Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BarnGoddess01]

Barngoddess and Christie~
What genetics books did you both get? I know you have both probably said it before but I either missed it or can't remember.

Barn~ Hows the silkies in the bator?

17 Silkies brewing in the 'bator at this point. Lockdown tomorrow. Due to hatch on Easter weekend.

Books:

Genetics of Chicken Colours by Sigrid van Dort (EXPENSIVE! Direct from the author in Holland but SO worth the money just for the pictures and DETAILED explanations. Also very helpful to read about what is going on around the world because it helps to understand why some things happen the way they do within specific breeds like Marans and Silkies, for example.) I also have Sigrid's book about Silkies.

An Introduction to Color Forms of the Domestic Fowl by Brian Reeder. (No pictures. MUCH harder to understand without Sigrid's book.)

Genetics of the Fowl by F. B. Hutt (Old book from 1949 but VERY helpful. Much of the stuff referenced in the book is still current/valid today.)

 

[Debbi]

mornin all... its a windy windy cool day here, but managed to get some more gardening done, round one of worming done and will repeat next tuesday. I also prepped my next set of eggs for the incubator. I ended up losing one of my best blue girls the other day and so I'm going to set eggs from the nests in her group from the last few days and hope that some of them were hers. She had a run in with a fence panel falling on her and as much as I nursed her, I think she had internal damage. I've been pretty bummed about it. I really, really liked her.

I should have expected at some point that construction and all that would have an affect...I just wish it wouldn't have been her. Now, the birds are mad at me that they don't get to come out on work days...but its safer!

So sorry to hear that!

Why is it it always seems to be the good ones that get hurt or killed?? I spent FOUR HOURS today erecting that POS chicken coop kit! No holes drilled, but the wood is so chintzy it was no problem to screw together. Was just a matter of doing it by myself. Could've had it done in probably an hour with another set of hands. So...I'm bent over screwing in some screw, and I just happen to look up at the curious chicken looking at me on the outside of the run. IT'S OLIVIA, the one that went broody who I was building the coop for!!!!

I guess her curiosity got the best of her, it's not like I was anywhere close to her nest, probably 100 feet away. She never did go back to the eggs, so I guess they are done?? There was another egg in there too when I checked on them, 14 now. Do I pitch them? Do I put them in the coop with her and see what happens?? Oh well, if nothing else, I can now seperate some of my Silkies for pure colors. Nosy witch!!!

 

[Debbi]

My Daughter called a couple of hours ago to tell me they are all ok. ???? I had been outside most of the day. Tornadoes went through Dallas and did some major damage. Guess I spoke too soon about calm weather, cause evidently it's a huge storm heading north-east, so should be here tonight or tomorrow morning. Hope my stupid coop holds up...hunker down midwest!

 

[gilavina]

So sorry to hear that!

Why is it it always seems to be the good ones that get hurt or killed?? I spent FOUR HOURS today erecting that POS chicken coop kit! No holes drilled, but the wood is so chintzy it was no problem to screw together. Was just a matter of doing it by myself. Could've had it done in probably an hour with another set of hands. So...I'm bent over screwing in some screw, and I just happen to look up at the curious chicken looking at me on the outside of the run. IT'S OLIVIA, the one that went broody who I was building the coop for!!!!

I guess her curiosity got the best of her, it's not like I was anywhere close to her nest, probably 100 feet away. She never did go back to the eggs, so I guess they are done?? There was another egg in there too when I checked on them, 14 now. Do I pitch them? Do I put them in the coop with her and see what happens?? Oh well, if nothing else, I can now seperate some of my Silkies for pure colors. Nosy witch!!!

have any of your other girls shown interest in the clutch of eggs? I've had girls tag team on a batch of eggs for the first couple of day...I eventually separate them when they start getting pushy about both being in the nest at once.... I'd try to get the coop together the rest of the way and try putting the eggs in there with her and seeing how it goes. Can't hurt to try

I agree..it always does seem to be the best ones that get hurt or etc....I really miss seeing her come running when I call....I'm just praying that some of the eggs set to hatch the 13th are some of hers and I have the full tray to go in with some eggs from that group....so hopefully I'll get some girls to replace her....that's a tall order tho...she was gorgeous and had quite the personality.

