Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Sessie]

In reply to my questions about using/repairing/adapting what I already had here (from before I moved in) for the black copper marans I just bought and am buying, someone said that pictures would help. I'm new to chickens in general, not just to this breed.

In my original post to this thread, I had asked several questions about the bcm rooster I bought and properly caring for and housing him. A reply was that pix of the existing coop, run & yard would help.

I'm sorry if I should have put the pix elsewhere, or not at all. I will remove them if I ought to.

Don't be offended. It's much worse on the other marans thread when they tell you to eat your chickens

Oh. Well, I did wonder why a breed-specific thread of the past had to be locked permanently. lol

I'm not offended. Actually, I'm being overly polite if anything, since I'm new here. I have been told many times in 55 years that I'm a nasty <censored>. ;-) I will admit to being very blunt. I don't lie. I just figured that I ought not show the sharp side of my tongue my first week (or month) here. rotfl

I was raised in Philadelphia and have been a New Jerseyean for 25 years: What does that tell you about my 'at-ty-tude' (PhillySpeak)?? And I'm a die-hard lifelong Broad Street Bullies fan, to boot! (I nearly chose to named my new rooster Parent. (after Bernie Parent, of course - as I clearly remember those Glory Days for the Flyers.)

Thanks.

No don't remove. I think the question was just because some of us forgot the context. Kern

OK. Should I have placed the pix elsewhere, despite it having been brought up here? Just asking, for future knowledge… some web fora prefer that, others prefer it with the original thread & in context. Thank you.

 

[hellbender]

Oh. Well, I did wonder why a breed-specific thread of the past had to be locked permanently. lol

I'm not offended. Actually, I'm being overly polite if anything, since I'm new here. I have been told many times in 55 years that I'm a nasty <censored>. ;-) I will admit to being very blunt. I don't lie. I just figured that I ought not show the sharp side of my tongue my first week (or month) here. rotfl

I was raised in Philadelphia and have been a New Jerseyean for 25 years: What does that tell you about my 'at-ty-tude' (PhillySpeak)?? And I'm a die-hard lifelong Broad Street Bullies fan, to boot! (I nearly chose to named my new rooster Parent. (after Bernie Parent, of course - as I clearly remember those Glory Days for the Flyers.)

Thanks.


OK. Should I have placed the pix elsewhere, despite it having been brought up here? Just asking, for future knowledge… some web fora prefer that, others prefer it with the original thread & in context. Thank you.

If I may interject, you might take care to holster your sharp tongue here...for now and for evermore. I know from hard experience, one can get neck deep in "poop' just for joking around, even with one you think you know. If the wrong person is cycling or in a grumpy mood, one can get into trouble, even when your intentions are friendly and your heart pure. I know from hard experience...

RON

 

[generaldsherman]

No don't remove.  I think the question was just because some of us forgot the context.  Kern

yep, missed that post. Thnx for clarifying, didn't mean to stir a rat's nest. Just curious. New to this thread.

How big are cockoo marans, and are there really bantams of them? Wondering about the chicken I posted pic of previously

 

[Sessie]

yep, missed that post. Thnx for clarifying, didn't mean to stir a rat's nest. Just curious. New to this thread.

How big are cockoo marans, and are there really bantams of them? Wondering about the chicken I posted pic of previously

That's cool, generaldsherman. Peace.

Sorry I can't help you out RE possible bandy cuckoo marans, but I am too new to be able to help you out. I know that the woman who sold me my BCM rooster, DeGaulle, on Sunday said that the littlest runty-looking black marans (no copper on him anywhere) was a bantam BCM that was a hatch brother to the other normal-sized BCM roos she was selling (and to the one I bought).

From what little I understand, I don't see how two full-sized ANY chicken breed birds can have a bantam chick? A "runt" - if that term is used in chicken breeding - maybe. A real bantam, though??? Maybe she's right, though, and my understanding of chicken genetics is faulty. I only was educated about human genetics in college, and that was decades ago; I've been retired for a very long time! I haven't got a clue if bird genetics is anything at all like human genetics. Now, if you want to know how to breed a better human (defining "better" any way you want) - I can advise you. Just don't ask me my maiden name, coz it is hilarious when taken in consideration with that last statement. And I've taken a lot of guff passed off as jocularity, for that, too. lol Good thing I've got a thick skin!

