Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[motherhubbert68]

Thanks guys you've all helped me out a great deal.

 

[bigshawn]

Looking good Gilavina!!!!!!!!

 

[erinnyes]

Hello! I was wondering if I could please have my young cockerels critiqued? I have two I kept from a very large batch and as I am still relatively new to breed standards of perfection, could someone more experienced please take a look and point out their flaws for me? It will help me improve my flock and help me learn! I would also like to know if these two are worth keeping and breeding. I am hoping I did alright in selecting them as the best of the bunch.

These cockerels are about 5 months old now, and both are black copper. Their shank feathering could be thicker, but they do have feathers along the sides of their legs uniformly. I've thoroughly checked their wings and tails and they do not have any white feathers in there. They also have no side sprigs on their combs. Boy 2 is heavier and taller than boy 1, but boy 1 is wider in the chest. Boy 1 also appears to be a shade darker than Boy 2.

Sorry for the low quality pictures, these guys were very shy of my cameraphone and wouldn't stop moving around.

Here is cockerel #1 (click to view larger size!):



And this is boy #2:




Specifically I'd like to know if they look like they'd be good for breeding, one of the other, both, or neither. Also it would be really helpful if people could point out their flaws so I can improve my knowledge. Thank you for reading!!

 

[Last Train Vnyd]

Can anyone help me identify my Marans rooster color and type. He was bought from a breeder who sold him as a blue copper Marans. His color is wrong for that, but I am wondering if he is another type altogether... maybe a blue wheaten Marans or a blue birchen Marans?? Can he be responsibly bred with a blue copper female to produce babies, if so what would their offspring be?? All information about him is greatly appreciated. Below are some pictures of him now at about 22 weeks and some from about a month and a half ago below those. I think he is gorgeous and he is super sweet. Thank you.

 

[TulsaChick]

You're lucky. People around here are squeamish and get grossed out easy. They get a lot of blood spots, you lose a customer.

A lot of people even refuse green eggs. They are absolutely convinced that something is wrong with those eggs, and no amount of explaining convinces them otherwise.


From small to big. MANY of the eggs have multiple spots, like they've been spattered with paint. Some of the "meat" spots are large, and sometimes more than one in a single egg.

These eggs really are kinda gross sometimes. I feed them to the dog.

This may sound stupid... But what do you mean meat spots? Mine are still young.

 

[ladycat]

This may sound stupid... But what do you mean meat spots? Mine are still young.

4. What are the small brown spots found in the white of eggs?
These are meat spots which are pieces of tissue from the hen’s reproductive tract. Meat spots do not harm the egg. Eggs with large meat spots are removed during the grading process.
From: http://www.asi.ksu.edu/p.aspx?tabid=1066

Here's a picture of a rather large one: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/1/egg-quality-handbook/29/meat-spots

Sometimes they are real hard, it's like digging a bb or piece of bone out of them.

 

[ladycat]

These are my Marans I ordered from Cedar Creek. They are now 3 weeks old. I ordered 10 Black Tail Buff and 5 Silver Cuckoo, but that isn't quite what I got.

I'm pretty sure there are some wheatons in there, and 2 black something that look like Marans but are not black coppers.

These are not the best pictures. I had my brother take them with his phone. Can I get some opinions about whether I really do have some wheatons? And do any look like BT Buffs?

 

[Blue Roo]

Hello glad the marans thread started again got a question my blue marans are going through a molting stage is there anything I can give them to help them through it so I can get them back to laying I live in Georgia and every body I been talking to says its to early for them to be molting Im just a back yard chicken owner and I have about 18 chickens for eggs I enjoy watching my marans it's my peace time to site in my chair and watch my chickens

 

[DMRippy]

Hello glad the marans thread started again got a question my blue marans are going through a molting stage is there anything I can give them to help them through it so I can get them back to laying I live in Georgia and every body I been talking to says its to early for them to be molting Im just a back yard chicken owner and I have about 18 chickens for eggs I enjoy watching my marans it's my peace time to site in my chair and watch my chickens

I live in TN and I can assure you it is not too early. different birds have been molting for a few months here. just depend on the bird, when they hatched, sun light. varies from bird to bird to. some pens look like a pillow fight and some not a feather on the ground.

 

[Blue Roo]

. Can anyone tell me if this is a marans chick it was hatched by a marans hen but it don't really look marans to me