Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

I'm hoping you Marans fans will be able to explain an egg color question I have. The thing is...I want some Wheaten Marans, but my husband wants *dark* (8s and 9s only) eggs.

Through all my searches, I have found only 1 breeder of Wheaten Marans that are consistently laying 8s and 9s, and that is only due to a sport roo they were blessed enough to hatch out and placed into their breeding program. All the other Wheaten Marans I have seen, are laying 6s and once in a great while I've seen some 7s...but mostly 6.

I'm curious, is this because I simply haven't found enough breeders of this variety to see more with 8s and 9s - or does this lighter egg they are laying have something to do with the wheaten color? If so - what is it and how can you improve (darken) the color on these wheaten eggs? I was also curious about the golden cuckoo Marans, since theirs are also a lighter brown than the FBCMs. Shouldn't the varieties be bred in such a way to be standard not only in type, but egg color production as well - before calling it a variety?

What makes the eggs in certain varieties of Marans so diluted/washed out looking - and are there people out there who are trying to get the eggs of their breeds of this variety darker, or is everyone just going on type and color of the actual bird?

Curiosity questions...glad I'm not a cat.

First thing to remember when buying eggs and chicks do not believe everything you are told.

 

[snowbird]

Kim, What method of mating your Blue Copper are you going to use when you mate them up? Your answer will lead to how I mate them.

 

[Debbi]

Don~ Here is that young Black Copper male that you liked. He is getting some color coming in on the hackle and the saddle, albeit, very dark, but the barn is beautiful and I'll take it! Will work on color and comb later.
If I didn't know better, I would swear that he was my large male, Bill looking right back at me. This male is the great great great grandson of Bill. I'm in love!

Oh, as soon as I saw his pic I thought of Bill!!! What a chunker!

 

[Debbi]

I'm hoping you Marans fans will be able to explain an egg color question I have. The thing is...I want some Wheaten Marans, but my husband wants *dark* (8s and 9s only) eggs.

Through all my searches, I have found only 1 breeder of Wheaten Marans that are consistently laying 8s and 9s, and that is only due to a sport roo they were blessed enough to hatch out and placed into their breeding program. All the other Wheaten Marans I have seen, are laying 6s and once in a great while I've seen some 7s...but mostly 6.

I'm curious, is this because I simply haven't found enough breeders of this variety to see more with 8s and 9s - or does this lighter egg they are laying have something to do with the wheaten color? If so - what is it and how can you improve (darken) the color on these wheaten eggs? I was also curious about the golden cuckoo Marans, since theirs are also a lighter brown than the FBCMs. Shouldn't the varieties be bred in such a way to be standard not only in type, but egg color production as well - before calling it a variety?

What makes the eggs in certain varieties of Marans so diluted/washed out looking - and are there people out there who are trying to get the eggs of their breeds of this variety darker, or is everyone just going on type and color of the actual bird?

Curiosity questions...glad I'm not a cat.

Like Don said, don't believe what you are told in 99% of the cases! The 8s and 9s you want are few and far between, and they won't last long in the laying period either, as the eggs fade in color through out the season. I would have to see the actual eggs from the actual hens I was buying from to believe them! Typically and sadly, it is usually the crappiest looking hens that lay the darker eggs! Do you have an egg color chart that shows the egg colors correctly? I've heard many people say their hens lay a #7 shade egg, and then when I get them, they are more like a 5! I like what my girls have been laying, and so far, when they are laying, the egg color is between a 5-6, or more like a 5.5. I call them my ruby eggs, and they are so pretty!

 

[CluckyCharms]

First thing to remember when buying eggs and chicks do not believe everything you are told.

I'm not believing what I'm told...I'm basing it off several pictures in several different backgrounds with different flashes in addition to many reviews by people who have purchased their eggs, hatched them and grown them out, and are also receiving the same dark eggs from their pullets and hens...and are available for reference. I may be new to chickens, but to assume I'm naive when it comes to believing everything I'm told is pretty presumptuous.

In any case, does anyone have any useful information regarding wheaten Marans egg color and why it is so much lighter than the FBCMs, and if anything is being done (or can possibly be done) to darken their eggs (other than getting lucky with a sport roo)? I realize seasons have a lot to do with it. Not only seasons in nature, but seasons in age of a hen's life IE: Pullet eggs versus adult vs. senior hen eggs - different shades of brown. It also has a great deal to do with diet - crap in, crap out.

I'm referring to any aged Wheaten I've seen...other than the one breeder's flock I haven't seen any darker than *maybe* a 7 (mid 6 to 7) and even that is rare. Most of the ones I see are 5-6.

