Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[slick4591]

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Thanks, Pink! Pretty much what I was looking for, but the order of importance would be very helpful for me.

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Thank you, Debbi! Couple of things from me on this is head shape and shape of the eyes, no?

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Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want real opinions. Theses are chickens, not my children.

Mine are just around 3 1/2 months, so I have a while until the hard cull hits them. Right now I'm wanting to learn how to do this myself. I'll use the pictures and everyone's knowledge as a verification tool when I get there.

Thanks for the contributions! I'll take all the info you have. Maybe we can put a number value on them at the end.

 

[bigshawn]

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I think that would be a great thing! Anybody got one? Would help all us nubbies out and even the ones it is old hat for.

A list of what to cull for huh???????

Ok, this is my list and others lists will be different and I have no order of importance and probably missing something...


Carnation combs
Sprigs
White in the feathers....unless it is a Splash bird

Wry tail
Crooked toes (unless the toe/s were injured after hatch and you know it)
Fused or webbed toes
Yellow legs
Pinched tail
Squirrel tail
Narrow bodied birds......(give me birds with nice broad shoulders and a nice wide chests and good long deep keels)
White Earlobes
Feathers or stubs on any toe unless it is the outer toe
Mossiness.....I cull for mossiness, but haven't had it show up in a long time, only when I had another line of birds.
Split wing or Angel wing
Crooked beak or beak deformities....I have been very very lucky with this and haven't had any
Fluff at the tail break



That's all I can think of right now...hoping more will come by and add on with their lists.

Very helpfull, thank you

 

[Debbi]

Yes Slick, you bring up a good point with the head shape, and the shape of the eyes! The heads should have a flat shape on the top, and I like that to be connected to a well arched and longish neck. Eye shape and color will also make or break a bird in my opinion. I have a roo here that has the ugliest eyes I've ever seen. They are round, big, and have a dark pigment around the eyes like an eye liner. It just looks wrong... As for the critiques, well some are, shall we say, thinned skinned about it.

If someone here asks "what do you think", you will get an honest answer! That's how we all learn, but some people act like you are calling their "toddler" the ugliest kid on the block, and stomp off!

 

[pinkchick]

FOUND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is from http://sellers.kippenjungle.nl/page2.html



Genetics of eye color:
The genetic basis of eye color has not been extensively studied as have other aspects of phenotype. However, some things are accurately known. First of all, the wild-type eye is characterized by the Light Brown Leghorn. Eye color is a result of pigmentation of a number of structures within the eye (iris, retina, uveal tract, ciliary).

The bay-color eye (various shades of reddish brown) is due to carotenoid pigments and the blood supply of the iris. Brown eyes are increasingly melanized with the darkest eye color due to the fibromelanotic gene characterized by heavy eumelanin deposits throughout the eye. Little is known about pearl eye and Smyth has speculated that it has the same eumelanin distribution as the bay but without the carotenoids.

Eye color is modified by a number of genes that are known to be associated with shank and plumage color. The sex-linked dermal melanin genes, id+ and idM enhance dermal shank and eye pigmentation. The inhibitor of shank dermal melanin, Id, also inhibits eye pigmentation. Smyth hypothesized that the idM gene together with extended black, E, is responsible for dark brown eyes. idM also darkens the eye on the e+ background.

A dominant sex-linked inhibitor of eye pigmentation is known, Br. This trait is not useful for developing sexable day-old chicks because chickens do not get their final eye color until they reach sexual maturity.

In the absence of other melanin inhibitors, the E-locus alleles, E (extended black) and ER, birchen, result in a brownish eye with the E allele making the darker eye. Sex-linked barring, B, and eumelanin inhibitors at the E-locus, like eWh have an effect on eye color. Recessive white seems to have no effect on eye color and dominant white, I, has a strong ability to inhibit eye pigmentation. The genetics of pearl are not known, however, it is known that the white skin gene, W, is not the genetic basis of pearl eye, since Cornish have yellow skin and can also have pearl eye.

 

[Debbi]

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Well, that kind of doesn't explain Pip to me. He has very light slate legs and is sparsely feathered, and has the same eye color as my other boys? Maybe he is not a good example, that weirdo is an enigma all the way around!!

 

[slick4591]

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I've seen that many times on the cattle boards. You would think some of those people married their animals instead of raising them for their intended purpose.

 

[pinkchick]

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Thanks, Pink! Pretty much what I was looking for, but the order of importance would be very helpful for me.

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Thank you, Debbi! Couple of things from me on this is head shape and shape of the eyes, no?

Quote:
Oh, I wouldn't ask if I didn't want real opinions. Theses are chickens, not my children.

Mine are just around 3 1/2 months, so I have a while until the hard cull hits them. Right now I'm wanting to learn how to do this myself. I'll use the pictures and everyone's knowledge as a verification tool when I get there.

Thanks for the contributions! I'll take all the info you have. Maybe we can put a number value on them at the end.

I think the only workable things in that list worth messing with might be (and this is of course with lots of thought going into the parent birds being matched up so they compliment each other and lots of heavy culling) pinched tail, narrow bodies and toe feathering.
These may be a little harder to breed out than the above, but possibly still worth a try (edited to say...if its all you have to work with and you have the time and space )... mossiness, yellow legs and split wing.

Obvious things like sprigs, carnation combs, crooked toes at hatch, webbed or fused toes, wry tail, beak deformities...visual deformities in general, white feathers in adult birds, squirrel tail, white earlobes and fluff should be culls.

Shape of head and shape of eyes, I watch as they mature. I like a proud roundish head. Will see if I can find a photo of one of my favorite girl and my favorite roo.

 

[snowbird]

Hey All, Have to say that the crooked toe chick at hatch is usually the result of improper Temp and Humidity. Set some of the eggs under a hen and see if you get any with crooked toes.

Another thing to look for is twisted and split Comb and also thumbprint. Split comb is a DQ.

 

[pinkchick]

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Thank You Don!

 

[snowbird]

Kim, if new Marans people and aldtimers would read and cull according to your list of faults and DQs within three years you would not even recognize the Marans chicken