Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[momochix]

I don't know what went on before--but if this is about Marans--I'm your girl. I have ten and I love them. They lay big beautiful dark eggs, are pretty pleasant and I've never had one go broody. They get more mellow the older they get. My granddaughters, ages 15 mos and almost three, "help" me gather eggs and these hens are very tolerant of the kids. I have several other breeds, all brown or blue egg layers, and my French ladies get along well with everyone.

 

[Wynette]

Wynette, are you going to the Alma show coming up ?

Is that the MI Poultry Fanciers' spring show? If so, nope. It's typically pretty much a youth show (it's in conjuction with the MI State 4-H show).

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.

Breeding chickens is a bit different than breeding dogs. You can look at a dog as an individual in a breeding program; not that you can't do the same with poultry, but most of the folks breeding thousands of birds each year will not sit & go through each individual bird in their flock with you. Many won't even tell you what they're working on, so you take some chances. From what I was told, these birds would have crossed nicely with my line. The thing is, you can't know what will hatch from an egg. Even if the breeder sees "X" and "Y" and "Z" in his flock, that doens't mean the eggs will all hatch having XYZ issues. I have seen this breeder's birds (several) in person, at shows, firsthand. So, in my view, it was a good decision getting hatching eggs from them, am though I am disappointed in the result, as I said, I'm not sorry that I tried.

Does anyone have any contact info for Bev Davis?

[email protected]

 

[Wynette]

Hey, Don - I've requested permission to have an egg show at the Fall Fowl Fest show in Birch Run - there haven't been very many Marans shown the last few years, so I'm hopeful having a table of nice looking eggs will get some interest in our wonderful breed. Barb's coming across the border to help with the egg show table - get it on your calendar now so I can finally meet you!

 

[dajen]

[email protected]
[/quote]

Thank you!

 

[BOATMAN]

Your right and I am one of them. I love the few birds I have for a hobby and for the wonderful eggs they provide. I do not want to breed my birds for show. I have several varites of chickens and have had chickens for fifty years. I do love to go to the fair every year and look at all the different type chickens.

frj

 

[chickenchit]

Can anyone tell me how to post pics on this sitr?

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I grew up in a poultry breeding and showing family and so it all started when I was very little. My dad taught me most everything I know, well along with his goofy friends at the poultry shows and clerking for judges, so nearly all my life I've been around it. The Marans are ones that I've been working on for a bit over 4 years now.
I agree sometimes it is nice when a decisionn is made for me like that, but then there has also been regret when I didn't take an opportunity I wish I would have. Passed on some amazing birds over the years that I would have loved to have now

Nice. My family are not that enthusiastic about them.lol.
But they do enjoy watching them and feeding them when I'm not home.

Yeah, I always regret selling birds and I think that will increase when I get into breeding.

Do you make money from selling quality birds?

 

[gilavina]

Nice. My family are not that enthusiastic about them.lol.
But they do enjoy watching them and feeding them when I'm not home.

Yeah, I always regret selling birds and I think that will increase when I get into breeding.

Do you make money from selling quality birds?

Not everyone in my family was enthusiastic about them, but I caught the bug, suppose its cause I was so active in the club and shows. I rarely regret selling a bird, most of the time I regret not buying one when I have the chance. I can talk myself out of it too easily it seems. Then a few weeks later I get so annoyed at myself for not getting them while I had the chance.

I do make some money from selling quality birds, but am not actively selling, only locally and as I have surplus to be able to. Much to the chagrin of others I'm sure, but like I tell everyone, I want to do the work necessary on them without the pressure of sales, shipping, gov't programs and etc necessary to ship and etc. I want to do right by the birds and give them as much of my time I can inbetween all the other interests and things I do. Maybe down the road a ways I'll do more, but for now, I'm ok with where I'm at.

 

[gilavina]

Evening Donna, I'll be candling here ina few ays. I'm really hoping for good news from all the eggs. I also need to get the chickers out of the house while it is warm enough, they are driving me nuts. They are quite to little escape artists!

 

[DMRippy]

Evening Donna, I'll be candling here ina few ays. I'm really hoping for good news from all the eggs. I also need to get the chickers out of the house while it is warm enough, they are driving me nuts. They are quite to little escape artists!

I was hoping to candle today too, but time got away from me. I can't wait to hear a report!

I need to move some chicks. Sales have been really slow. Someone replied to an ad today and I made her a deal she could not refuse if she too all my olive eggers LOL. I had several people as for them and then when I had chicks POOF they were gone! Oh well.

I should have some chicks coming this week. Some Partridge and Silver Penciled Rocks and some Ams too. Kinda excited.... but I don't have any room for more chicks