Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[PsycoPeep]

I picked up my 1st Marans Sat. at a swap. 2 black copper, 1 blue copper, 1 splash, straight run. I also picked up 4 Amerecaunas that are about a yr old and already laying and am hoping to find a Marans rooster to breed them to so I can get olive egger babies out of them. It's really hard finding people willing to sell adult birds, everything's a baby chick adn then I have to wait until some time mid-late fall to even start getting eggs in the first place, and then another 6-8 mos after that before those ones start laying. Sheesh! Long process! LOL!

 

[lovingchicks]

A couple of olive egger projects, Crossed with My Splash Maran Roo and An EE Hen

Once I get a few going, I'm going to set a BCM roo on them to make the olive eggs darker, so excited

I am so jealous!! I have a BCM roo and EE hens too... I can't wait to do this! But they are still babies yet so I have to wait a while.........

 

[chickendeal]

Well my final of 3 batches are hatching.... I had 3 going back to back one week apart.  All Bcms but not a large number in each.     I am loving the new incubator.. i am getting almost 100% hatches now.    before i was getting about 40% on a good day!!     Just waiting for the last two to hatch before i open it.. 

they are pipped already..   what kind of incubator did you get? Im looking and reading reviews before I buy one

 

 

[chickendeal]

I picked up my 1st Marans Sat. at a swap. 2 black copper, 1 blue copper, 1 splash, straight run. I also picked up 4 Amerecaunas that are about a yr old and already laying and am hoping to find a Marans rooster to breed them to so I can get olive egger babies out of them. It's really hard finding people willing to sell adult birds, everything's a baby chick adn then I have to wait until some time mid-late fall to even start getting eggs in the first place, and then another 6-8 mos after that before those ones start laying. Sheesh! Long process! LOL!

I have some adult roos that are extras if your close to me I would be willing to hook you up with a black or blue or splash copper roo I have extras of all 3

 

[pinkchick]

I picked up my 1st Marans Sat. at a swap. 2 black copper, 1 blue copper, 1 splash, straight run. I also picked up 4 Amerecaunas that are about a yr old and already laying and am hoping to find a Marans rooster to breed them to so I can get olive egger babies out of them. It's really hard finding people willing to sell adult birds, everything's a baby chick adn then I have to wait until some time mid-late fall to even start getting eggs in the first place, and then another 6-8 mos after that before those ones start laying. Sheesh! Long process! LOL!

Congratulations on your new birds!

I can't speak for all Marans breeders, but I can speak from my own experience and why adult birds, mostly females, are so hard to get from time to time. For me, there are a couple reasons it's particularly hard to let the pullets go. Until I see what they produce by way of egg color (after all we are talking Marans here and egg color is one of the most important characteristics of the Marans that makes them special) I like to watch how they grow out and mature. This several months gives me time to study them and make notes of which one/s have the best qualities that would help in my next generational breedings.
This time also gives me an opportunity to cull for faults or things that I dislike that I do not want to breed forward in my program. After they begin laying and eggs are suitable for hatching, I like to do some test matings of birds that I have my eye on to see what they might produce, sometimes this can be time consuming, waiting time for cleaning out the hens from rooster to rooster, waiting for the girls to get over being disgruntled about a new rooster in their pen and start laying again. Some hens can be finicky about small changes in their coops and routines and take a short break from laying, once they feel things are settled they resume.

That said....it may take a up to a year or more before I will sell any adults birds that I have, infact, the majority of the time the average ages of adult females that I sell are 1.5 years to 2 years old after I have gotten to know them and ran a couple batches of their eggs in the 'bator and grown out a few of their kiddos. If after that time I do not like what they produce I will sell them as a layer.

Now.....notice I didn't even talk about what it would cost to raise a whole bunch of birds to adults just to sell them.......you just can't sell them for what it takes to feed and care for them until adulthood......this, IMHO, is why we see more chicks and or hatching eggs available on the Marans market vs. a mature bird.

Roosters are another story......

 

[Runawaylobster]

I got a GQF sportsman. with the water tray only it runs at about 35% RH(incubation), with both sponges i get about 64% RH (lockdown and hatch). Basically I turn it on and walk away, refilling once every 24 hours. Before this I had an LG, that even when babied had a mind of its own.

 

[pinkchick]

I have a question about the Marans. I am back on here after a brief time away. Still did not get chicks, but someone in my area has Marans. I have not researched the breed as it was never recommended to me as a good fit. I am looking for chickens that will do well in confinement, very cold temperatures, and hot in summers, quiet, and able to handle as we have children and neighborhood kids! They have to stay in a coop, and as much as I am loving the look of the roosters, I am not allowed to have them where I live. Can someone please give me a little info on this breed? thanks

Marans pullets and hens will be great for all of the above, though some of them can be talkers or egg song singers, but IMO, they are not any louder or more talkative then other breeds.

As for handling...be sure to get them as young as you can and handle them quite often when young and while they grow this will make it easier for maintenance and treating injuries and things. Take the time to teach children proper techniques with them, such as how to hold them and to pick them up. Also set limitations and boundaries for young children with supervison as you would with any livestock or animal.

 

[PsycoPeep]

Quote:

Thanks for the offer, but I'm in central Wisconsin.

 

[PsycoPeep]

PinkChick, I can understand all that. Makes perfect sense. But at some point, there should still be a few here and there. Especially if I'm looking for a roo, which I am. At any rate, it's not a rush, Just would like to start playing around a bit and am excited being a newbie and all. Ya know?

 

[desertmarcy]

Hi all, I just put up a 1/2 off 1 day sale on some just hatched Black Copper Marans out of my Black Copper to Blue Copper matings if anybody is interested in these.