Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Hello, I was hoping someone could help me with a question about sexing chicks. I just hatched out 6 Olive Eggers. The cross was a Blue Cuckoo Marans roo over EE's. The lady I got the eggs from told me that she has been getting Blue cuckoo with feathered legs some beard and muffs. Is there a way for me to sex the chicks? Head spots, color? Does the EE in there throw that off? One of the chicks looks black with yellow, the others are varying shades of blue. One is clearly lighter blue with a mostly yellow head.

I would think the EE would kind of throw the Cuckoo chick coloring off so that you could not sex them. I might be all wrong here, but that's my 2 cents worth. Someone else with Cuckoos will probably answer it better for you.

 

[DMRippy]

Hello, I was hoping someone could help me with a question about sexing chicks. I just hatched out 6 Olive Eggers. The cross was a Blue Cuckoo Marans roo over EE's. The lady I got the eggs from told me that she has been getting Blue cuckoo with feathered legs some beard and muffs. Is there a way for me to sex the chicks? Head spots, color? Does the EE in there throw that off? One of the chicks looks black with yellow, the others are varying shades of blue. One is clearly lighter blue with a mostly yellow head.

Not really. That is not a Sex Link mix. All the chicks will be barred and all the roos will just have 1 copy so nothing distinctive about their spots.

 

[varanisblack]

Congrats on your new hen - I owuld definitely not use this female for breeding, as she is mossy. See those brown ticks of color on her sides? That is mossiness and it is to be avoided for breeding. She'll provide you with some lovely eggs, though, I'm sure!

OK with the laying hens she goes then I do know Mary dose eventualy want to breed these but only if they are worthy, I do know she wanted some for eggs too so it works out just fine

 

[snowbird]

Some thoughts on the Major faults I see on Marans . Will just list all under Faults.

Overall Marans Type
Squirrel Tail
Head including the Comb
Back too narrow and short
Clean Legs.

Lot of work needs to be done with the Different color patterns.

The Black Copper will continue to be a headache as you have three color possibility at work. Will asways be the most challenging color pattern of Marans.

 

[Debbi]

Some thoughts on the Major faults I see on Marans . Will just list all under Faults.

Overall Marans Type
Squirrel Tail
Head including the Comb
Back too narrow and short
Clean Legs.

Lot of work needs to be done with the Different color patterns.

The Black Copper will continue to be a headache as you have three color possibility at work. Will asways be the most challenging color pattern of Marans.

I'd like to add poor eye color to that too, if I may. I've been seeing a lot of dark eyes, and also too light of an eye. Eye color should be a clear, reddish bay.

 

[snowbird]

I'd like to add poor eye color to that too, if I may. I've been seeing a lot of dark eyes, and also too light of an eye. Eye color should be a clear, reddish bay.

Debbi, I agree, with the light eye make sure the eye has the right shape, a possibility some of them may have Leucosis.

 

[flgardengirl]

HI All! Hope you are all doing great. Have missed you all TONZ!!!!! Life 'round here has been.............................................................
Anyway, have a predator problem. I'm seriously thinking raccoon....hubby thinks bigger. Got 4 adult geese in one night. No entry signs except the welded wire fence out of shape and a couple of welds broken, definitely big enough for a raccoon to get in....no human foot prints (we have the 2 legged variety happenin' 'round here lately also....happenin' to our gas tanks....

).
Feeding sights and remains of victims are all VERY suggestive of raccoon. Surviving geese are the oldest female and the youngest male, both are injured and so very mournful.
2 nights ago, 2 more Marans cockerels were taken from the chicken coop that shares the goat structure and about 4 nights ago something got my youngest goose, but when the youngest goose came up missing there were no broken welds or squished wires on the goose coop run, I suspect that it climbed in or came from the trees above, so I closed in the top with more fencing and trimmed thousands of tree limbs.
About 5 days ago.......3 of my Birchen babies came up missing. Of course it would be 2 pullets and only 1 cockerel. Now I only have 6, 4 cockerels and 2 pullets.

We have secured all coops and runs, removed the geese to a secure location and set a trap in the goose coop.

We are now armed and tonight we are on a stake out. DH said he would take 1st watch as he was deeply saddened by the loss of the geese. He had fallen in love with the geese and enjoyed them greatly.

What annoys the mustard out of me is......the dead goose they just left behind, beheaded. Left it lying direct smack in the middle of the path to their escape route. They could have had the decency to not waste it.

Every Marans hen or pullet on the property is now broody. Probably because they have been being put to bed much earlier than they are used to since we have issues going on, so they are taking it out on me by trying to be broody. LOL!

Getting one egg every other day from my trusty old Olive egger hen. Todays egg was very pretty. So hey!

Enough of that.


Yippee for rain! I hope you get lots!


Blarney~ I agree with Barngoddess. You have a pullet. I really like the White Marans.

Hi, I think it was probably a raccoon based on the be-heading. It is practically a calling card when raccoons do that.
I bought a cheap trail cam with a flash and it did a good job on showing me what all recent problems we were having. Turns out we had several possums, 2 different foxes, and a whole bunch of huge owls. The owls wiped out most all of my key west roosters that were roosting in the oaks in one night. I had to lock up the other two that were left. The hens blended in better and most didn't get taken. The owls will leave no trace of being there. Just all the prey is totally gone.

Owls will also get down on the ground and walk staight into a coop and take chickens etc out. They also will drop down into openings in the top of the pen. We had one that landed on the fence frame walked around until he found an opening where the shade cloth had come away from the top then dropped down through there and grabbed a huge male muscovy duck.

 

[Arielle]

Some thoughts on the Major faults I see on Marans . Will just list all under Faults.

Overall Marans Type
Squirrel Tail
Head including the Comb
Back too narrow and short
Clean Legs.

Lot of work needs to be done with the Different color patterns.

The Black Copper will continue to be a headache as you have three color possibility at work. Will asways be the most challenging color pattern of Marans.

Good list--thanks Don.

 

[gilavina]

Got a few shots of some of the birds while I was out watering. Its been really hot and humid today, so they're definitely showing it, but here they are. I believe they are just a couple days past the 5 month mark. Filling in nicely I think, minus the fact that they are starting to show signs of beginning to molt now.

Geronimo







Luella tryin to keep it cool with the ever popular wing raises







And one of the shy blue birchen girls. Caught her in mid run, but besides her darker eyes and more sparse leg feathering, I can definitely work with her after what I started with! Her wattles are extremely pale as I almost lost her last week with the extreme temps and so she's still working at coloring back up again. I'm just relieved the watering 6 times a day and adding ice kept them all alive on the extreme days

 

[Debbi]

Nice looking lot there Vicki! Any way you could post a side by side, or up down pics of Gigantor and Geronimo? From what I see here in his pic, Geronimo is going to sire some very dark pullets unless bred to girls with lots of color. But for 5 months, he is a looker for sure!!