 

[generaldsherman]

That's cool, generaldsherman. Peace.

Sorry I can't help you out RE possible bandy cuckoo marans, but I am too new to be able to help you out. I know that the woman who sold me my BCM rooster, DeGaulle, on Sunday said that the littlest runty-looking black marans (no copper on him anywhere) was a bantam BCM that was a hatch brother to the other normal-sized BCM roos she was selling (and to the one I bought).

From what little I understand, I don't see how two full-sized ANY chicken breed birds can have a bantam chick? A "runt" - if that term is used in chicken breeding - maybe. A real bantam, though??? Maybe she's right, though, and my understanding of chicken genetics is faulty. I only was educated about human genetics in college, and that was decades ago; I've been retired for a very long time! I haven't got a clue if bird genetics is anything at all like human genetics. Now, if you want to know how to breed a better human (defining "better" any way you want) - I can advise you. Just don't ask me my maiden name, coz it is hilarious when taken in consideration with that last statement. And I've taken a lot of guff passed off as jocularity, for that, too. lol Good thing I've got a thick skin!

will be interesting to see her egg color, that may be the teller. She is busy being broody, and none of the eggs she had were dark brown, but maybe she wasn't sitting on her own eggs when I bought her.

 

[Jmay402]

Sometimes the female headspots on mine can look splotchy too, but my female chicks are really dark, and my males are a lighter gray with some silver or white on their backs. This group I had 100% accuracy on sexing. The females' legs will have more black than male chicks as well.



As the chicks feather, the males will feather lighter with more distinct barring. The females will be darker and have less distinct barring. In the second pic, the pullet is on the left and the cockerel is on the right.

Thank You very much! My cuckoo marans chicks looked more like your female ones. That is a big relief. I did not have a good rooster to hen ratio last year with my straight run Black Austrolorps, so I was really hoping to get more hens this year.

 

[KF0002]

Thank You very much!  My cuckoo marans chicks looked more like your female ones.  That is a big relief.  I did not have a good rooster to hen ratio last year with my straight run Black Austrolorps, so I was really hoping to get more hens this year.

Hopefully you got all pullets then! Fingers crossed! However I must tell you to not expect dark chocolate eggs from hatchery marans. They lay extremely well but usually dont lay any darker than a regular brown egg layer. A friend of mine has some from a hatchery and they outlay her production black sex-links, but they lay a plain Jane brown egg. Lovely large brown eggs, but not the deep chocolate color they were advertised to lay. Good luck with your biddies!

 

[scflock]

Hopefully you got all pullets then! Fingers crossed! However I must tell you to not expect dark chocolate eggs from hatchery marans. They lay extremely well but usually dont lay any darker than a regular brown egg layer. A friend of mine has some from a hatchery and they outlay her production black sex-links, but they lay a plain Jane brown egg. Lovely large brown eggs, but not the deep chocolate color they were advertised to lay. Good luck with your biddies!

X2

I still have the original hatchery flock of cuckoo marans that I bought thinking they laid "chocolate" eggs. I love those birds, they lay a ton of huge eggs, and the rooster is the best rooster on the farm, but their eggs look just like the eggs my hybrids lay

 

[snowbird]

I believe with the BC Marans especially the better quality Marans according to the SOP will not lay as Dark of an egg as the lower quality to SOP will. Some say the Mossy will usually lay the Darker eggs. Here we only require our Marans to lay at least a #6 to be used for breeding.

 

[scflock]

I believe with the BC Marans especially the better quality Marans according to the SOP will not lay as Dark of an egg as the lower quality to SOP will. Some say the Mossy will usually lay the Darker eggs. Here we only require our Marans to lay at least a #6 to be used for breeding.

You bring up an interesting point, Don. I have seen eggs from people that breed purely to the standard, yourself included, and those eggs weren't as dark. I know that Bev was known for trying to maintain egg color along with SOP. Is it an either/or with no middle ground, or is there a compromise for minor faults while keeping dark egg layers?