Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[ladycat]

I know this info is in the thread somewhere but I can't find it... so I apologize and ask anyway.
I had a nice little flock of French white Marans. I went out one day this winter and the roo was dead. No signs of distress but gone. All the eggs that I gathered to incubate were infertile. I would like to replace him but have been reading the APA site and they recommend breeding whites to a dark bird to brighten the white and darken the eggs. Is that standard procedure or something that is done occasionally? Would it be the correct way to go for me at this point? I'm not thinking of showing but do not believe in breeding junk. It only hurts the breed if the backyard flocks are just Indiscriminately bred. IMO. Part 2... if I should go dark, would a Blue Copper qualify or would I need something darker? Part 3... any suggestions on where to locate a nice young cockerel?

I'm just a newbie myself, but I'm learning a little.

What I do know is that you don't cross them with anything that has the gold factor. That means no black or blue coppers. The gold will make them turn yellowish when they grow up.

They need to be crossed with silver factor birds or solid blacks.

Solid blacks are hard to come by (I have some solid black chicks from April Howington- yay!). So if you don't have solid blacks, maybe try regular cuckoo (not gold cuckoo).

 

[blackbirds13]

I know the photo is a bit blurry but forgot to change out the lens. I am going to rehome my BCM rooster to a friend who wants to make Sex-linked EEs but can anyone tell me why the breast feathers are coming in with white tips? I have 2 older ones and both have this issue. I have some blues (splash male with same female) and this is not an issue.

 

[tbmorgan]

Blackbirds, I'll be interested to see the answers to your question, as I also have a little 6 week old BC pullet with those white tips on her breast feathers and I have no idea what that's about.
I have just about come to the conclusion that I have the weirdest bunch of Marans chicks on the planet. Good thing for them I love them so much, as they are such a motley assortment of colors! I'm in it for the dark brown eggs, for myself and my family and friends, so they can be whatever color they want. I'm just very interested in the genetics behind it all.
Katja

 

[Ali Gator]

That is a cute picture!

 

[Ali Gator]

Actually a search shows there is: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/739183/blue-laced-red-ameraucanas-northeaster I guess I'll find out what I have when they get older. They are cute! Lucky I wanted these just for eggs and not breed. I'll sell the roos and if they are cute they may get a shot at getting a flock of their own somewhere! Oh, he was nice but slow. It may be these are mixes. I did get some pures from him, too. Including this cutie:

Cute picture!

 

[DMRippy]

I know the photo is a bit blurry but forgot to change out the lens. I am going to rehome my BCM rooster to a friend who wants to make Sex-linked EEs but can anyone tell me why the breast feathers are coming in with white tips? I have 2 older ones and both have this issue. I have some blues (splash male with same female) and this is not an issue.

Blackbirds, I'll be interested to see the answers to your question, as I also have a little 6 week old BC pullet with those white tips on her breast feathers and I have no idea what that's about.
I have just about come to the conclusion that I have the weirdest bunch of Marans chicks on the planet. Good thing for them I love them so much, as they are such a motley assortment of colors! I'm in it for the dark brown eggs, for myself and my family and friends, so they can be whatever color they want. I'm just very interested in the genetics behind it all.
Katja

It looks Mottled. Makes me think you two might have gotten birds from the same source. I have never seen that before on Marans. I would then think they are not pure and were mixed with something at one point.

 

[tbmorgan]

Blackbird is in New Hampshire, and I'm in Alabama and I got my eggs from a man who lives 10 minutes away from me, so unless he shipped eggs up to Blackbird, it's not possible that we have the same stock. I'm going to take a pic of my little pullet tomorrow (it's pitch black outside and they're all in their baby pile sleeping in their coop) so you can see what my girl looks like. She's darker than Blackbird's baby...she's mostly black, but has white tips on some of her chest feathers and partway down her sides as well. Very strange....pretty, but strange! Again, I think I got the weirdest Marans on earth. Lucky me.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

It looks Mottled. Makes me think you two might have gotten birds from the same source. I have never seen that before on Marans. I would then think they are not pure and were mixed with something at one point.

I have not seen this either on pure Marans.

 

[DMRippy]

If you both have chick pictures I would like to see them. Mottled chicks have distinct down at hatch. Kinda like this guy. They are white on the sides and a black strip down their back. Really cute though. I have a few they are new to me.

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

If you both have chick pictures I would like to see them. Mottled chicks have distinct down at hatch. Kinda like this guy. They are white on the sides and a black strip down their back. Really cute though. I have a few they are new to me.

Mottled Marans?