Being disappointed I believe is a huge part of breeding the Marans. There is so much thats gone on with them as far as crossbreeding, culling methods or lack of that it takes some willingness to wade thru it all.Thank-you for the pep talkI am disappointed about the yellow legs
At least I have 4 pullets and a couple of nice cockerels to work with . . I think!
Looking forward to learning more!
After reading your post, and being new to Marans, I am curious what the things are that you look for, good and bad in your Marans as you are growing them out. Any tips would be greatly appreciated
Excuse the poor quality photos, taken with my phone and inbetween the severe weather we've had over the last 4 days. My oldest chicks are 7 weeks on Friday and the BCM pullets are starting to show nice copper! The pullets were also a little damp from running up from the barn in the rain when I brought them up to sort them, so are lookin a bit disheveled. I'll try for some better full shots of them when the weather has finally passed. They hate the thunder!
wierd triple posting....sorryExcuse the poor quality photos, taken with my phone and inbetween the severe weather we've had over the last 4 days. My oldest chicks are 7 weeks on Friday and the BCM pullets are starting to show nice copper! The pullets were also a little damp from running up from the barn in the rain when I brought them up to sort them, so are lookin a bit disheveled. I'll try for some better full shots of them when the weather has finally passed. They hate the thunder!
Nice! This is the color that is just now coming in on that young pullet from Texas and she is 4 months old. I wish the 6 youngin's had this much....but hey.....I'll take what they have and cross my fingies for more and I noticed a nice copper spot on cockerel #36's right wing bow yesterday morning.Excuse the poor quality photos, taken with my phone and inbetween the severe weather we've had over the last 4 days. My oldest chicks are 7 weeks on Friday and the BCM pullets are starting to show nice copper! The pullets were also a little damp from running up from the barn in the rain when I brought them up to sort them, so are lookin a bit disheveled. I'll try for some better full shots of them when the weather has finally passed. They hate the thunder!
Collecting eggs again as my oldest Splash gal has decided to grace me with some and I figure I better get them before she takes another break again or thinks that she has to be broody. For crying out loud this hen goes broody more than any bird I have ever had. I have her and all of my Splash girls in with my Blue Copper, Lil' Bill......looking for some Splash babies and single testing the 2 hens that I borrowed from my BF with him. I'm not so sure I will be using the blue that I borrowed back from her though.......just too many things about her I don't want to deal with right now, lightly feathered shanks, lighter egg color than I like and she is very dark blue. Now that I have these chicks this medium tone of blue I don't really want to go back to the dark. Hope that eagle doesn't come back. Found the body of special little pullet #31 yesterday......looks like the blackberry jungle behind the coops that seperates my property from the neighbors has claimed another victim. I probably don't even want to think of how many little ones I have lost to the berry jungle. I keep the berries off of my fencing and I keep a trail whacked down the fence line, but that is all the further I can go with it. Wish I could turn my goaties loose on the fence line, however, with that particular neighbor the goaties are a no-no and must stay on their own property, so I just have to deal with the berry situation.
Hey Lisa! Sorry to hear about the fertility issues, that is never easy. I deal with that in the Columbian Wyandottes, both large fowl and bantams and it can be frustrating for sure. I hope you are able to get it ironed out and sort out where exactly the issue is.AMEN sister! How's it going Vicki?
I almost never get a chance to buzz in here. There are so many new names on the Marans thread that I feel like a stranger.
My breeding program is coming to a slamming halt this year due to some fertility issues. It is hard for the program to move ahead if you can't hatch chicks LOL... What I have hatched is looking heavily male... Some things NEVER change!
You are definitely making progress, especially with the coppering and color tone. That nice medium blue is what I've found to produce the best results in the marans copperwise. The lighter ones tend to be too washed out in the copper and too dark, they don't get enough.Nice!
This is the color that is just now coming in on that young pullet from Texas and she is 4 months old.
I wish the 6 youngin's had this much....but hey.....I'll take what they have and cross my fingies for more and I noticed a nice copper spot on cockerel #36's right wing bow yesterday morning.
Collecting eggs again as my oldest Splash gal has decided to grace me with some and I figure I better get them before she takes another break again or thinks that she has to be broody. For crying out loud this hen goes broody more than any bird I have ever had.
I have her and all of my Splash girls in with my Blue Copper, Lil' Bill......looking for some Splash babies and single testing the 2 hens that I borrowed from my BF with him. I'm not so sure I will be using the blue that I borrowed back from her though.......just too many things about her I don't want to deal with right now, lightly feathered shanks, lighter egg color than I like and she is very dark blue. Now that I have these chicks this medium tone of blue I don't really want to go back to the dark.
Hope that eagle doesn't come back.
Found the body of special little pullet #31 yesterday......looks like the blackberry jungle behind the coops that seperates my property from the neighbors has claimed another victim.
I probably don't even want to think of how many little ones I have lost to the berry jungle. I keep the berries off of my fencing and I keep a trail whacked down the fence line, but that is all the further I can go with it. Wish I could turn my goaties loose on the fence line, however, with that particular neighbor the goaties are a no-no and must stay on their own property, so I just have to deal with the berry situation.
