I'm happy with the coloring, but it gives me hope seeing those eggs and know its possible.
I made a run through my pens quick this morning...not really taking a ton of time...just doing feeding and such since i had to go to work, but I am really happy with the birchen boys I chose to keep...there are two that are definitely low on the totem pole...and are getting picked on even by the girls...so they are going to have to move...hopefully tomorrow...that way they can start growing their tail feathers back. Of course I've got some more culling to do...

I was planning on really workin a lot to get my barn winterized the rest of the way and finish sorting birds and such...I'll definitely work on it, but I had an accident at work tonight and sliced the top of my hand open by my index finger. I didn't hit a nerve, the blood vessel, or the tendon...so I am grateful for that. my nerves were really screaming at me tho. I don't know what the deal with me is this year...I've had more accidents and injuries than the 10 previous years combined.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
hey!would Greta happen to be an F1 cross of a blue to a cuckoo?

Yes my poor sweet greta was! And the splash is eloies

aww...don't have her anymore? The reason I asked is that I have three of them here...they will be getting crossed back to their cuckoo papa this next spring and a percentage of the chicks should come out an actual blue cuckoo! I am hopeful!

 

[flgardengirl]

Oh ouch! If your hand starts throbbing prop it up on something and get it above the level of your heart and it helps. I cut my pinky finger almost all the way off several years ago and man that hurts! I had to have surgery to sew it back on. It was just hanging by skin mostly. The funny thing was, when it was finally most of the way healed, I had it in a metal finger splint to protect it from me bumping it. It was Halloween and we were handing out candy and I noticed my finger splint was missing!!! LOL never did find out what happened to that thing.

I am still building the barn and painting it both on my birchens too and probably will be for awhile. My blue birchen boy has alot more brown in his wing than he had before. So that is gonna be fun to try and get out. He does look like he is gonna be a nice size though.