Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[lawatt]

very excited to get my first pullet egg from my birchen marans girl -- so beautiful!

(pictured with a white egg from a silver campine & tan from a SFH, just for comparison)

and a question about birchen genetics -- if a birchen marans is crossed with a solid black, what might the result(s) be?

 

[gilavina]

If they're going to get it, I begin to notice it at about the 16-18 week mark. It's not a molt issue; it's a color issue. Unfortunately, most of the black copper and blue copper out there have it. I know that Don believes this can be culled out; I am hopeful that he's right. It's not a fault, nor a DQ; however, I've asked 4 judges about this directly, and all 4 replied that they view this is a "problem" that will become worse in the future if not corrected now.

I don't know what your situation is, but many folks run all their large fowl together in a very large enclosure (like a barn). I don't have a situation that I can do that in, I have individual pens for mine, but I sure wish I DID have a large barn I could utilize to run them all together for the winter. The friends I have that do this do not have issues with cock birds fighting, and all of them say they sort of keep within their own groups, pretty much, within the enclosure.

I wish I had the flexibility of a large barn, but alas I am working with a small old barn that I've already converted two south facing stalls to 4 decent size pens for small flocks. I've got a lot of outside pens I usually use most of the year and then only use the two biggest ones with hog huts that I close the birds in at night. I just have a feeling the winter is going to be rough, so am working on getting all the birds in the barn for the winter without having to use any outside pens except for the goats of course. I have a kidding room we don't use anymore since the does get too restless being separated from the herd. I did some measuring and in that room I believe I can build 9 breeding pens that are stacked three high with enough room for pairs and trios to be comfortable. This would house some of those that I only have very small numbers of, so that I can free up and use the 4 pens in the main stalls to run the coppers and birchens together, then separate once I get closer to spring. All I know, is that I have a lot of work to do and sorting to figure out.

 

[gilavina]

On the white in the BCM and Blue coppers, I have for the large part been able to weed it out showing up, other than an occasional white feather on the leg/toe, but those molt out quick. I also find that the white on the leg does not have a correlation to white anywhere else on the body. I did go ahead and cull one of the males with the white in the hackle and kept back one to see how he does. Mostly morbid curiosity I believe. I have been absolutely ruthless with culling for white in both the coppers and birchens, and it is becoming more and more rare for me to get white on them, so believe Don is correct in his belief that it can be bred out.

 

[gilavina]

very excited to get my first pullet egg from my birchen marans girl -- so beautiful!

(pictured with a white egg from a silver campine & tan from a SFH, just for comparison)

and a question about birchen genetics -- if a birchen marans is crossed with a solid black, what might the result(s) be?

Lovely! Its such a rewarding feeling to get good colored eggs from birchens. Would love to see some photos of your stock!

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Wynette, I believe the post in question from Walt was posted when some from the Marans club wanted the SOP changed to allow the white in Wing and Tail, to me this would only be dumbing down the SOP to please a few that do not want to do the work required.

 

[Zanna]

On the white in the BCM and Blue coppers, I have for the large part been able to weed it out showing up, other than an occasional white feather on the leg/toe, but those molt out quick. I also find that the white on the leg does not have a correlation to white anywhere else on the body. I did go ahead and cull one of the males with the white in the hackle and kept back one to see how he does. Mostly morbid curiosity I believe. I have been absolutely ruthless with culling for white in both the coppers and birchens, and it is becoming more and more rare for me to get white on them, so believe Don is correct in his belief that it can be bred out.

Interesting that you have found white on the leg does not correlate to the rest of the body............ I culled lots of nice pullets/cockerals this year for white on the toe feathers. Still have lots of nice ones left though or I probably would have taken the chance on a few just because Really good to know! Thanks Gilaviana!!!

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Interesting that you have found white on the leg does not correlate to the rest of the body............ I culled lots of nice pullets/cockerals this year for white on the toe feathers. Still have lots of nice ones left though or I probably would have taken the chance on a few just because Really good to know! Thanks Gilaviana!!!

One of those incredibly lovely pullets is not going ANYWHERE, Zanna...white toe feather or not. She's GORGEOUS with such lovely type! She could molt it away also.

 

[lawatt]

Lovely! Its such a rewarding feeling to get good colored eggs from birchens. Would love to see some photos of your stock!

ask and ye shall receive! here are the older pair, they are 24 weeks old, and hatched from eggs I got from Thistledown Farms in Davis, CA -- but their website doesn't list marans any more, not sure why not:

maria -- she's the one who laid the new pullet egg above

jack -- his silvery feathers have come in verrrrry sllllowwlllyyyy, and look like they still have a ways to go, particularly in the saddle -- but he's easy-going and HUGE, I'm quite fond of him!

and the younger one, she's 12 weeks -- hatched from eggs from April Howington at H&H Poultry in Texas:

gertrude

and just for the heck of it:

this is gertrude's hatch-mate clemantine, who also came from April's eggs -- she'd warned me they might be a bit jumbled, and clemantine is all black except for a faint ring of orangey-copper around her neck.

I also have two week-old chicks hatched from another batch of April's eggs -- one is all black, the other is a duckwing... will be interested to watch them grow up!

 

[gilavina]

ask and ye shall receive! here are the older pair, they are 24 weeks old, and hatched from eggs I got from Thistledown Farms in Davis, CA -- but their website doesn't list marans any more, not sure why not:

maria -- she's the one who laid the new pullet egg above

jack -- his silvery feathers have come in verrrrry sllllowwlllyyyy, and look like they still have a ways to go, particularly in the saddle -- but he's easy-going and HUGE, I'm quite fond of him!

and the younger one, she's 12 weeks -- hatched from eggs from April Howington at H&H Poultry in Texas:

gertrude

and just for the heck of it:

this is gertrude's hatch-mate clemantine, who also came from April's eggs -- she'd warned me they might be a bit jumbled, and clemantine is all black except for a faint ring of orangey-copper around her neck.

I also have two week-old chicks hatched from another batch of April's eggs -- one is all black, the other is a duckwing... will be interested to watch them grow up!

were you planning on building a breeding program, or just wanted some for enjoyment?

 

[Zanna]

One of those incredibly lovely pullets is not going ANYWHERE, Zanna...white toe feather or not. She's GORGEOUS with such lovely type! She could molt it away also.

Thanks, does my heart good