Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Hens and Roos]

what a good idea ... some of my layer hens are pretty big, certainly nothing to mess with LOL!!! (brahmas & cochins)

yep the older hens don't allow any funny business to go on, the 3 hens in this pen are in good shape too- no feathers missing. I ended up putting the younger ones into this pen as I didn't have a separate space for them. So far eggs have been fertile.

 

[OHmamma]

I think it is hilarious when the hens whip the anxious cockerels. I have a couple of Asil hens that can really put a hurtin on them. They even whip the cat, the dog, and I have seen them double up and take on the turkey!

They are really sweet other than that

 

[Hens and Roos]

I think it is hilarious when the hens whip the anxious cockerels. I have a couple of Asil hens that can really put a hurtin on them. They even whip the cat, the dog, and I have seen them double up and take on the turkey!

They are really sweet other than that

gives new meaning to "henpecked"

 

[Wynette]

I think it is hilarious when the hens whip the anxious cockerels. I have a couple of Asil hens that can really put a hurtin on them. They even whip the cat, the dog, and I have seen them double up and take on the turkey!

They are really sweet other than that

I've been reading on the Asils and from what I've read, the hens are often nastier than the cock birds! Do you find that to be true?

 

[Wynette]

If you were ready to fight yellow legs I would rather see silver penciled Marans using the pencilled rocks.

I believe the cross for good Ermine would be a Light Sussex x Wheaten Marans that way you would have better egg color to start. I have seen very nice white eggs but killer wheaten eggs!!

Sussex are very handsome looking in person.

I'm with you - I just e-mailed a good friend whose been breeding Marans for years and talked with them about this as well, just this morning. I LOVE the silver penciled pattern.

Seriously, I'd be all over Silver Penciled Marans. That'd my favorite color pattern onto my favorite breed of bird, talk about heavenly. I love how birds with silver penciled patterning look like they are out roaming around with old tweed suits.

Here ya go Wynette, this is one of the Light Sussex and Marans cross chicks. I used a blue birchen, hence the coloring, but very similar to the Marans.

I think you've posted her before, and I loved her back then, and still do. LOVELY!

Wynette, the snow is coming down big time and should be your way shortly.

Don, we ended up only getting about 2", but it was very wet, over quite icy spots...one of our VPs here at work slipped & fell in my parking lot - I helped her back into the office, and she said, "I think I've broken my arm!" I couldn't think she had, as she'd have been screaming in pain, I thought. Well, she just called to thank me for helping her, and told me that, in fact, she DID break her arm, in addition to dislocating her shoulder, and has to have surgery Friday to fix it all! Holy cow!

Don, post some pics of your lovely eggs - I'd love to see them! (you KNOW I'm an egg snob.)

 

[Wynette]

Haha, I've always thought that about the pencileds since I was little. There used to be an old poultry guy around here that always came to the shows in tweed suits, and had a cane. I used to giggle when he would stop and look at any of the silver penciled breeds because I always thought he was dressing to look like them.

They DO sorta look tweedy! Here's a close-up of one of my female silver penciled rocks:

 

[Hens and Roos]

They DO sorta look tweedy! Here's a close-up of one of my female silver penciled rocks:

very cool looking!

 

[Irishgirl]

My Blue FCM hen chick has pinkish toes, does anyone know if this will darken as she gets older, or if it will stay pinky-gray?

 

[Wynette]

Yah, it's a gorgeous pattern to work with. Unfortunately, I have a ton of things I'm working on with my SPR, one of which is to improve the yellow of their shanks; they're quite dusky. Hmmm...I wonder if that would make it easier to breed the slate coloring over...

 

[ellymayRans]

I really thought most of the folks on Black Copper Marans discussion thread would be here but I just came across this one .. so I'll ask my question here since I haven't gotten a response from the other.

Basically I noticed a few days ago when taking some pics of the flock that a couple of my girls have a black type splatter marking in their eye (eyes)..couldn't keep track to noticed if it's just in one eye or both...anyhoo...anyone dealt with this? Is this something I should be concerned with when planning for breeding? Flock of BCMs were born in Nov & Dec of 2012 so they are between the ages of 12 and 16 weeks. Just for fun posted the other pics I took that day..any opinions on them would be appreciated too! My first round of BCMs so I am new. No real intent on showing but I enjoy the challenge of working towards something so why not it be the SOP. Granted I have a few others in the flock a couple of mutts and then GCM, SLW to name a few.


This is one of the eyes I was referring to. None of them showed this before recent so has happened as they've aged and only to a couple so far.