Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Hi Vicki, This male does not have the a;most mahogany feathers that the other males you have put up. Have you checked the undercolor on the hackle? He has super Marans type with big broad chest and the back looks really good also, looks broad entire length. The tail set will be good also when he gets his feathers. This is the color of males I was using on the real dark female I was using for breeders. His shank and feet color is super also. Bred to the right female should produce some really nice BC Marans. Job well done, thank your Dad for being such a good teacher..

awesome! I admit I do like the more mahogany tones, just what my eye gravitates towards, but was wanting to try and keep back some boys with a bit lighter color and just wanted to double check with you! I really do appreciate my dad's education of breeding birds and am very grateful for it and feel like I have a responsibility to try and breed birds to the best of my ability because of it. In fact, I just got a call yesterday that my poultry club will be honoring him for all his years of work in breeding poultry and for his involvement in the promotion of poultry over the years here in NE. we aren't telling him til after it goes out in the catalog, because otherwise he will never allow it. haha

I'm working on editing a couple of other pics of a rather homely looking blue copper cockerel and will post them when finished. I like him even tho he is waaaaay at the bottom of the totem pole and has no tail. I'd like to see what you think of his color tone for using to put color on some of the girls.

 

[DMRippy]

Not trying to butt in, but question Don.... the lighter hackles will help make better pullets by giving them copper hackles? I have a blue roo from Pinkchick and he has very light two tone hackles and I THINK he is throwing me pullets with copper hackles, but I could not keep the leg tags on the chicks to make sure

I would not mind having a pullet line and a roo line.... at least for a year or two. I have a pic if you want to see him.

 

[snowbird]

Vicki, Impose the imaginary box over this picture and visulize this male inside of it. Looks to be a perfect fit from where I am at.

I would not worry about anything on the Comb at the point in the game unless it was a DQ and this bird does not have that. Forgot to also very nice foor and shank feathering.

 

[gilavina]

Forgot to add that I did check under the hackles and totally fine. I gave him a pretty hard look all over to see if I could find any major no no's and listed everything I could find.

 

[snowbird]

Donna, Sure would like to see your male bird. These blended males as long as they have proper hackle undercolor and shanks and feet the correct color. When picking breeder fowl do not worry about them being to the SOp. Sop fowl do not always produce SOP fowl. It is always averages.

 

[snowbird]

Forgot to add that I did check under the hackles and totally fine. I gave him a pretty hard look all over to see if I could find any major no no's and listed everything I could find.

Vicki, you will find that the males colored like this one will have more Black in the hackle and saddle. You will find very little in the way of the flame in the Mahogany males. That is the main reason this male will produce more females with copper hackle. I did have a chance to completely prove that the big flame was involved in producing the Copper neck female.

 

[DMRippy]

Donna, Sure would like to see your male bird. These blended males as long as they have proper hackle undercolor and shanks and feet the correct color. When picking breeder fowl do not worry about them being to the SOp. Sop fowl do not always produce SOP fowl. It is always averages.

I have 3 roos. 2 Blues, both from Pinks flock and 1 Black

This is the roo in Question

 

[snowbird]

Donna, If you think this male produced the copper hackle females I sure would breed him back the same way. This time borrow your husbands leather punch at the farm and at hatch mark all chicks and put it in a small note pad to transfer when you go home. I sure can see why this male would produce the copper neck female.

 

[DMRippy]

Donna, If you think this male produced the copper hackle females I sure would breed him back the same way. This time borrow your husbands leather punch at the farm and at hatch mark all chicks and put it in a small note pad to transfer when you go home. I sure can see why this male would produce the copper neck female.

Yeah.... he has one of those BIG leather punches and we just could not figure out a way to get it in those little toes. I am trying a new method of tagging.... I think it is going to work LONGER. Once they get some size at 2 months I can tag them better. What would really work is to only hatch from one pen at a time .... I am also trying that. Nothing worse than trying to figure out the Cuckoo Marans from the Barred Rocks

it is harder than you would think

I may order one for chicks. What about notching? good bad ugly? Maybe I can find a tatoo machine LOL

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Thanks!