Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BarnGoddess01]

Isn't he FABULOUS! VERY light blue (what I'm after) with FABULOUS feathered legs and a clean middle toe. My cup TRULY runneth over ....

The egg he hatched out of (Ann's - a Black Copper Marans)



Just a glimpse of those fabulously feathered legs .... (feathered shanks are an issue with my Blue Coppers so far. This little one gives me TREMENDOUS hope!)

 

[snowbird]

I really like my Jeane birds - they do require some work, but I still like them. You will have to work with the wheaten gene, and there is the mossiness... my hens do not have copper hackles, but I am working on that. Nice eggs - 5-6 are the average for me, I am on my starter birds... so.. hopefully that will improve with selective breeding.

Just a comment on the supposed Wheaten gene in your Black Copper. All lines of Black Copper will produce mossiness in the female offspring. No one has ever come forward with any research showing that it is wheaten influence. Myself I do not think the wheatens have anything to do with Mossiness. When we are breeding Parti colored fowl like the Black Copper are you are subject to off colored young fowl. Easiest way to eliminate the Mossy is just cull the Mossy female and do not breed them. If we do more single matings we will know where the defects are coming from and can cull the offenders.

 

[Debbi]

Isn't he FABULOUS! VERY light blue (what I'm after) with FABULOUS feathered legs and a clean middle toe. My cup TRULY runneth over ....

The egg he hatched out of (Ann's - a Black Copper Marans)



Just a glimpse of those fabulously feathered legs .... (feathered shanks are an issue with my Blue Coppers so far. This little one gives me TREMENDOUS hope!)

Hey, congrats! Hope the best for the rest of them too!

 

[Debbi]

Speaking of broodies...

Olivia is at it again! In a box, on the front porch, and the cats are lined up to pull those eggs right out from under her! She can't have but one egg under her, so when I put them in tonight, I may just stick it in a nest box and see what she does. I can't see her sitting on eggs in the coop, it was 112* in there at 3:54 when the "Flossy Alarm" went off! Thankfully, at least there is a breeze today, but it is still 106* in the shade on my front porch...

 

[DMRippy]

Bump: I cheated yesterday and posted pics of two birds--want to make sure this one doesn't get missed.
Quote: I don't usually comment, but I just wanted to make note, he has white in his ear lobes... if you have something better I would not use him......

I am watching and learning.... I am really going to enjoy this pictorial

This is a great education for us newbies.

 

[Debbi]

Marcy ~ I have been trying to upload a pic of what the hackles will look like on your #37 cockerel when he gets older. Not having much luck this afternoon, everyone must be loading pics. I will try again later.

Don ~ I think those two tone hackles do represent a Wheaten influence, as in maybe a cross somewhere along the line. Pip is the only roo that has had the two tone hackle color, and he is the one now sprouting the cinnamon wing feathers. Now I know you have raised numerous birds at a time, and for much longer than I have, or ever will, but I think there was some Wheaten confusion within the Jeane line; Pip is supposedly from Jesse Bryant birds, so basically Jeane. I have as yet not hatched any roo or pullet with the straw coloring, Pip being the only one to have the two tone coloring, and the others are mahogany, with the exception of the original birds here in the sibling x sibling test hatch, all with carnation combs, that had exquisite coloring!!

There also was a brother in with the mahogany boy's hatch that had awesome coloring too. He had a wry and squirrel tail and was culled out. That's all I can go by is what I have here, but it seems even with my very limited hatching, there seems to be a pattern. Did you ever have any hatches where the color all came in as it should with the cockerels? Not counting other faults, just the color? It is hard to say when you are hatching that many birds, and cull early I would imagine. Here, I tend to hold onto the roos longer than I should, but they can change so much, and there are things I have seen that I might not have, had I culled earlier. It's all so interesting, and the roos fascinate me the most!

 

[DMRippy]

Isn't he FABULOUS! VERY light blue (what I'm after) with FABULOUS feathered legs and a clean middle toe. My cup TRULY runneth over ....

The egg he hatched out of (Ann's - a Black Copper Marans)



Just a glimpse of those fabulously feathered legs .... (feathered shanks are an issue with my Blue Coppers so far. This little one gives me TREMENDOUS hope!)

Too CUTE! I like broodies.... as long as they are not at my place.

 

[desertmarcy]

Pic of the day, BCM cockerel #11. So far I like this guy. I think his comb might list over to the side just a bit. Should I be worried about the white foot feathers at this age? Will they go away?

 

[Debbi]

Marcy, I say YES! Watch this boy, he's the best one I've seen so far. Still has much filling out to do, but I like him right now.
The white feather should molt out! JMO

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I do still hope for a spectacular hatch. Just Day 20 at this point. That egg was one I added at the very last minute. Ann had just laid it and was leaving the box when I was loading up Naima so I tossed it in. Interesting that it is the first to hatch and with a comb that is making me thing "boy" out of the egg. I'm going to need to build more breeding pens!

I find this poultry breeding stuff all so fascinating.

Naima is restless on the nest. I hope that means more are about to join the party. (And very glad I have cool water within her reach because she is sipping at it constantly. I toss in an ice cube several times a day to keep it nice and chilly for her.)