Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

hello everyone would yal mind helping me slim down my roos?? and give me opinions on the youngest ones. i recintly acquired a bunch of marans and id like your opinion on which would be the best to keep to use as breeders...


if any one needs / wants better pics of one of them let me know they were running from the camera so these were all i could get.

You will need to take your time and get better photos.
For each bird, you need to take a photo from the top, one from the front, and one from the side, PLUS a close up of the head. ALL photos need to show the bird in natural stances - not crowing, not "on alert", not bending over, etc.


It will take some time to get the pics, so be patient. The better the pics, the better the evaluations.

 

[maryhysong]

I am too new to the poultry to be able to tell what a good roo is...I had put a add on BYC a few weeks ago offering some for free...nothing amounted to anyone actually wanting them...In...How to tell a Good Maran Rooster for Dummies mode...can you or anyone tell or show in pictures what to look for ...All of mine are from ---> Blue Haven Poultry <--- she has the adults on her page at bluehavenpoultry.com

What variety of Marans do you have? I have Black Coppers and when the boys were about 3 months old I culled out all the ones that had too much color; they should have black chests and I had some that were red, nearly orange. Another easy cull is if they have clean legs. All Marans should have feathering down the outside of the leg and the outside toe. Another easy cull would be side sprigs on their combs (where they have bumps or points that come off the side of the comb). Another thing would be the color of their legs, should be slate grey, so if they are yellow or too white that isn't good/

Sometimes it is a process of elimination, going through and checking different things. All Marans should be stocky, meaty birds. Looking at them from the top, they should be as wide at the hips as they are at the shoulder, no pinched tails. I am still new to Marans and picking a good bird, but these are some of the things I have learned.

I've also learned that some things you have to wait until they about 6 months old or older, after they get their adult feathers, then checking for white feathers in wings and tail.

Check the description for your variety and see how they stack up. Also weigh them and see how they stack up. You can read the standard for Marans here: http://maranschickenclubusa.com/

 

[pinkchick]

MORNING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Raven1]

Mornin' Kim

 

[Raven1]

Mornin' Kim

 

[pinkchick]

Hope you are all doing WONDERFUL!!!!!!!


I am patiently waiting on some blue copper pullets to start laying....should be anyday. I believe they will have very nice egg color. One of their half siblings that I hatched out for my bestfriend is laying a VERY NICE egg. I was shocked when I saw it, but very pleased.

 

[Wynette]

Morning, Marans peeps!! Been awhile since I posted here....life is taking a front seat this year, so to speak.

I'm super excited about what's in my incubator. 10 BLUE Marans. Not blue copper, pure blue. I've got a black male and a blue pullet that are the parents. I'm hoping this will be the start of a blue line for me. I'm not super keen on the black male...he has some issues. The blue female, while a bit smaller than I like and has a bit of a wave at the front of her comb, is lovely otherwise. So, I may end up with nothing I can keep, but I've got my fingers crossed.

I've also got 3 tester eggs from my mossy black copper W. Jeane hen (she was the one that I won several egg contests with this year and late last year - her egg is gorgeous) and a mahogany male. I suspect they will all be too dark, but figured it was worth a shot. Here are a couple of her washed eggs before I decided to collect a few to hatch. Too bad she's mossy!

 

[pinkchick]

Morning, Marans peeps!! Been awhile since I posted here....life is taking a front seat this year, so to speak. I'm super excited about what's in my incubator. 10 BLUE Marans. Not blue copper, pure blue. I've got a black male and a blue pullet that are the parents. I'm hoping this will be the start of a blue line for me. I'm not super keen on the black male...he has some issues. The blue female, while a bit smaller than I like and has a bit of a wave at the front of her comb, is lovely otherwise. So, I may end up with nothing I can keep, but I've got my fingers crossed. I've also got 3 tester eggs from my mossy black copper W. Jeane hen (she was the one that I won several egg contests with this year and late last year - her egg is gorgeous) and a mahogany male. I suspect they will all be too dark, but figured it was worth a shot. Here are a couple of her washed eggs before I decided to collect a few to hatch. Too bad she's mossy!

Hello Ms. Wynette! Good luck with your Blue Marans egg in the 'bator. Lovely eggs from your Black Copper gal. I'm kinda thinking this is going to be a slow fall season for me with school and all, but I am looking forward to sparkin' up the 'bator when the girls get it in to gear.

 

[naightengale]

so should a BCmaran hen be all black or have the copper neck band?? also.. at 5-6 weeks old what coloring should a roo have?? i have 3 hens that are all black very little copper showing...and 2 chicks we think are roos.. one has a bit of coppering going on its neck the other is evenly specked with copper all over.????pics in other post.

 

[ky chicken mom]

What variety of Marans do you have? I have Black Coppers and when the boys were about 3 months old I culled out all the ones that had too much color; they should have black chests and I had some that were red, nearly orange. Another easy cull is if they have clean legs. All Marans should have feathering down the outside of the leg and the outside toe. Another easy cull would be side sprigs on their combs (where they have bumps or points that come off the side of the comb). Another thing would be the color of their legs, should be slate grey, so if they are yellow or too white that isn't good/

Sometimes it is a process of elimination, going through and checking different things. All Marans should be stocky, meaty birds. Looking at them from the top, they should be as wide at the hips as they are at the shoulder, no pinched tails. I am still new to Marans and picking a good bird, but these are some of the things I have learned.

I've also learned that some things you have to wait until they about 6 months old or older, after they get their adult feathers, then checking for white feathers in wings and tail.

Check the description for your variety and see how they stack up. Also weigh them and see how they stack up. You can read the standard for Marans here: http://maranschickenclubusa.com/

I have the French Black Copper (feathered legs) I have The French Blue (feathered legs) and the Splash (feathered legs) ...I went to the site very useful info ...it said the American Standard of Perfection was the poultry bible...I was going to buy it...but now I am confused of the correct 1...seems there are a vast amount...all poultry