Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[cluckcluckluke]

Haha, to me, the layer flock is the place where I can shut off the critical eye and just enjoy the beauty. Usually my favorite culls from my breeding program will make it there.
Have you looked at the different Marans sites? The US one, Australian and French ones. They all have quite a bit of info and show examples of birds.

Nice. Well I plan on forming my own critical eye!

I will look at them when I get back. I am just waiting for a reply from the MCA.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Last fall, I got hatching eggs from someone who was tearing it up at the shows - I was SO excited about the birds, but unfortunately, I am unable to use any of the birds in my breeding program. Their egg isn't even up to par with where my line is, so they are in my layer pen. Sigh. These things happen, though, and I'm sure not sorry that I took the chance.

I think that is a mistake I saw a lot of breeders in the dog show world do. If you are going to another breeder, you should be going to get something specific that your stock lacks. When you raise them up, you may find they do not have the qualities that are strong in your own stock, so you may want to cull them, which I think is a mistake. If you go outside, you go for a purpose. When that chick/dog doesn't have what you have in abundance in your own stock but has the quality you are looking for, you breed back into your stock to fix the fault the new line brought in. That way you keep what you have and add the new qualities some other breeder has. It's a form of kennel blindness I saw in dog breeders, an intolerance for certain faults that are not in their own lines, but a tolerance for the faults of their own dogs. They would then breed to a dog that had the qualities their stock lacked, but also brought in the faults of that other line, which many breeders couldn't live with. A friend of mine who is a genius at breeding dogs explained it to me. I swear he could start with a pair of Great Danes and end up with championship miniature Dachshunds within 20 years if he wanted to, he was that good.

 

[gilavina]

I think that is a mistake I saw a lot of breeders in the dog show world do. If you are going to another breeder, you should be going to get something specific that your stock lacks. When you raise them up, you may find they do not have the qualities that are strong in your own stock, so you may want to cull them, which I think is a mistake. If you go outside, you go for a purpose. When that chick/dog doesn't have what you have in abundance in your own stock but has the quality you are looking for, you breed back into your stock to fix the fault the new line brought in. That way you keep what you have and add the new qualities some other breeder has. It's a form of kennel blindness I saw in dog breeders, an intolerance for certain faults that are not in their own lines, but a tolerance for the faults of their own dogs. They would then breed to a dog that had the qualities their stock lacked, but also brought in the faults of that other line, which many breeders couldn't live with. A friend of mine who is a genius at breeding dogs explained it to me. I swear he could start with a pair of Great Danes and end up with championship miniature Dachshunds within 20 years if he wanted to, he was that good.

Indeed it is the same with poultry and how I was raised to breed birds. It takes practice and patience to work on balancing stock when merging birds with different traits than the ones already in someone's flock, but has worked very well for me and think it shows in the work that's been done with merging the different sources of birds I started with, or at least I hope its evident. haha

 

[DMRippy]

Vicki, I will try to put those pics of the chicks with the white on the face to make sure I understand what you guys are looking for.... I think like the blue ones posted today.

I did notice on those chicks (I have not looked for it on mine but might be there) the white on the legs. I know I don't usually worry about that but wanted to ask if that is something you look for too. I know you look for JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WHITE on the face but do you look anywhere else?

 

[gilavina]

Vicki, I will try to put those pics of the chicks with the white on the face to make sure I understand what you guys are looking for.... I think like the blue ones posted today.

I did notice on those chicks (I have not looked for it on mine but might be there) the white on the legs. I know I don't usually worry about that but wanted to ask if that is something you look for too. I know you look for JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WHITE on the face but do you look anywhere else?

I just tend to look at the face and chest area mostly.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:

 

[DMRippy]

Moved my little birchen roos to a bigger pen today. The one with more color is kinda cream colored but just a tiny bit. Not worried about it.... yet. I will try to get some better pics now they are in a better pen. I can get pics from the TOP now. I have a little cuckoo pullet I was moving today and he has a TON of feathers on her legs... looks like she has boots on

She has that birchen look too her. Going to try to move some Roos around tomorrow.... well maybe next week since it is going to RAIN most of the day. I will just have to clean brooders and move babies instead

 

[gilavina]

Moved my little birchen roos to a bigger pen today. The one with more color is kinda cream colored but just a tiny bit. Not worried about it.... yet. I will try to get some better pics now they are in a better pen. I can get pics from the TOP now. I have a little cuckoo pullet I was moving today and he has a TON of feathers on her legs... looks like she has boots on

She has that birchen look too her. Going to try to move some Roos around tomorrow.... well maybe next week since it is going to RAIN most of the day. I will just have to clean brooders and move babies instead

yipee! Looking forward to some pics. I planted in the garden all day, didn't even get the chance to sort through the chicks like I had wanted to. Maybe after I get back from the poultry show tomorrow I'll be able to do some if its not too late

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I cleaned all but one quarantine pen. Moved some of them out to pens today. So that left me a bigger brooder for some babies that are BUSTING at the seems. I tagged a few odd pullets to sell. Found a couple I was not sure I had LOL. Need to move some roos somewhere

they are backups so not for dinner. I really need a roo pen. Maybe 3 for age differences.

Hoping to go next week and get some free boxes and start building SOMETHING. We finally have a trailer so we can get LOTS of boxes if they have them. Still working on how to use them.

I don't think we will have a garden this year.... again.

 

[gilavina]

I cleaned all but one quarantine pen. Moved some of them out to pens today. So that left me a bigger brooder for some babies that are BUSTING at the seems. I tagged a few odd pullets to sell. Found a couple I was not sure I had LOL. Need to move some roos somewhere

they are backups so not for dinner. I really need a roo pen. Maybe 3 for age differences.

Hoping to go next week and get some free boxes and start building SOMETHING. We finally have a trailer so we can get LOTS of boxes if they have them. Still working on how to use them.

I don't think we will have a garden this year.... again.

sounds like you will have your hands plenty full as it is!