Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[cherylcohen]

Hoping some of you marans experts can help. I just got black copper marans and black birchen marans day olds from greenfire. They were not banded and I can't tell the difference. I am going to keep the black birchens but have friends that would like the BCM, can anyone help...

 

[pinkchick]

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[fowlman01]

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I think you should watch for high tails on the roo. At three months old, that tail should be showing whether it is going to tend to be too high. The new standard is setting the roos tail low - - much lower than previously breed for. . .

AM I CORRECT on this folks? ? Three months should not be too early to be looking at the tail.
Ask to see the darkness of eggs the currents hens are laying. . .That should give you some idea of the potential of the youth!

The new standard calls for 45 degrees. You can tell at 3 months

Walt

 

[Chef]

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They look very similar until they start to get their feathering. The birchen's will have silver and the black coppers will be copper.
Chef

 

[Wynette]

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They look very similar until they start to get their feathering. The birchen's will have silver and the black coppers will be copper.
Chef

Yup - that's what I told Cheryl, too. I'm not sure that you can tell until they begin to get their hackle feathers in (?)
They should have been marked.

 

[flgardengirl]

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Oh you lucky duck. I love the black birchen color

Please post pics when they start getting thier birchen coloring.

 

[cherylcohen]

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They look very similar until they start to get their feathering. The birchen's will have silver and the black coppers will be copper.
Chef

That's NOT what I wanted to hear

I'm new to this thread and are particularly fond of wheaten marans. I just set in the bator these gorgeous eggs from Beth & Dave. I'm hoping to start a breeding program with them. I really love the coloring on the birds but will need some big-time help along the way. So happy we have this thread.

Personally I've never been a big fan of the BCM ( I know start throwing tomatoes now!!) HOWEVER I am the new proud mom of 4 newly hatched Wynette babies. Pardon their dust, still fluffing out! Oh Man they are so incredibly fat and darling. Twice the size almost of what I got in the mail. These are keepers, at least the pullets will be. I got one more zipping and 2 more that haven't pipped...must be taking a coffee break

 

[cherylcohen]

Quote:
They look very similar until they start to get their feathering. The birchen's will have silver and the black coppers will be copper.
Chef

Yup - that's what I told Cheryl, too. I'm not sure that you can tell until they begin to get their hackle feathers in (?)
They should have been marked.

agreed, they should have been marked...sad for the people that had were looking forward to taking the BCMs this weekend. I have to tell them to wait

 

[cherylcohen]

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Oh you lucky duck. I love the black birchen color

Please post pics when they start getting thier birchen coloring.

I know right!!! I'm stoked..I was hoping for BLUE birchens, but I'm sure I'll be just as mesmerized with the black

 

[flgardengirl]

Those are some nice wheaten eggs! I like the wheatens too. My male wheatens are bigger than all the other kinds of marans roos I have and twice as sweet.