Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Zanna]

I am hoping someone can help me a little. I bought some copper marans chicks from a lady here my area. I am new to raising chickens and after doing some reading decided I wanted marans. I ended up with three copper and a blue. They just started laying about two weeks ago. However the eggs are not the chocolate color I was expecting. They are a more light olive color. Is this normal when they start laying. Will the color change as they lay more or did I end up with a mix breed?

Sorry, you got some mixed breeds. The olive egg layer may be 1/2 BCM, 1/2 Ameraucauna a desireable cross but a mix/mutt nonethless. Pics of the layers?

 

[LeMec]

These are the layers and my rooster. I think only one or two have started laying.

 

[cmitchell]

 

[cmitchell]

Some of my BCM have hatched with feathered shanks, some with smooth shanks. Has anyone else had that happen?

 

[desertmarcy]

Some of my BCM have hatched with feathered shanks, some with smooth shanks. Has anyone else had that happen?

That will happen from time to time. Best thing is to cull the smoothed shank chicks if you are breeding to the SOP. This year, I single mated my Black Copper Marans. I had one hen that was throwing 25-30% clean legged chicks. I pulled her from the breeding program. If I had not been able to identify eggs from individual hens and had them all in one big pen, I might have thought it was random throughout the flock when in fact it was just one hen. Someone else can chime in about how the genetics of the feathered shanks and toes work. Both parents had good feathering, so must be a recessive gene in there.

 

[DMRippy]

Donna~ Congrats on your Birchens....and TOOOO cool about the Blues!!!!! YAY!

Pretty sure there are 2 blues. I hope they are mostly pullets since o have the 2 older roos.

 

[cmitchell]

That will happen from time to time. Best thing is to cull the smoothed shank chicks if you are breeding to the SOP. This year, I single mated my Black Copper Marans. I had one hen that was throwing 25-30% clean legged chicks. I pulled her from the breeding program. If I had not been able to identify eggs from individual hens and had them all in one big pen, I might have thought it was random throughout the flock when in fact it was just one hen. Someone else can chime in about how the genetics of the feathered shanks and toes work. Both parents had good feathering, so must be a recessive gene in there.

Is it possible for one hen to throw both feathered and smooth shanks? The chicks were hatched from eggs I purchased so I don't know how many hens were in the breeding pen. I want to breed to the FBCM SOP.

 

[cmitchell]

That will happen from time to time. Best thing is to cull the smoothed shank chicks if you are breeding to the SOP. This year, I single mated my Black Copper Marans. I had one hen that was throwing 25-30% clean legged chicks. I pulled her from the breeding program. If I had not been able to identify eggs from individual hens and had them all in one big pen, I might have thought it was random throughout the flock when in fact it was just one hen. Someone else can chime in about how the genetics of the feathered shanks and toes work. Both parents had good feathering, so must be a recessive gene in there.

Is it possible for one hen to throw both feathered and smooth shanks? The chicks were hatched from eggs I purchased so I don't know how many hens were in the breeding pen. I want to breed to the FBCM SOP.

 

[cmitchell]

Ooops! Sorry for the double post..darn mouse!

 

[DMRippy]

That will happen from time to time. Best thing is to cull the smoothed shank chicks if you are breeding to the SOP. This year, I single mated my Black Copper Marans. I had one hen that was throwing 25-30% clean legged chicks. I pulled her from the breeding program. If I had not been able to identify eggs from individual hens and had them all in one big pen, I might have thought it was random throughout the flock when in fact it was just one hen. Someone else can chime in about how the genetics of the feathered shanks and toes work. Both parents had good feathering, so must be a recessive gene in there.

Is it possible for one hen to throw both feathered and smooth shanks? The chicks were hatched from eggs I purchased so I don't know how many hens were in the breeding pen. I want to breed to the FBCM SOP.
 

There are 3 sets of genes that make feathered legs.....so YES birds with feathered shanks can throw clean shanked chicks.