Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BarnGoddess01]

Is the skin of all Marans white? No matter what coloring the feathers are? Ya, I definitely don't have Marans if thats the case. I'm thinking they're EE too. Excuse another dumb question, but do all EE have the ear tufts? My little dark one doesnt seem to have them. I heard also that only the BCM will produce the dark chocolate eggs, and all the rest will produce regular brown. Is this true?

Please excuse my late reply -- I actually had an "affair" to attend this evening. Doesn't happen very often but when it does -- I'm all in! (Had a GREAT time. Introduced a whole bunch of short humans to poultry. Doing my part ....

)

My understanding is, all Marans are supposed to have the same colour skin - white. No matter what colour feathers. And I agree, your little dark chick doesn't seem to have muffs. It is really hard to determine breed from chick colour alone. LOTS of factors play in.

There are a couple of breeds that produce dark eggs: Barnevelders, Welsummers, Langshans, for example, however, Marans are reputed to have the darkest brown eggs.

 

[gilavina]

Oh crap, don't listen to me tonight!! Rough day here, I'm too pooped to pop!

haha silly lady! you crack me up

 

[Arielle]

I just know Tim discusses both the whites and why to use them, or not use them in making sexlinks. THere are times when the white masks other colors and times when it doesn't; after that I'm lost!

Ideal has a california leghorn that is white with flacks of black. If I remember, it is a cross between a white variety and theeir black barred leghorn. If you want to look at their breed write up, one is under leghorns and the other is under white egg layers.

 

[DMRippy]

I just know Tim discusses both the whites and why to use them, or not use them in making sexlinks. THere are times when the white masks other colors and times when it doesn't; after that I'm lost!

Ideal has a california leghorn that is white with flacks of black. If I remember, it is a cross between a white variety and theeir black barred leghorn. If you want to look at their breed write up, one is under leghorns and the other is under white egg layers.

My first hatching eggs included a California white x Lavender ROO and I ended up with a GREAT looking White Barred with GOLD wings...where did that come from? hum......

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THe whole dom white, rec white blows my circuits! SO I have no idea what you just said!

 

[gilavina]

THe whole dom white, rec white blows my circuits! SO I have no idea what you just said!

chickens are a lot more complex than what they first appear....that's what I kind of love about them!

 

[Arielle]

I have two black amercuuana split for lav. One has silver hackles, the other looks exactly like a BCM ! I'm trying to relate this to DOnna lav roo x WL = bareed with gold wings. The double Lav hid the gold until the next generation , where only 1 lav couldn't hide the gold on the wings, and the barring from the parent of the calif leghorn carried thru.

I have a buff barred Ameraucana, Eye candy. He will not be renamed Stew.

 

[DMRippy]

I have two black amercuuana split for lav. One has silver hackles, the other looks exactly like a BCM ! I'm trying to relate this to DOnna lav roo x WL = bareed with gold wings. The double Lav hid the gold until the next generation , where only 1 lav couldn't hide the gold on the wings, and the barring from the parent of the calif leghorn carried thru.

I have a buff barred Ameraucana, Eye candy. He will not be renamed Stew.

First, not to pick or anything but your Splits should not show gold or silver. They should be SOLID BLACK. Yes the double Lav will dilute red but not one.

OK first the California White is barred so since she was barred with a solid roo all the roos were barred SEX LINKS .... well I just had one roo. But she was still dom white, so was the little roo white with barring. He too had some blue leakage in his tail. His white was kinda dirty looking too. I don't know where the gold or dark brown came from, but she was a cross. I have the Lavender roo and have never had gold or brown leakage with his chicks. Since she was a cross, I would have to guess the odd color came from her. IDK?

 

[Arielle]

Thanks, I think I understand how the offspring resulted.

AMeraucanas--My boys are NOT pure, THey are part of a breeding project, or were, LOL, and I gave them a new home. I really only want their blue egg genes, so I don't care about the body color any ways. Just interesting how genes show up.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Thought we could use a little levity. Hot one here today again. We were supposed to get storms today, but there isn't a cloud in sight. It is far too dry for this time of year here, and everytime it gets like this, some yahoo decides it's a great time to burn off a pasture. We usually don't have to worry about fire season here till mid July, but it is very brown here now. Not good...

Yes, I believe I live with one such 'yahoo'. DS, all 13 years of experience and testosterone, decided to light a fire at 5pm no more than 20 feet from our main run on one of the 100 degree days we had last week. I really just don't know WHAT to do with that child. We spent most of the day putting ice in the waterers... uh Hello?? too hot for a fire today, son ~ and certainly not so close to the run.

I am also a member of the 'Lurk and Learn" club. I find that the more I learn, the less I know. So confusing, these chicken genetics.

I still can't tell for sure if my White Marans is a roo, I think I may have hatched 5 roos and 1 pullet. ARRRGH! My last hatch was 7 Roos to 3 pullets. Not good odds. My only 'maybe pullet' is not doing well at all. 'She's' cuckoo ~ Feathered out sooner, pretty dark. She cries, ALL the time, is always left behind and is half the size of her hatchmates. Broody spends most of her time waiting on this little one.