Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Yesterday I was able to get a couple of better (IMO) photos of my young Bl-Cpr pullets and my solid blue pullet. I thought that I would share them.

One of these gals sisters that was culled to the laying flock due to her dark eyes layed her first egg yesterday. I have noticed that the darker eyed birds that I cull do not lay a darker egg than the birds with correct eye color.......has anyone else noticed that?
It is a cute little egg with lots of dark speckles. Hopefully her sisters in the breeding pen with follow her lead and get their "egg on".

OMGosh..........

........I think I hear the 'bators callin'...............

This is my Blue. I like her conformation so I think that she will stay in the breeding pen just to see what she produces. Sorry this photo is kind of dark.

Blue Copper Pullet

The other Blue Copper Pullet

and just because I thought this was a pretty picture

I have this Bl-Cpr pullet from the same hatch, she has clean legs. She came from parent birds I no longer have but I kept her because there is something I really like about her. She doesn't have dark eyes, it's just the photo. Don't know if I want to go down the weed out the clean legged offspring road again. What do you guys think?

As some of you may know I also love Splash Copper birds and have a little project flock of those on the side. My goal with them has been egg color and eye color, seems like you either get one or the other. Cruising through my photo's I just found an egg pic from one of last years splash pullets. Here is the progress.
1st photo is one of last years 2nd gen. Splash Marans eggs, the egg color here is the same as the 1st gen's eggs.

2 eggs from this years pullets, 3rd generation. This is a result of backcrossing.

What a difference, yeah?

 

[Debbi]

Bleautiful, just bleautiful!!!! I especially like that first blue hen!!

 

[Braclin]

 

[Debbi]

Braclin , Looks to me like you are off to a good start!! The only problem I see, and that may be the lighting because their pupils are dialated, is their eye color. Their eyes do look dark in the pics, are they really lighter in color in a different light? They should be more orange in color. I believe the true eye color should be present by the time they are 4 months old, so still time for them to change if they are somewhat dark now. What say you Marans gurus??

 

[snowbird]

Quote:

 

[Braclin]

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Oh my word pinkchick...you just had to go and do it didn't ya?

...teasing my blue adoration with those gorgous girls.

 

[Debbi]

Braclin, No, if the eyes don't get more orange, it's just a fault, it doesn't mean they're mutts. I'm new to this breed too, and I have never heard that about the ear lobe color, sure would like to know if there's any validity to that myself!

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
Don, Could you be a little more specifc? What kind of info are you looking for on the Cuckoo's?

I just thought someone might have some info. on breeding the Cuckoo, I have in the past had cuckoo in other breeds. Maybe someone has some pictures of their cuckoo.

Here are some pics of mine they are not that old only 8 to12 weeks old

and a picture of my Pierre from McMurray he gets to stay because he's a very nice rooster to me and his ladies and to any other chickens that try to come and visit him

but he's English

I have one Golden Female with feathered legs and several without and it looks like 2 nice Golden Roos but I don't see much feathering on their legs. I haven't decided what to do about getting feathered legs and I want to improve the egg color since they are from 5/6 eggs some from 4's but it looks like I will have size so I have time. I've yet to hatch a good BC and I know I can cross those in but I will have many culls just for color in the process not counting for conformation....it's a long term commitment as I've yet to see many breeders that I would buy eggs from.....

 

[geebs]

Braclin and Debbi They eye color of the females is allowed to be darker than that of the males..mind you not black but not lighter... They don't get their eye color until later on. They do not look like mutts at all... In fact they are very nice looking and yet young it would appear... Nice birds!!!