Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Don,

So, are these cottonballs going to be DQs or just point deductible faults? I am asking about the BCMs. When the basic undercoat is gray and then there is the white cottonball at the base of the tail, is that a DQ?

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
All my marans have been going broody one after another since mid summer. It is too hot here for that grrr don't they know they should do it in early spring or in the fall? Dumb birds!
Here's three that went broody all at once awhile back and hogged up 3 of the 4 nest boxes in that coop lol. They all are running around with chicks now. They do seem to make good mamas.

 

[berkeleysprings]

.

 

[Debbi]

berkeleysprings ,

I'm with you on this one. I've forgotten more than I ever learned about genetics, and see me making no attempt to learn/re-learn what I did in the past. All I hope to do, being a potential small breeder, is to get the best of both worlds (conformation & egg color), as I can. If I get lucky enough to have two really good birds, breed them, and hope they can reproduce or better themselves. Then keep going from there. Unless you have the time, money, space, and energy

to do more, then that's all you can do. Thing is to keep it in perspective...it ain't world peace, it's chickens, so ENJOY is my first priority!

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
I'm with you!

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Debbi, There is nothing in the standard on the cottontail so it will be left up to the judge to decide on what he likes. It would be much easier if it was spelled out as a fault or whatever.

Now the Wheaten Marans male will be reguired to have a grey undercolor or it will be a fault and again will be left up to the Judge to decide if he likes or not. There is nothing about the Cottontail on the Wheaten male in the standard.

It has been very nice talking to everyone on the forum but will be gone for a while as I spend too much time here.

 

[cpartist]

Don- please don't go. I, and I'm sure many others, appreciate your insights and experience.

First of all, I think we're not even all on the same page here. I would defer to Blackdottes knowledge
over anyone else's on this board, but I believe he is considering "fluff" the feathering UNDER the tail.

His quote: " Fluff is a somewhat vague word, I presume you mean either the undercolour or the 'bumfluff' under the tail."

I think you all are talking about the wispy white feathers where the back meets the tail.

Is there not a proper name for this? I tried to do a search for this a while back, but wasn't sure of the correct terminology.
I wanted to find out if it was a defect or not. The little info I found was that in some breeds at least, (Welsummers) it is
accepted but not preferred. The SOP is not going to spell out every little thing. There are so many things that are (and
should be IMO) left to the judges interpretation of the sum total of a bird. Things like carriage and posture, alertness, a twinkle in the eye

.
A comb may have 5 points, but what if they are spikey or unevenly spaced? I've read that some judges judge just to the SOP, and others
"comparison" judge to the competition. Others will do both, and also consider the sum total of how a bird presents. So while the white fluff
doesn't count against in points, I think most of us would agree that a bird without it has a "cleaner" look and line than one with it.

My Marans do not have this as they are BCM's, but I have 4 Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucana roo's. They are white/light yellow at birth...so I
guess this what is meant by "white based", but as adults, according to the top Ameraucana breeders, they should have slate/gray undercolor.
The females, even though they appear creamy light wheaten, as well as the males. The best birds will have this and generally have the best tail color.

Of my 4 cockerels, only one has the "fluff", and I like this least about him. The others may have some, but their saddles cover it. If I were showing, I wouldn't show him,
but he has really good size...nice wide shoulders and legs, deep, full chest; I'll "use" him in my breeding program for this.

 

[Debbi]

I agree, Don, don't be gone too long! As for the "fluff", if it's not even mentioned in the porposed standard, (and why isn't it?), then I would assume it would be like Don said, and up to a judge to either accept or reduce points accordingly. If it's just a fault, then so be it. While I would surely not breed for it and try to avoid it, in an otherwise typey and good representation of the breed, I would still not cull because of that lone fault. It's just like 6 or more points on a comb then, a fault to be taken in regard to the rest of the qualities of the individual bird.

 

[blackdotte]

Now I understand what you were questioning. Never heard the word 'fluff' used in that context.
I have never seen any reference in any Standard re white(or any other) undercolor breaking through the plumage at the base of the tail on a cock bird.
I personally don't like it ,and have got rid of it by selection in my own birds. When I judged I only took it into account if the two top birds were otherwise equal.
A note on Standards & genetics, on occasions what is required in the former is genetically impossible, thus pullet & cockerel breeding lines in some breeds, in reality two different sets of genetics for each sex.

 

[berkeleysprings]

.