Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

HobbyChicken~

I am one of the few that run all 3 colors together. I am a firm believer that if mamma nature didn't want them together, she would have kept them seperate from the beginning, but with that said, please keep in mind that I breed for Blue Coppers, so the black coppers are only here for what they can contribute to my blues.

 

[Wynette]

I would personally not run them together. JMO.

 

[gilavina]

Mornin Ma'am!

 

[gilavina]

Just a reminder, anyone wishing to participate in the Marans Egg Show November 3-4, 2012 at the 128th Annual Nebraska State Poultry Show, any entries being mailed are due by November 1st. Entries consist of 3 eggs and cost $5.00. Please go to www.nestatepoultryshow.com to the catalog tab and download the Egg Show entry form and send along with entries and payment. The mailing address is located in the show catalog pdf form on the website. You can also PM me here and I will get the address to you. Due to this being a public forum, I don't want to post my address here. Anyone planning on bringing egg entries, they will be due by no later than 9am Saturday the 3rd. Entries of Marans into the show must be postmarked by Oct 24th with payment.

 

[Connie Marie]

At the risk of sounding wholly ignorant....So I am relatively new to BCM but have been reading and following this thread now for a year. I also have yet to grow a roo out that does not have white tail fluff or hackle under fluff. I cull them all so I have yet to have a breeding group! Maddening!! then I started thinking about the blues and blacks and splash. Since the a blue x blue can = splash (white feathering), black x splash= blue, and the blues only differ from the black by one diluted black gene...could the genetics for the white feathers be carried hidden on those blue and black color genes? How often do over melanized roos have white fluff? Also, does anyone ever see a lighter beak color associated with the white feathers vs a horn color with more black? I am noticing my roos have a lighter beak... Ok feel like a real novice here lol!

 

[Wynette]

At the risk of sounding wholly ignorant....So I am relatively new to BCM but have been reading and following this thread now for a year. I also have yet to grow a roo out that does not have white tail fluff or hackle under fluff. I cull them all so I have yet to have a breeding group! Maddening!!

then I started thinking about the blues and blacks and splash. Since the a blue x blue can = splash (white feathering), black x splash= blue, and the blues only differ from the black by one diluted black gene...could the genetics for the white feathers be carried hidden on those blue and black color genes? How often do over melanized roos have white fluff? Also, does anyone ever see a lighter beak color associated with the white feathers vs a horn color with more black? I am noticing my roos have a lighter beak... Ok feel like a real novice here lol!

Hiya, Vicki!

Connie, I don't believe you soung ignorant at all. These are good questions - it shows that you're thinking this stuff through, and I'm thrilled you are sharing your thoughts - it's how we learn! I'm curious to hear more about your efforts in culling the white feathering - are you seeing progress, or "more of the same" in the following generations? I'm not a genetics expert and am unsure about the part I bolded above. Since the white is being expressed, it's not "hidden" so I'm not exactly sure on this. It's a good question on the overmelanized males having the white fluff - the most maddening part of this all, to me at least, is that they don't express the white until juveniles adults, or most of them anyway, at least in my personal experience. I've worked with about 5 lines now, each one of them, I have seen the issue (more in some lines, less in others). I have gotten to where I think I have a good male, then...he turns 2, and KABLAM! White feathers showing up. I really hope we can sort this out. It's, frankly, driving me bonkers!

I'm unsure whether the melanin issue works on the horn as well as the shanks, but it would make sense that it would.

 

[snowbird]

On the subject of breeding the Black, Blue and splash together. If you do this breeding method how do you keep records so you can breed forward with some kind of idea of what your are going to hatch. I believe a lot of the problems with the BC is coming from using them in such a way. The Black,Blue and splash is just what it says and I fail to see Black Copper in this group. The breeders them selves have caused all the BC problems and it will take a very dedicated effort to correct. Every time I see this it blows my feeble little mind. Enough said.

 

[Wynette]

Don, I highly doubt your mind is either "feeble" OR "little."

I have to agree here - black copper is a mess as it is. I really wish we could sort ithem out.

 

[Connie Marie]

Hiya, Vicki!

Connie, I don't believe you soung ignorant at all. These are good questions - it shows that you're thinking this stuff through, and I'm thrilled you are sharing your thoughts - it's how we learn! I'm curious to hear more about your efforts in culling the white feathering - are you seeing progress, or "more of the same" in the following generations? I'm not a genetics expert and am unsure about the part I bolded above. Since the white is being expressed, it's not "hidden" so I'm not exactly sure on this. It's a good question on the overmelanized males having the white fluff - the most maddening part of this all, to me at least, is that they don't express the white until juveniles adults, or most of them anyway, at least in my personal experience. I've worked with about 5 lines now, each one of them, I have seen the issue (more in some lines, less in others). I have gotten to where I think I have a good male, then...he turns 2, and KABLAM! White feathers showing up. I really hope we can sort this out. It's, frankly, driving me bonkers!

I'm unsure whether the melanin issue works on the horn as well as the shanks, but it would make sense that it would.

Thank you for not making me sound silly hehe... I have had "0" success with eliminating the white in my males. I keep culling and I am up to 4 different lines now. The white fluff and white in the tail feathers have been there in my guys all along though. Ugg... I just wonder that if there are white feathers (Splash birds) roaming around in the closely linked blue gene pool...hmmm... could it be the black have it too? It just doesn't express itself the same...???

I am just so frustrated with the lack of obtaining a useable roo.

All you folks out there that have the coveted roos with no white, what are the statistics of their offspring having white pop up AND what have your test matings determined with this being passed down by the roo or the hen?

 

[snowbird]

Don, I highly doubt your mind is either "feeble" OR "little."

I have to agree here - black copper is a mess as it is. I really wish we could sort ithem out.

Wynette, AS you are aware this yard breeding drives me insane just thinking about the results. Most are trying to breed too many pens and matings of Marans at once. The Black Copper when bred into the Blue or splash , the BC off spring from this mating should never ever be bred back into the the BC Marans as they are never as good type wise or anything else wise.

Forget about the Genetic Fourmulas for a minute there are certain ways to mate up the Cross variety breeding yards to get a majority of good useable young.

Just because we want to breed a BC over Blue and splash does not tell anything. We have to know what color male to use in this form of mating. This can and should be went into deeper.