Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[sssharon]

I am with both of you. Auroradream and estamets. As long as you like the chickens who cares. I have a BCM and a Blue and one of them lays me a nice pretty brown egg practically every day. I noticed that they make a big deal of it if the Blues don't have a certain amount of copper on them. Mine has hardly any and is still very pretty, I love the dark eggs and the blue color and that's good enough for me. Picky picky People! My favorites are my Red sex-links who I thought were New Hamps for the longest time until I saw they have no black tail feathers. Still love them, great personalities and great egg layers. it's to bad that when you buy chicks from people they aren't totally honest with you.

 

[ladycat]

This thread is for Marans discussions period. Not just for Breeder/show quality only.

Agree.

 

[bamadude]

I like this thread...lets all be cool...i have seen several threads get killed because serious breeders and barnyard breeders get their wires crossed. Sometimes people ask questions without really wanting to know the "correct " answer....Sometimes the people striving towards S.O.P. seem "overboard". It really is alot of work and learning for show quality. Maybe we can all be cool. Idk

 

[bamadude]

Alot of us here are here to learn from u folks

 

[RanchHens]

I'm loving reading through this thread and seeing everyone's beautiful birds.
This will be my first year breeding Marans and I was hoping that I could pick everyone's brain for information.

I apologize in advance for the poor pictures, but unfortunately I can only send pictures to myself as a small file.

I currently have one Blue Copper Maran Rooster, who I hatched from a bunch of shipped eggs I ordered off ebay, but I think I actually lucked out.





This boy, "Pretty Boy", is BIG. He is my second largest rooster, right behind my Silver Laced Sussex (12+ lbs) and, not ever having had him on the scale, I'd guess that he weighs at least 7-8lbs. His foot feathering is pretty pathetic since he's free ranged and spends all day "hoofing" it around through the mud and tall grass taking care of his girls.

He's been an amazing rooster, which is good, because as a chick/teenager I was ready to wring his neck!

My other two Marans are both Black Copper Hens, from Meyer Hatchery. Again, I know...
From what I understand, I think Hen 2 is the better hen based on her wider stance and body shape. However, she has no copper in her hackles.

This is Hen 1, who does have copper, but is a narrower, leaner bird. She's also the better and darker layer of the two.
I'm not sure her eyes look so hooded in these pictures, because I've never noticed that in person, but I had just pulled her off her broody nest so it may have been a little bit of stink-eye.





This is Hen 2, who I think is the better hen. Maybe?
Unfortunately, she's also not as willing to have her picture taken...




Below are the eggs they lay with some Wyandotte and Leghorn Eggs. Hen 1 is the darkest egg and Hen 2 is the other dark egg. The rooster himself came from a very dark egg, at least 2-3 shades darker than either of these eggs.



So what do you think of these three? Is my rooster any good? Is it worth it to breed him to these hens now for spring babies, or should I just put the project on hold until the BkCMs and SCMs I have coming in April arrive and hit POL?

 

[konachicks]

Here are my two. Tried to get close ups but my other chicks like to photobomb. Any idea on sex?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Here are my two. Tried to get close ups but my other chicks like to photobomb. Any idea on sex?

in the top picture, the one in front looks like a pullet to me and the one in the back looks like a cockerel.

 

[konachicks]

in the top picture, the one in front looks like a pullet to me and the one in the back looks like a cockerel.

That top pic, the dark black chick in the back is a Ameraucana from Meyers. Supposed to be a pullet so I sure hope it's not a roo
But the one in front is my bcm

 

[One Chick Two]

I don't know. I'm actually hoping darker. My BCM hen honestly doesn't lay very dark eggs so I'm hoping my roo carries genes for a darker egg. I'll find out this spring

. I'm actually working on a couple mixes for a pretty egg. My one hen (brahma/marans cross) lays a beautiful, dark, speckled egg. If my roo carries a dark egg color gene, maybe I can get really amazing eggs. That's all I really wanted, a gorgeous veriety of eggs.

You can test the amount of color a Marans male brings in by crossing him to a white egg layer. Then, hatch some pullets. When they grow out and lay eggs, you will know that rooster's actual contribution. This test has used in France to weed out the light egg genetics from the dark genetics, saving generations of time wasted with Marans males who carry the light egg genetics.

 

[konachicks]

Here's my attempt at some close ups. They were wanting back in the brooder so it was difficult.