Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Vicki~

You don't sound like a nutter, LOL! What works for you is what works for you. I have never heard of the green promoting one thing and the purple promoting another. I am going to research further so we can discuss it more. I find it very interesting.
I had girl...."Phat Sassy" who was completely green looking in the full sun and one could hardly ever see any purple-ish sheen. I always wondered why she was different. She was a Black Copper and did not show one stitch of copper. I didn't breed her or keep her around only because she had poor egg color.
Will say that I see more green sheen in my birds then I do the purple..........wonder if this has any correlation with the lack of copper I also have in them.
Maybe it does have something to do with melanizers.

Wonder what folks over at The Coop have stored away as far as knowledge on this.


Fascinating.

 

[Oakieridge]

I have a question for those breeding Marans. We are into our last cull, I have been growing out the pullets with the best feathering color, body size/shape, ect. I have 2 that have great overall coloring, size and shape BUT they have yellow legs (these are Golden Salmon Marans). Do I keep them and try to breed them or do I just use them as laying hens or cull? I don't know how hard it would be to breed the genetics for the yellow legs out of the flock if I use them. I don't want to be spending alot of time on it if it isn't possible or going to be a huge headache.

Thanks

 

[pinkchick]

Where did the twist on the front of this guys comb come from and how come it popped up seemingly overnight? The slight twist on the blade I have been watching for sometime....but the front twist is brand new.

What gives???????

 

[pinkchick]

I have a question for those breeding Marans. We are into our last cull, I have been growing out the pullets with the best feathering color, body size/shape, ect. I have 2 that have great overall coloring, size and shape BUT they have yellow legs (these are Golden Salmon Marans). Do I keep them and try to breed them or do I just use them as laying hens or cull? I don't know how hard it would be to breed the genetics for the yellow legs out of the flock if I use them. I don't want to be spending alot of time on it if it isn't possible or going to be a huge headache.

Thanks

Are you breeding for Black Coppers? Yellow legs are a no-no in Marans, I am unclear of the Salmon Marans, but believe they should not have yellow either. If breeding for BCM I would not use the Salmon bird at all. I would not use any birds with yellow legs in a Marans breeding program.

 

[pinkchick]

The Bopsy Twins.


One of which is starting to molt.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

The green and the purple sheen that we see on Black birds or on any birds for that matter, is only seen because of how the feather reflects light.
It is not a color that is actually on the bird or that we are waiting for to show up on them.
It is simply only a reflection of light.
Either color (purple or green sheen) does not indicate other genetics in a bird.
Purple and Green sheen do not have anything to do with melanization , over melanization or lack of.
I agree with Vicki about nutrition being a factor for the sheen......we ususally see it and lots of it when a bird is in prime condition.

It was Sigrid Van Dort I was reading (Genetics of Chicken Colours) and she most definitely states that purple sheen is reflecting red - which can be genetic or food, illness, stress, lack of water, cold, etc.

Sigrid also says that ER based chicks (Birchen, which our Black Coppers are supposed to be based on) can be born with "purplish" down. I wonder if down colour is related to sheen later in life.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I found the bit I was looking for ... quoting Sigrid from Genetics of Chicken Colours "For the Standard colour, black with beetle green sheen is desired. This sheen is affected by the presence of additional black enhancers, and the structure of the feather. The presence of Autosomal Red can give a violet lustre on the shoulders, its absence is a green lustre. An overdose of melanotic may give a blue sheen."

Bottom line - black enhancers are required in the "genetic soup" to get that beetle green sheen but obviously, lots of things can effect how that sheen presents at any given point in time.

 

[pinkchick]

Wonderful information Barb! Thanks for posting it. I love learning new stuff! Off to find out more info and keep learning. Going to look for this book as well. Maybe it will magically appear if I add it to my wish list on the fridge. DH and I have an anniversary coming up.

 

[Wynette]

Barb, so if you are seeing a purple rather than green sheen, it's confirmation of autosomal red; I do not see anything but green in my flock - "should" black coppers have autosomal red?

 

[qball53]

The green and the purple sheen that we see on Black birds or on any birds for that matter, is only seen because of how the feather reflects light.
It is not a color that is actually on the bird or that we are waiting for to show up on them.
It is simply only a reflection of light.
Either color (purple or green sheen) does not indicate other genetics in a bird.
Purple and Green sheen do not have anything to do with melanization , over melanization or lack of.
I agree with Vicki about nutrition being a factor for the sheen......we ususally see it and lots of it when a bird is in prime condition.

I'll admitt my ignorance up front so no one has to point it out. The statement Either color (purple or green sheen) does not indicate other genetics in a bird. doesn't ring true to me? Can't remember the breed off the top of my head but I remember at least one breed of bird where the standard states that there should be no green sheen.