Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[fowlman01]

thanks for the comments, I wasn't aware there was an SOP for Birchen Marans,


here is picture of a roo (the one in the background) that is marked exactly as this one,,,,and yes I have seen the pics of many Birchen that show no baring

http://www.featherauction.com/detail.asp?id=1792&n=Black-Birchen-Marans-Rooster--8-months-old

I'm new at the chicken genetics but think there must be some strange things pop up when this boy came from a Blue Birchen /BCM

Like I said he will get time to develop and finish these early moults before I make any decisions

There is no official SOP for Birchen Marans. There is official descriptions for the birchen color in other breeds though.

Walt

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi all and happy Memorial Day! I had a lady contact me who had seen my birds about half a year ago or so. She wanted to start a new flock, so I gave her a good package price of a group of Black Copper Marans that I really need to move out. Well she emails back and says no, she doesn't want Marans because she thinks the roosters will be too aggressive (she means to the hens---she wants a rooster who does a mating dance and courts the hens rather than "raping" them). She got rid of her previous rooster because of that behavior. Apparently she read that Marans, in their history, were used as fighting cocks and that's why she is thinking they are an aggressive breed. I'm not going to try to change her mind, I think it is already set, but I was just curious what you all think about that. I've only kept my one Black Copper cock, and he is very nice, not hard on the hens, not aggressive towards me in the least (or he would be dinner

). Seems to be that any history of being used as fighting cocks is so far removed from present day Marans, that it is irrelevant to their behavior now. Thoughts?

 

[Peach2u]

I just got a spalsh maran booted out of my flock. He was very nice to the girls. He would find food and call them over. He did his dance and if they walked away he just went to the next girl. However, people around his girls or babies where fair game. He was so heavy you could hear him stomping across the yard to come get you. If you went in the yard without a stick in your hand he would run up your leg/back. I can say that was a mean rooster to the people but great for the flock. The new rooster will dance and if they say no he grabs them anyway. He finds food for them and calls them over but most stay away from him. But he has only been with them for 2 weeks now. The good thing is he leaves the kids alone! He is afraid of my corgi and she loves to stalk him.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I think it depends a lot on the individual rooster. We have a cuckoo rooster who is very mellow to both his girls and to us. We have had other roosters of different breeds who were jerks and therefore didn't stay around long. You will see this even with hatch mates.

 

[gilavina]

Yeah, the one in the background is also incorrectly colored. The one in the front, although his color shows both gold and silver which is also not correct, at least he has the color pattern that a Birchen should adhere to. Don't buy all the fancy hype and go by big name breeders only! Do your homework and read a copy of the proposed SOP for Birchens. They have not been approved by the APA yet as far as I know, but on the Marans Club link, there should be a "proposed SOP", something for folks to aims toward in their breedings until that variety can be approved.

Amen on the underlined lady. What I meant, as Walt clarified while I was at work was that there is a standard that already exists for the Birchen Color. Then there is the Marans General Standard for the breed itself to go by. Using those two you can get pretty far in determining what is worth breeding with and what isn't.

 

[unkadan]

Thanks all for the input, my thinking at this point is to grow them out and see what they look like as adults,,also plan on checking his sibs that went to another owner and see what they look like.

Since he does appear to meet other standards (leg feathers, comb, eyes, size, tail set) and I have read the last thing to worry about is color and I am not in a hurry to produce the next future Birchen champ he might be my keeper for now, breed him to the Blue sibs and see what develops from that cross. I'm also interested to see the egg color from these pullets, the BCM hens(mother) all lay a very dark big egg.

 

[Arielle]

Hi all and happy Memorial Day! I had a lady contact me who had seen my birds about half a year ago or so. She wanted to start a new flock, so I gave her a good package price of a group of Black Copper Marans that I really need to move out. Well she emails back and says no, she doesn't want Marans because she thinks the roosters will be too aggressive (she means to the hens---she wants a rooster who does a mating dance and courts the hens rather than "raping" them). She got rid of her previous rooster because of that behavior. Apparently she read that Marans, in their history, were used as fighting cocks and that's why she is thinking they are an aggressive breed. I'm not going to try to change her mind, I think it is already set, but I was just curious what you all think about that. I've only kept my one Black Copper cock, and he is very nice, not hard on the hens, not aggressive towards me in the least (or he would be dinner

). Seems to be that any history of being used as fighting cocks is so far removed from present day Marans, that it is irrelevant to their behavior now. Thoughts?

Sorry you missed out on the sale.

