Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Tncowgirl1903]

I am looking for a good cochin hen or 2 that likes to lay on her eggs all the time. One that's not to old but old enough to be laying and likes to lay on eggs. I know this int the breed on this thread but I thought you guys might have some?

 

[pawtraitart]

Chick question: Mossiness=brown down. When they feather in and show copper or mahogany 'chips' on their feathers all over is this something they molt out or is it an early sign of too much color in a bird? There isn't any specifically in their hackles or breast, but all over random. They haven't fully feathered so I am hoping that it means they are going molt out these colors like they do the white.

It depends on the line, but mossiness all over isn't typically ideal. A bit on the wings usually molts out. Do you have pictures?

 

[jodavis]

This is my BCM hen's first season. She laid her dark egg for a few months but then she stopped. She hasn't laid for about 2 months. She's eating well & acting normal. Does this breed not lay year round or in the summer?

 

[SIMZ]

I can only speak for my few hens. I have one hen that will lay every day or every other day for a few months, then she'll take a break. Another was a good layer but was broody most of the time, so I'd get a few weeks of good laying out of her and then a long break. The others seem to be off and on and readily stop laying for a few weeks. Mine haven't been very consistent layers.

It seems somewhat unusual for a newly laying hen to just stop for that long. Hoping someone else can help you out!

 

[Wynette]

Hello every one. I just today picked up this six month old cockerel to add to some young pullets I have. A friend had gotten some chicks from marquisella and this boy she was looking to rehome. The pullets I have hatched from some nice dark eggs but I didn't want to use a related Roo. I don't see any sprigs on his comb and his eye are a nice orange/amber. Otherwise how does he look? I've tried reading the sop but having a hard time comparing that to the birds. Sorry i couldnt get better pics but he wasn't too happy with all the moving around. Thanks for all the help.

It's alwasy tough to tell via pictures, and then to have just one to look at before providing feedback makes it even more difficult...but, from what I can see in this picture, this is a pretty nice male. Shanks appear to be the correct color, he could use a hair more shank feathering, but it would be DQ him. He does seem to have some brownish fluff near the top of his legs, but that could be the photo; it should be black. Hackle is a bit light, tail angle appears to be perfect, and there seems to be a good amount of space between his legs, which would indicated to me that he'll end up being a good-sized male. Not bad for a cull bird!

Here is my mahogany colored Black Copper Marans cockerel. He is around 5 to 5-1/2 months old. It was difficult to get photos, he would not stand still. Most of the photos were taken with flash, if they are dark, it is no flash. Looking for critique. Thanks in advance.

Gosh, I like this bird. What I don't like is the shank/foot color. It's a bit too light, and you cannot see any pink through the scales, but that can be a tough thing to capture in a photo. I personally ADORE the males with the dark burgandy hackle/saddle, although that's not what we are supposed to be breeding for. I have one, and he's just a beautiful male. The color balance is perfect in this male (hackle and saddle color are exactly the same) which is spot on. They should be very close to the same shade, like him. From what I can see, his shank feathing is optimal. Not overly feathered, not to scant. However, it does appear he has some small feathers or stubs between the middle and INSIDE toe on his left foot, which is kind of unusual with teh amount of shank feathering he has, so maybe that is just a piece of dirt or something in the photo. In the 2nd to last picture, his topline angle looks optimal, and his back is nice & long - something I really like in a Marans. Tail angle appears to be perfect. Eye color is perfect. One last bit of feedback is that I see he's getting white at the base of his tail feahters; he'll end up with a few solid white tail feathers I suspect. This is something I'm working to breed out of my own flock, but it usually doesn't show up until they are 1 1/2 to 2 yrs. old in my flock, which makes it frustrating to deal with. Also, I have attended many shows in the last couple of years, and almost every MATURE male that I see at shows in Black Copper AND Blue Copper has these white tail feathers. I am beginning to suspect that it's just par for the course in our breed. (I also see it in other black-based breeds with color added, so perhaps it's just a "thing" with this coloring.) I recently put my dark male (he's not as nice as this male) in with a mossy hen that lays a very dark egg; I'm hoping that her mossiness coupled with his darkness will give me perfectly colored offspring.

Hello everyone, I'm back with some more pictures of my rooster. I hope these shots will make it easier to share your opinion. Thank you, Dana

Well.............unfortunately, this male should most definitely not be used for breeding. He has much too much color in his breast, and his tail is too upright. It should be held at a 45 degree angle. Those things, coupled with his shanks/feet being too light, IMO, are really too many things you'd have to correct to make it worth keeping him. However, he's a nice looking male chicken, regardless. Sorry, though. This is just my opinion, and I am not an expert.

This is my BCM hen's first season. She laid her dark egg for a few months but then she stopped. She hasn't laid for about 2 months. She's eating well & acting normal. Does this breed not lay year round or in the summer?

Mine do not lay in the winter; some folks say they think Marans are not good layers, and I definitely would NOT say that - my line is the first to start up in January and the last to stop in the early winter, only taking a couple of months off. It's been a really odd year, maybe she's just taking a bit of a break. I've noticed that several birds' offspring that I should be able to count on laying consistently are just not doing so this year. So long and she's eating well, drinking well, and acting normally otherwise, it's not likely anything to worry about. Make sure she has enough protein in her feed (most folks typically feed higher protein than a "layer type" feed has in it - I personally feed up to around 22% protein), free-choice oyster shell, range time if possible, that's the basics, and if you've got them covered, anything else is just "tweaking." Hope she starts back up for you soon!

 

[NJchixs]

Thank you Wynette for the feedback. A lot of the shank feathering is broken off (a little bleeding also) I'm thinking it was the chasing through the woods to catch him the day I got him. I will look more closely at the feathering color on the thighs.

 

[my4ladies]

Quote:
I'm one of these people

I was hoping someone can help me out. If I could have roosters I'd be setting up pens left and right to play around with egg colors for my own personal hobby and enjoyment...but I can't...yet.

So...........
Is anyone currently using their SUPER DUPER dark laying line of Maran rooster to cover their blue egg-layer? Please PM me and let me know what breed the hen is. I'd love to live vicariously through you and reap your benefits

 

[DMRippy]

...there's not a thing wrong with folks just wanting some pretty birds that lay a gorgeous egg - let's remember that, and not jump all over peeps who just want to learn about this breed

I'm one of these people

I was hoping someone can help me out. If I could have roosters I'd be setting up pens left and right to play around with egg colors for my own personal hobby and enjoyment...but I can't...yet. So........... Is anyone currently using their SUPER DUPER dark laying line of Maran rooster to cover their blue egg-layer? Please PM me and let me know what breed the hen is. I'd love to live vicariously through you and reap your benefits

Try the olive eggers thread. you might have better luck there.

 

[mommachick1]

I'm one of these people

I was hoping someone can help me out. If I could have roosters I'd be setting up pens left and right to play around with egg colors for my own personal hobby and enjoyment...but I can't...yet.

So...........
Is anyone currently using their SUPER DUPER dark laying line of Maran rooster to cover their blue egg-layer? Please PM me and let me know what breed the hen is. I'd love to live vicariously through you and reap your benefits

I use my Ameraucanas with the Marans Roo to create an Olive Egger. Hope this helps, Theresa/Sunnydale Farm

 

[my4ladies]

Try the olive eggers thread. you might have better luck there.

Good idea...Thanks!

I use my Ameraucanas with the Marans Roo to create an Olive Egger. Hope this helps, Theresa/Sunnydale Farm

I just re-read my post and realized that I didn't actually mention that I wanted to buy the eggs that other people are creating.