Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Have you bred these birds back and verified that their egg color can't be recovered in their offspring? If they hatched out of dark eggs but are laying light, then it's possible that egg color was lost by breeding two different lines together. If you breed the best back to each other then the correct egg color genes will line back up if it's there. Just a thought.

Hi Pawtraitart! Thank you for your post. No I have not bred these birds back. I have a hard time grasping that a bird that lays eggs like this...........

possesses the dark egg gene. As to date she has given me 12 eggs, they have all been this color. Another one of the pullets from that same hatch gave me eggs the same, but I she was culled for a sprig. The eggs they hatched from were considered Marans eggs by barely making the color chart at a low 4, I expected atleast something similar.

 

[pinkchick]

Morning Vicki!

That's very EGG-CITING!!!!!! I am holding out very positive thoughts for your eggs and that you have excellent hatches.

 

[gilavina]

Hi Pawtraitart! Thank you for your post. No I have not bred these birds back. I have a hard time grasping that a bird that lays eggs like this...........

possesses the dark egg gene. As to date she has given me 12 eggs, they have all been this color. Another one of the pullets from that same hatch gave me eggs the same, but I she was culled for a sprig.

The eggs they hatched from were considered Marans eggs by barely making the color chart at a low 4, I expected atleast something similar.

yikes...

 

[pinkchick]

Pink if what you have "up your sleeve" has anything to do with Solid Black please keep me in mind I still have not found any. Meh.

You got it!

 

[gilavina]

Morning Vicki!

That's very EGG-CITING!!!!!! I am holding out very positive thoughts for your eggs and that you have excellent hatches.

thanks lady! I'll have to get the incubator stuff set up hopefully this weekend. Still kind of deciding which will get the larger hatching rights for this season as I always pick on variety or breed that becomes my main focus.

 

[pinkchick]

yikes...

Exactly, I just don't think that I have any room to work with these birds and increasing egg color. Too bad because they really are nice to look at. I entertained thoughts of crossing the male to my BLRWxBarnie to see what his egg genes are like but with all 3 pullets from the same hatch laying like this, I wouldn't hold out much hope for his genes. Would you?

 

[gilavina]

Exactly, I just don't think that I have any room to work with these birds and increasing egg color. Too bad because they really are nice to look at. I entertained thoughts of crossing the male to my BLRWxBarnie to see what his egg genes are like but with all 3 pullets from the same hatch laying like this, I wouldn't hold out much hope for his genes. Would you?

I wouldn't think they would be much better than what these eggs you are getting to be honest. I both love and hate the dark egg gene stuff. Its definitely a challenge.

 

[DMRippy]

Well, today is the first official day of collecting eggs to put in the incubator. I'm getting excited! I think this is the latest I've started hatching in years!

 

[pawtraitart]

Hi Pawtraitart! Thank you for your post. No I have not bred these birds back. I have a hard time grasping that a bird that lays eggs like this...........

possesses the dark egg gene. As to date she has given me 12 eggs, they have all been this color. Another one of the pullets from that same hatch gave me eggs the same, but I she was culled for a sprig.

The eggs they hatched from were considered Marans eggs by barely making the color chart at a low 4, I expected atleast something similar.

Oh wow, that's weird. I don't see any evidence of a paint jet with these eggs. Very discouraging. At least you have other varieties to work with if you don't keep these.

 

[snowbird]

Vicki, Kim, and all. Finally filled up the Sportsman today so will have a few chicks in three weeks I hope. The fertility will be a little lower with the low temps. we have had,