I have roosters from 3 sources, 4,2,2 = 8 roosters. THey have spent most of their lives free ranging which means they are free to run up to me at any moment. 7 have been perfect gentlemen. Standoffish, come within about a foot of me, especially for treats. Quiet and calm. One bugger will dart from behind and bite me. Not flog, bite. He has not been doing this recently so maybe he got the message. I love the boys. I have an 8 and 10 yr old and must have none flogging roosters for their safety and my sanity. Just as a side note: these boys were raised in our bathroom and are quite accustomed to us. I have one who runs and hides from other roosters and others that rule the barnyard. I know I can hide behind a FBCM rooster to get away from a rooster that does attack. I see freezer camp in his future.

 

[Arielle]

HELP !

I'm stumped and I need your expertise. I have 2 groups of chicks from the same hatch dates ( over 3 consecutive days, May 18, 19 and 20th )AND a group 2 weeks older and 2 chick 4 weeks older. All chicks started out well. THey are divided into 2 brooders in different rooms. Both groups have wobbly chicks, more they walk like they are almost sitting = older chicks and younger chicks AND in bother brooder boxes. Then there are others that suddenly crash laying on the floor unable to get food and water and get run over. When I assist they can eat and drink. The crashing started last Friday with one, now I have 4 as of today. I have been suspicious of wobbliness for much longer. The majority seem just fine.

I babied one over the weekend and it is doing better, going from laying on side to standing and somewhat mobile. Since this morning, two more have crashed, one in each brooder.

I added 1/2 ml poyl vi sol per pint water; changed feed on Friday ( same company) added probiotics and grit and a while later finely chopped grass. I covered the shavings and another crashed in that brooder so I have removed ALL shavings from both brooders as of this minute.

I found a pea (?) in the shavings as well as chunks of corn. I'm sorry to say I gave the shavings to be bedding for other birds. Will see if they have trouble too.

The pea is a round circle, colored like a bean: med tan, black at the location that it germinates. It makes me wonder if peas oridginated from the shavings or the chick feed ( it is a small mill and not all is consistently ground).

I have whole corn and whole oats. Should I grind these in my coffee grinder and feed this until I can buy different grain from a different mill.


HELP !!! You all are so knowledgable, I know this isn't a marans question though my FBCM and cuckoos from Donna are at stake here. Can I ask that we go off topic for a few minutes.

 

[Hens and Roos]

HELP !

I'm stumped and I need your expertise. I have 2 groups of chicks from the same hatch dates ( over 3 consecutive days, May 18, 19 and 20th )AND a group 2 weeks older and 2 chick 4 weeks older. All chicks started out well. THey are divided into 2 brooders in different rooms. Both groups have wobbly chicks, more they walk like they are almost sitting = older chicks and younger chicks AND in bother brooder boxes. Then there are others that suddenly crash laying on the floor unable to get food and water and get run over. When I assist they can eat and drink. The crashing started last Friday with one, now I have 4 as of today. I have been suspicious of wobbliness for much longer. The majority seem just fine.

I babied one over the weekend and it is doing better, going from laying on side to standing and somewhat mobile. Since this morning, two more have crashed, one in each brooder.

I added 1/2 ml poyl vi sol per pint water; changed feed on Friday ( same company) added probiotics and grit and a while later finely chopped grass. I covered the shavings and another crashed in that brooder so I have removed ALL shavings from both brooders as of this minute.

I found a pea (?) in the shavings as well as chunks of corn. I'm sorry to say I gave the shavings to be bedding for other birds. Will see if they have trouble too.

The pea is a round circle, colored like a bean: med tan, black at the location that it germinates. It makes me wonder if peas oridginated from the shavings or the chick feed ( it is a small mill and not all is consistently ground).

I have whole corn and whole oats. Should I grind these in my coffee grinder and feed this until I can buy different grain from a different mill.


HELP !!! You all are so knowledgable, I know this isn't a marans question though my FBCM and cuckoos from Donna are at stake here. Can I ask that we go off topic for a few minutes.

what does the poop look like- any signs of blood in it? if bloody poop could be cocci- we just went through a bad round of it a couple of weeks ago. not sure about the shavings. how does the feed smell- any off odor to it?

 

[Arielle]

Feed is fresh, right from the mill fresh. Poops look normal for everyone who is pooing. Theone chick who I have been hand feeding poo'd a BIG poo of molasses colored water with a spagetti of fecal material in the middle. Seemed acceptable as I had been feeding is a gruel made with molasses.

This started before I gave any grass and they are brooded inside. Only the oldest chicks, about 6 weeks, receive bugs from my boys.