Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Illia]

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Sorry to butt in - Wry Tail is when a bird has a tail cocked to the side a little. It is considered a defect.


And on another note, if anyone remembers me, I'm back!!

And my Marans are now laying!!

Sadly I learned that Wade Jeanne x Bev Davis does NOT mean good color, though. . . Pics coming soon.

One of my pullets lays ooh a 4 on the scale with speckles, the other a 5 or 6. My Bev Davis girls are starting out with 7s or better!

Hey Illia! Where've you been? Always nice to see someone back again. How are your birds doing?

Been working on the farm as usual - It is just that my laptop died. . . Twice. And the second time was for good, so I went on a long moment without a computer.

Chickens are all doing fine, having a lot of Araucanas, Ameraucanas, and Marans begin their laying cycle, and my Tolbunt Polish pair is also doing great except for an alarming moment or two when both have let out a loud, odd shriek. I REALLY hope it is not a shriek of pain.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

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Well, they look like they could have come from BCM stock. They just aren't very good. I don't see any color on the hens, and way too much color on the roo. It's hard to tell conformation from these pics - I don't really see much for the tails.

I don't really think I'd have paid $8 per chick for these - BUT, that doesn't mean that the girls won't lay dark eggs. Egg color and perfect appearance aren't necessarily going to go hand in hand. What is your goal with these girls (since you can't keep the boy)?

 

[Rebeccap422]

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The last photo is adorable! I think you have one that thinks it is a model and is a camera chick

All the photos everyone is posting make me wish I could have chickens right now.

A breed to keep in mind for when I can start back up with chickens

 

[Lotsapaints]

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Keep reading and looking for your project birds-Dellies were the broiler right before CX when most farms had both eggs and meat and I like the size on mine and will be working to improve on carcass and early growth and I'm going to be using Marans any big roo with mucho size and thickness...and I will be breeding my purebreds for carcass too. Type and size first then all the other things after I have that...lifetime project it seems

 

[3chimama]

beautiful!!!
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[3chimama]

Thank you for the reply...I am getting eggcited to see those dark eggs!
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The eggs in my avatar are from cuckoos. I got them from a private breeder, but I think the girls are really more of a hatchery quality. Right now they are in the laying flock. One is a pretty good broody (she'd like some eggs now, actually).

My black copper Marans definitely lay a darker egg than these cuckoos do. I like them nonetheless, though!

 

[geebs]

Hi Ilia Welcome BACK!!!!

You can keep backcrossing your Davis/jeanne line and eventually the color "should" come back... Several generations but the birds will get big and husky.... A friend of mine in the state of Oregon has some BIG HUSKY crosses... So if it isn't all about egg color.. Backcross them... I hear it is about 4 times to recover your color but that it does come back.

 

[Illia]

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Hey!

Every time I talk about my Marans to the family, I think of you and your Jeanne girls. . . How's that all going? I'm expecting my Black Coppers to all be in cycle within a week, as my first of four total began a couple days ago. My Blue Wheaten and Wheaten girls, however, are not so promising. The Blue Wheaten is getting huge and poofy with a good comb, but she never checks out the nesting room. . . And the Wheaten girls are still lanky and small.

After these girls begin, I've got a batch of Presley X Jeanne X Davis girls I'm really excited to see the egg color/quality on. They're due to lay in a few weeks.

I really do find it sad though that my Marans are laying weeks later than I'm expecting them to, while my Araucanas and Ameraucanas, who are supposed to lay at 6-7 months, are leaving them in the dust, beginning their cycle at 19 weeks of age!!

 

[geebs]

Thanks for the nice remarks Illia (proper spelling this time) I am real proud of my offspring this year... Waiting on the lay like everyone else.. I have a couple "stars" that will take the front for the breeding if the egg color is there... I will post and brag my head off!!! ha ha... I just love my Jeanne girls... They are Off the hook!!! I have done a cull and now am down to my winter flock... I am still waiting for my Bonne girls to get big enough to go into the test layer pens... (where we prove egg color before they get chosen for their rooster). (then on for the test hatches)... Winter is aroung the corner so that means.... hatching season. Still need to finish winterizing the coop. Put up fresh bulbs in the lights and some new sand etc. My daughters eggs qualified for the state fair as Champion eggies so we are trying to collect a dozen though they are in the molt and I have them not free ranging at the moment because of summer activities.....So the egg color isn't as good but we will take what we can get to the Fair. It is just a little 4h thing but it is fun... We will not be showing birds though she qualified...... just eggs.

Now tell me dear what have you been up to?? And post some pix... I have a couple posted back in this thread somewhere.... I will plop a new one on here just for you

My prize pullet is in the middle.. There is a Cochorn... (my daughter's little favorite mutt chicken) in there and couple of adults... My prize girl is getting huskier now and she should begin to lay in Sept. I am waiting for her eggies...

 

[thrustbucket]

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Well, they look like they could have come from BCM stock. They just aren't very good. I don't see any color on the hens, and way too much color on the roo. It's hard to tell conformation from these pics - I don't really see much for the tails.

I don't really think I'd have paid $8 per chick for these - BUT, that doesn't mean that the girls won't lay dark eggs. Egg color and perfect appearance aren't necessarily going to go hand in hand. What is your goal with these girls (since you can't keep the boy)?

Thanks for the reply. One of the Hens does have a little bit of copper on her neck, but you can't see it with those pics.

My big question is - when buying week old chicks, how in the world can you pick 'good ones' when they all look the same?

My goal isn't to breed, I can't have enough legally with my yard size to breed and show. I just wanted the eggs and to have variety in my small flock.