It's the same with the golden cuckoo variety I have seen. The same breeder with the dark wheaten Marans eggs....has *Very light* golden cuckoo eggs...about a 5.

I'm just curious as to why these varieties have lighter eggs than the FBCM

Thanks!

 

[snowbird]

I'm not believing what I'm told...I'm basing it off several pictures in several different backgrounds with different flashes in addition to many reviews by people who have purchased their eggs, hatched them and grown them out, and are also receiving the same dark eggs from their pullets and hens...and are available for reference. I may be new to chickens, but to assume I'm naive when it comes to believing everything I'm told is pretty presumptuous.

In any case, does anyone have any useful information regarding wheaten Marans egg color and why it is so much lighter than the FCBMs, and if anything is being done (or can possibly be done) to darken their eggs (other than getting lucky with a sport roo)? I realize seasons have a lot to do with it. Not only seasons in nature, but seasons in age of a hen's life IE: Pullet eggs versus adult vs. senior hen eggs - different shades of brown. I'm referring to any aged Wheaten I've seen...other than the one breeder's flock I haven't seen any darker than *maybe* a 7 (mid 6 to 7).

Thanks!

For some reason when I read your original post I had an idea this was going to happen. Believe me I am sorry I answered your post since you know it all.

 

[Debbi]

I'm not believing what I'm told...I'm basing it off several pictures in several different backgrounds with different flashes in addition to many reviews by people who have purchased their eggs, hatched them and grown them out, and are also receiving the same dark eggs from their pullets and hens...and are available for reference. I may be new to chickens, but to assume I'm naive when it comes to believing everything I'm told is pretty presumptuous.

In any case, does anyone have any useful information regarding wheaten Marans egg color and why it is so much lighter than the FCBMs, and if anything is being done (or can possibly be done) to darken their eggs (other than getting lucky with a sport roo)? I realize seasons have a lot to do with it. Not only seasons in nature, but seasons in age of a hen's life IE: Pullet eggs versus adult vs. senior hen eggs - different shades of brown. I'm referring to any aged Wheaten I've seen...other than the one breeder's flock I haven't seen any darker than *maybe* a 7 (mid 6 to 7).

Thanks!

No need to get testy, we are just trying to tell you how it is with some folks in the Marans. Pictures of eggs can be extremely decieving. As for the Wheatens, yes, quite a few breeders are improving on egg color, but it takes time. Most of the people that bred the BCMs are the ones that put the time into the egg color. Blues and Wheatens are still relatively new varieities in this country as far as working on improvements goes. Most time has spent on trying to get the birds to look like they should, and then work on egg color. If you are using sport Wheatens for breeding purposes, you will be doing yourself a great disservice! You will have mutts and off colored offspring. If it's Wheatens you want, get good quality birds that lay a decently colored egg, and improve from there. If you are just wanting dark eggs, then breed whom ever you will to get the color you want.

 

[Hens and Roos]

http://marans.eu/genetiqa.htm#genetiqa is the page on the marans website that explains quite a few difficulties in dealing with the breeding of this bird. This is the imported french version which they bred and have a long documented history with. It explains the link between the white feather and the lighter shank as Don has mentioned. This is coupled with the additional difficulties we have with the US homespun version that were "made" here... That adds a whole nuther pot of genes to the marans soup pot. I think the standard as written in the US was taking this into account. Maybe when the Black Birds are accepted by the APA they will rule out white of any kind as they should.. as for the BC and all the subcolors that fall under it... We are all in the soup pot together. Happy hatching... I will feed anything that lays a darkie. That is my story and I am stickin to it...

I would breed separately for showstock as the French have done....two separate pens... egg showstock and bird showstock.

Just one girls take...

Don't ya just love the soothing music of the website though!!!

Read through a bit of this information- very interesting

 

[CluckyCharms]

For some reason when I read your original post I had an idea this was going to happen. Believe me I am sorry I answered your post since you know it all.

I don't know it all, but for you to insinuate that I'm simply "believing what I'm told" is presumptuous and rude (which I'm finding a lot on this forum).

I did my homework on this breeder's eggs, thank you. I just wanted to know why wheatens and golden cuckoos have much lighter eggs than the traditional FBCM and if there's anything being done to change that (or if there is anything that can possibly change it).

 

[CluckyCharms]

Read through a bit of this information- very interesting

I don't think you were directing this at me, but that link is a great resource - thank you for sharing it on the forum...I bookmarked it. I had that link posted by someone in another thread but I had since lost it when the PC went kaput. It's nice to have it again.