Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

There was a correction posted on the MCCU group that someone had misspoke about the Silver Wheatens....I looked through the albums on there but didn't find them. Now that I have internet back again I might have to see if I can go back and look again later when I get off work. This boy came out of my cuckoo Claude and one of my birchen girls. I have a couple of sports in with the birchens I kept because they were stunning to me and its possible that they might also be the hen used. I don't see wheaten either...

I have some ideas about what direction I'll go with breeding this year, but am trying to be patient. Some of my girls went through a really late molt and are just getting done, so hopefully I'll get eggs before too long. In particular I have a cuckoo hen that throws silver chicks...I always kind of just passed it off that she really was a blue, but looked black, but I'm really starting to wonder now. I think i will put her in with Regulator to start and see what happens with the offspring.

Very cool! Yes, now that you said that, seems someone pointed out that they were Splash Wheatens? Haven't been in there in awhile, so haven't seen the pics myself. The Cuckoo x Birchen breeding makes more sense to me. What ever he is, he is stunning! And, with a nice comb!!

 

[gilavina]

Very cool! Yes, now that you said that, seems someone pointed out that they were Splash Wheatens? Haven't been in there in awhile, so haven't seen the pics myself. The Cuckoo x Birchen breeding makes more sense to me. What ever he is, he is stunning! And, with a nice comb!!

I am really excited! I know no matter what happens, it will be a long road to getting where I think they might be able to go. I am just blown away that they were one of the colors I really wanted when I was looking into Marans, but gave up because I couldn't find anything about them in the US and now a few years later....they get plopped in my lap so to speak. I can't wait to see what might happen with this year's hatches

 

[gilavina]

ok...before I go to work...while the internet was down yesterday I was working on organizing my out of control photos and found the pic of Regulator or his brother when they were little. They both were identical



they really changed as they grew.

This is also a girl I hatched out of two silver cuckoos about 3 months ago...so I'm holding out hope that she might be worth working with.

 

[Arielle]

I am really excited! I know no matter what happens, it will be a long road to getting where I think they might be able to go. I am just blown away that they were one of the colors I really wanted when I was looking into Marans, but gave up because I couldn't find anything about them in the US and now a few years later....they get plopped in my lap so to speak. I can't wait to see what might happen with this year's hatches

Looks like you would need to hatch a lot of eggs to find the combo that made Regulator. How fun is that! Jumpy smiley here. Sorry system took me to never never land and no smilies in view. A very interesting project. Definitely a challenge for good record keeping.

( ANd now the smilies are back)

 

[qball53]

Wondering if someone can recommend where to get Silver Blue Birchen. Contacted Bev but she does not have any available. Went to the site of the person she recommended but Silver Blue Birchen are not listed as a groupd she works with. Thanks, TMichael

 

[BarnGoddess01]

ok...before I go to work...while the internet was down yesterday I was working on organizing my out of control photos and found the pic of Regulator or his brother when they were little. They both were identical



they really changed as they grew.

This is also a girl I hatched out of two silver cuckoos about 3 months ago...so I'm holding out hope that she might be worth working with.

Those are TRULY gorgeous birds. I can't wait to see what you get from them. Very exciting.

 

[gilavina]

Looks like you would need to hatch a lot of eggs to find the combo that made Regulator. How fun is that! Jumpy smiley here. Sorry system took me to never never land and no smilies in view. A very interesting project. Definitely a challenge for good record keeping.

( ANd now the smilies are back)

haha...I think I just might be up for the challenge!

Last year...I can count about 5 or 6 that I hatched of about 30 cuckoo eggs that were like these. 2 boys and 3 or 4 girls. The one I posted in the 2nd picin my post this am was the only one I kept from the girls. The other boy I can get back from my friend in Iowa if I need to for test mating. She would be thrilled if I could be part of the project. That boy was a lot bigger than Regulator....just a beast and a half, he practically was eating me out of house and home all by himself haha

 

[gilavina]

Those are TRULY gorgeous birds. I can't wait to see what you get from them. Very exciting.

Thanks Barb! I seem to have a way of getting myself into more color varieties without even having to go looking for them. I really hope I can get some progress made on them this year.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

ok, Marans folks, I have a question. One of my BCM pullets started out laying a HUGE egg. Not double yolkers. I even hatched the first 3. They are starting to get lighter now some 10 weeks later which, I assume, means she may be coming to the end of a laying cycle. But the thing that really has my attention - the eggs are also getting smaller. Does that mean anything? Should I be getting something from this?

 

[Lotsapaints]

ok, Marans folks, I have a question. One of my BCM pullets started out laying a HUGE egg. Not double yolkers. I even hatched the first 3. They are starting to get lighter now some 10 weeks later which, I assume, means she may be coming to the end of a laying cycle. But the thing that really has my attention - the eggs are also getting smaller. Does that mean anything? Should I be getting something from this?

Have you changed feed or pens? The bigger the egg the lighter it can be so if her eggs are getting smaller they should be getting darker. I have hens who lay lighter at first then get darker and darker until the heat comes then they will lighten but I've not seen size change. You will have to keep good records as the old timers would not raise chicks from a pullet they preferred 2 year olds and up. I'm sure they test mated first that's why the breeder hens were at least 2...records keep track of what happens but a hen should lay longer than 3 months before she takes a break I'm wanting my stock to lay 120-150 eggs a year unless they go broody....I don't think many Marans breeders work on egg production only color