Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

Oh, Donna, you know how we were talking about the copper spots on my chicks the other day? Well, the one with the copper spot to the side an back of the head, its a cockerel. So far I've only had pullets before this, so I'll be watching this one extra close. This chick is not from the same breeding of the copper chick with the copper behind the eye I posted earlier.

Keep us posted.

 

[gilavina]

I shall indeed. I really hope those eggs get here tomorrow so they don't have to wait over the whole weekend

 

[DMRippy]

I shall indeed. I really hope those eggs get here tomorrow so they don't have to wait over the whole weekend

Are those the ones you told me about? I want to KNOW everything about the incubation and hatch on those please. I may have to order some if things go well for you and you like what you see.

 

[pinkchick]

Here's a few update shots on some of the chicks from last week's hatch. Of course they had to leave a present on my art desk love the looks of the one on the left the chick I showed with the tiny copper spot by the eye, love how its growing so far blue copper boys some black coppers

They look super cute! That big blue on the left of the second photo looks like a pullet to me. What a monster! Also that Splash on the left is HUGE!

 

[pinkchick]

gil - the chicks are super cute, of course - I have a question on the blue copper chicks.  I don't raise this variety, so I'm just wondering.  Do you see any corelation in the color of the breast as chicks?  I note one has yellow breast and looks darker blue, the other has a white breast and looks to be lighter blue.  Does the breast color mean anything as chicks in this variety?

Pink - okay, that is a CUTE CUTE pic!  I have mentioned to Rob that BYC ought to offer a waterfowl calendar as well as the regular BYC calendar with just land fowl - that pic cropped would be lovely in a calendar! 

Thanks Wynette! I love my geese! I should have gotten them years ago when I first wanted them! They are addicting! I would say almost more addicting than Marans.
A waterfowl calendar would be terrific!

I can honestly say and that photo is proof......that I definitely DON'T have all my ducks in a row!

 

[pinkchick]

I think it needs to be done early. Like from 1-3 days old. That's how I do it with my Light Sussex chicks,
has to do with length of wing feathers.
 Best,
 Karen

This is the same age that I can determine sex of my chicks as well.


For Mary~

Here is a quip from one of my favorite sites about fast/slow feathering and breeding for it.
http://sellers.kippenjungle.nl/page2.html#t8

"Feather sexing baby chicks:

In order for rate of feathering to be an indicator of chick sex, the mothers of the chicks have to have a slow feathering gene (see the table) while the fathers have normal feathering or rapid feathering genes. A cross between these males and females will give pullets with rapid feathering and cockerels with slow feathering. This is a sex-linked trait that can be a sex-indicating trait in the same way that sex-linked barring can."

 

[pinkchick]

Shannon~ Good to see you my friend! You shouldn't stay away so long! I am doing great and I hope you are also. Busy in my garden and of course......busy with the onions (LOL) every single day! Don't know why the birds have to monkey with them. I think they just like to watchme stand them back up again everyday. Would be okay if it were just a few........but repositioning 300+ onions every day is getting old.


Oh and they are African Dewlap Geese. I adore them! Never tried ducks but my sister is raising some and she loves them. Good luck with yours, I am sure you will enjoy them!

How are your Marans doing?

 

[pinkchick]

I would say that, but I just keep looking at the wing development, the tail and the small shanks. Big Boy's sister is an absolute beast, so it has me wondering if I might not have another big pullet on my hands. The birds out of Big Boy have been easy to feather sex so far, so am trying to figure out if it might just be so big that the growth might be farther along than some of the others. 

I think it's a pullet.

 

[pinkchick]

Oh and Mary....congrats on your eggies!

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Are Cuckoo Marans a dominant breed? I have a brooder with three Silver Ameraucanas, one EE, and eight Cuckoo Marans. The Marans seem to be mean and very dominant. They will corner the other breeds and while standing in a semicircle, start to peck the other chicks. At first I thought they were all roos, but when looking up how to sex these chicks, I found that the roos will be grey while the hens will be black. Well most of these are black. I am now wondering if they are just a very dominant breed? And can chicks tell if they are of a different breed when they are all born together?