Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

I think I fixed it.

 

[gilavina]

I think I fixed it.

yup, I see it now. She is beefy. Hopefully you will have a really good hatching season this next spring! With the conversations going on I've been doing quite a bit of thinking for this next spring and think I've got my strategy for hatching that will make life easier when selecting birds to grow out. Definitely going to be another learning curve me thinks.

 

[pinkchick]

yup, I see it now. She is beefy. Hopefully you will have a really good hatching season this next spring! With the conversations going on I've been doing quite a bit of thinking for this next spring and think I've got my strategy for hatching that will make life easier when selecting birds to grow out. Definitely going to be another learning curve me thinks.

I look forward to what we have ahead of us too. This will be a huge learning experience for me as I have not worked with just a few birds before. I think this may be perhaps one of my journeys with Marans that I may learn more than I ever have. I'm going to keep my focus on type and egg color this season and see what happens by way of any color changes in the birds. If I get something good..bonus. If not, hopefully I have chosen the correct birds to maintain good type.


Look who was just visiting and created total chaos. Two of us, shooting non-lethal shots off near him to scare him away...had no effect. Brazen bird just stayed surveying the chickens as they are all out free ranging today while I finish up the coops. He was sitting in a tree 8ft away, just above the coop.

 

[gilavina]

I look forward to what we have ahead of us too. This will be a huge learning experience for me as I have not worked with just a few birds before. I think this may be perhaps one of my journeys with Marans that I may learn more than I ever have. I'm going to keep my focus on type and egg color this season and see what happens by way of any color changes in the birds. If I get something good..bonus. If not, hopefully I have chosen the correct birds to maintain good type.
Look who was just visiting and created total chaos. Two of us, shooting non-lethal shots off near him to scare him away...had no effect. Brazen bird just stayed surveying the chickens as they are all out free ranging today while I finish up the coops. He was sitting in a tree 8ft away, just above the coop.

I believe that. We get fly overs all the time, but since we got Goliath, he has a certain bark for the birds to let them know there is a bird overhead, the hawks will fly away. This morning however, there was a ruckus coming out of one of the south buildings this morning. There was an owl sitting on the top of the fence in front of their door, so they could see him. He flew away when went down to let the birds out. I'm so thankful we shut up everything at night. I'm wondering if food will be a bit more scarce for them this year because of the dryness.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Wouldn't I only get blue or splash if I breed him to a splash and he is truly blue?

yes, looks like he has some lacing showing on his back- will be interesting to see what you get from test mating

 

[snowbird]

Wouldn't I only get blue or splash if I breed him to a splash and he is truly blue?

Kim, He is blue Copper and you would more than likely end up with Blue Copper and splask from the chicks. Ypu are not breeding BBS and believe me it is different.

 

[gilavina]

Hey Don,

Quick question, what do you think about the copper coloration in the offspring if I were to mate the Blue Copper male I showed you mated with Luella, the blue copper pullet? This will be my first year breeding two blue coppers that have all the proper copper. Do you think there is a chance of getting overcolored chicks, or?

 

[gilavina]

mornin' Debbi Debs!

 

[snowbird]

Hey Don,

Quick question, what do you think about the copper coloration in the offspring if I were to mate the Blue Copper male I showed you mated with Luella, the blue copper pullet? This will be my first year breeding two blue coppers that have all the proper copper. Do you think there is a chance of getting overcolored chicks, or?

Vicki, I believe that would be a perfect mating and you could also go to the splash you have and it will work great also. Where you are at in the game you will not need to ad the BC bloodlines here, I compliment you on really doing a great job with the Marans breed. That is what is needed now more than anything else.

 

[gilavina]

Vicki, I believe that would be a perfect mating and you could also go to the splash you have and it will work great also. Where you are at in the game you will not need to ad the BC bloodlines here, I compliment you on really doing a great job with the Marans breed. That is what is needed now more than anything else.

Thanks Don. I really appreciate that. The first couple of years it was really frustrating and hard to see what felt like so little progress, but this last year and a half has been a good boost to see them coming together. I thought about getting out of them more than once, but so glad I didn't. Egg color is another area of growth I'm hoping for. I have some really nice color in some of them, but want to see them all darker, but don't we all? haha

My plan is to close the copper flocks, the only Marans I still have open are the Birchens as they are soooo much harder to get going on them. I'm making good progress, but think they are at least a couple years behind where I'm at in the coppers.