Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[NJchixs]

wow he's so pretty!

Thank you.

 

[NJchixs]

Chick question:  Mossiness=brown down.  When they feather in and show copper or mahogany 'chips' on their feathers all over is this something they molt out or is it an early sign of too much color in a bird?  There isn't any specifically in their hackles or breast, but all over random.  They haven't fully feathered so I am hoping that it means they are going molt out these colors like they do the white.

That I don't know. All of mine from two different unrelated hatches are all black as of 8 & 7 weeks. I do have a couple olive egger's that have brown tipping on their feathers is it like that what your describing? I would hope it would.

 

[Labmum2]

Hello everyone, I'm back with some more pictures of my rooster. I hope these shots will make it easier to share your opinion. Thank you, Dana

 

[desertmarcy]

Hello everyone, I'm back with some more pictures of my rooster. I hope these shots will make it easier to share your opinion. Thank you, Dana

I would say if that is how he usually holds his tail, his tail set is too high, it should be at a 45 degree angle. Way too much color on the breast. Maybe the color is off in the photo, but his feet and shanks should be slate but they look someone pale. Nice foot feathering, though and nice even copper color.

 

[Labmum2]

Well, he was a bit freaked out being held.....he was all over the place. I agree about the feet looking pale and he does have a lot of color on his breast. He's all I have to work with right now. I pick up the 10 BCM chicks on Tuesday, so hopefully I'll have something nicer ones later.

 

[bantyman]

I just ran across this thread and am glad I did I have a small problem that I need a helping hand with It may have been posted before but I am not going to read thru all 4k pages to find an answer My hens lay an egg close to the #8 color but had no rooster to put over them so I bought one that is really pretty nice and supposed to come fom some great lines The hens from this breeding has produced an Orpington color egg and they are 1 1/2 years old Will this color improve or do they need to go to freezer camp ? Could the rooster be playing a part in this dilemna ? Any help anybody on here can give will prove to be very useful and thank you so much in advance

 

[cluckcluckluke]

I just ran across this thread and am glad I did I have a small problem that I need a helping hand with It may have been posted before but I am not going to read thru all 4k pages to find an answer My hens lay an egg close to the #8 color but had no rooster to put over them so I bought one that is really pretty nice and supposed to come fom some great lines The hens from this breeding has produced an Orpington color egg and they are 1 1/2 years old Will this color improve or do they need to go to freezer camp ? Could the rooster be playing a part in this dilemna ? Any help anybody on here can give will prove to be very useful and thank you so much in advance

Freezer Camp!!
Marans when they start laying, will lay their darkest eggs for the first 2 weeks then there laying will settle out and there egg colour will lighten this colour will be what they until they stop, it may lighten as they get older. Your 1 and a half year olds will defiantly not lay any darker eggs, they will probably start getting lighter if anything.

 

[bantyman]

Thats what I had figured on but thought I would ask anyway The rooster dont have anything at all to do with the egg color As in where he come from or what he come out of As in a lighter egg ? I guess Its all on the hens Thanx so much I do appreciate your answer

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Thats what I had figured on but thought I would ask anyway The rooster dont have anything at all to do with the egg color As in where he come from or what he come out of As in a lighter egg ? I guess Its all on the hens Thanx so much I do appreciate your answer

If you hatched dark eggs ( that your hens laid ) then the hens are fine, if the offspring came out laying light eggs then it's the roosters light genes dominating the hens dark genes. I would say it's your rooster's genes making the offspring lay light eggs.

 

[ashandvine]

Keeping in mind that it can also take a few weeks for the egg bloom to settle on the egg. THEN the eggs at the beginning will be dark. Don't go eating a chicken that lays something blotchy at first.