 

[gilavina]

My Daughter called a couple of hours ago to tell me they are all ok. ???? I had been outside most of the day. Tornadoes went through Dallas and did some major damage. Guess I spoke too soon about calm weather, cause evidently it's a huge storm heading north-east, so should be here tonight or tomorrow morning. Hope my stupid coop holds up...hunker down midwest!

yikes....just got home from work, so I haven't heard anything yet. I'll have to check it out online and see what's coming. might be covering some of my plants I guess.

 

[gilavina]

I have a question for anyone that has olive eggers....do they always have peacombs? Or can they also have single combs? I have a 6 week old pullet that's single combed that is beautiful...but has more of an ameraucana shaped face and wee teensy poofs on the cheek. Its possible she could be half ameraucana....I just couldn't see it before...so now I'm trying to decide what I've got. I'll try to get a pic in the next couple of days.

 

[Debbi]

have any of your other girls shown interest in the clutch of eggs? I've had girls tag team on a batch of eggs for the first couple of day...I eventually separate them when they start getting pushy about both being in the nest at once.... I'd try to get the coop together the rest of the way and try putting the eggs in there with her and seeing how it goes. Can't hurt to try

I agree..it always does seem to be the best ones that get hurt or etc....I really miss seeing her come running when I call....I'm just praying that some of the eggs set to hatch the 13th are some of hers and I have the full tray to go in with some eggs from that group....so hopefully I'll get some girls to replace her....that's a tall order tho...she was gorgeous and had quite the personality.

No, haven't seen anyone else even going over there by the nest. Probably just as well, they still aren't totally cleaned out from all the old, cull roos that were plundering and piliging around here! Next Monday will be 5 weeks they've been gone, so I'll go from there. At least now I know I have at least one girl interested in setting.. So, back to the idea of making it a Silkie pen. Then, onto the Wheaten pen!!

 

[DMRippy]

I have a question for anyone that has olive eggers....do they always have peacombs? Or can they also have single combs? I have a 6 week old pullet that's single combed that is beautiful...but has more of an ameraucana shaped face and wee teensy poofs on the cheek. Its possible she could be half ameraucana....I just couldn't see it before...so now I'm trying to decide what I've got. I'll try to get a pic in the next couple of days.

They can for sure. I would pick for the pea comb to increase the chance of an olive egg. I have 2 EE with puffy cheeks and straight comb and brown eggs

I may sell them, but they are so pretty

Maybe I will get olive eggers from them in the chicks...

they lay a nice dark egg and are with a green egg roo.

 

[flgardengirl]

No they do not always have peacombs and the females seem to get more peacombs than the male chicks do for some reason. You will get less peacombs if you breed back to Marans for your 2nd generation and more if you breed back to Ameraucana in the 2 nd generation. I have some girls with a straight comb that are Marans x Ameraucana that lay brown eggs that definitely have a green tint to them. Not quite olive but not solid brown either lol. The females that get the straight combs usually have a floppy comb too. I have one OE with the floppy straight comb that lays so good I kept her and put her in the layer pen. Her name is Flopsy LOL. Its wierd but the OEs are better layers (more reliable) than both the Ameraucanas and the Marans.

 

[Debbi]

I have a question for anyone that has olive eggers....do they always have peacombs? Or can they also have single combs? I have a 6 week old pullet that's single combed that is beautiful...but has more of an ameraucana shaped face and wee teensy poofs on the cheek. Its possible she could be half ameraucana....I just couldn't see it before...so now I'm trying to decide what I've got. I'll try to get a pic in the next couple of days.

Evidently, they are just now talking about it in the OE thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/131131/the-olive-egger-thread/3910