Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[niter]

Dear All, Where is the best place to find Marans for my flock?

Thanks!

 

[carnivore]

Dear All,  Where is the best place to find Marans for my flock?

Thanks!

Your best bet is a local breeder if you want quality birds. Mail order is a throw of the dice.

 

[ladycat]

Dear All, Where is the best place to find Marans for my flock?

Thanks!

After a lot of heartache and frustration, I started getting my stock from the show breeders, so I know I'm getting the best.

 

[snowbird]

Quote: Some of the best Breeders ever were people that never did show a chicken, showing is not for everyone. Don

 

[ladycat]

Some of the best Breeders ever were people that never did show a chicken, showing is not for everyone. Don

I understand that, I don't plan to show any myself.

 

[niter]

Thank you for responses! I have been looking diligently locally but I'm either missing something or out of luck. If I did have purchase sight unseen where would be a good place to start?

 

[desertmarcy]

Your best bet is a local breeder if you want quality birds. Mail order is a throw of the dice.

I disagree with this. Knowing the breeder and that person's birds: what they have been breeding for, what they cull for, how long they have been breeding are some of the things to ask; photos of their stock can help. Seeing in person or at shows is better. Good birds of a certain breed you are looking for will only be found locally if you are lucky. A few hours to 1/2 a day drive to get good stock is worthwhile. Otherwise shipping from a good breeder is not a throw of the dice if you know the breeder and his or her birds.

What is important to know is, not all chicks, even from the best of lines, are going to be worthy of keeping. Most breeders will tell you 10% of a hatch, rule of thumb, are worth keeping. That number will go up or down depending on the line. With Marans, I would say that number is down. Way down.

 

[carnivore]

I disagree with this. Knowing the breeder and that person's birds: what they have been breeding for, what they cull for, how long they have been breeding are some of the things to ask; photos of their stock can help. Seeing in person or at shows is better. Good birds of a certain breed you are looking for will only be found locally if you are lucky. A few hours to 1/2 a day drive to get good stock is worthwhile. Otherwise shipping from a good breeder is not a throw of the dice if you know the breeder and his or her birds.

What is important to know is, not all chicks, even from the best of lines, are going to be worthy of keeping. Most breeders will tell you 10% of a hatch, rule of thumb, are worth keeping. That number will go up or down depending on the line. With Marans, I would say that number is down. Way down.

Hey desertmarcy, don't take me wrong
Mail order from a breeder is fine, I was referring to mail order from a hatchery. Take a look at the Cochin thread, and back a page or 2, look at the "partridge Cochin" a poster recently got from Meyer Hatchery. It definitely doesn't have partridge coloring, and even the body shape has little resemblance to a Cochin.

 

[desertmarcy]

Hey desertmarcy, don't take me wrong
Mail order from a breeder is fine, I was referring to mail order from a hatchery. Take a look at the Cochin thread, and back a page or 2, look at the "partridge Cochin" a poster recently got from Meyer Hatchery. It definitely doesn't have partridge coloring, and even the body shape has little resemblance to a Cochin.

Well yes, that makes all the difference, doesn't it? But mail order can be from anybody who ships and you didn't say hatchery in your post.
I never buy birds from commercial hatcheries anymore, they are just not true to the breed. Most people start out with hatchery birds because they don't know the difference. Once you graduate to the real deal, you never look back.

 

[Raven1]

Thank you for responses!  I have been looking diligently locally but I'm either missing something or out of luck.  If I did have purchase sight unseen where would be a good place to start?

Where are you located?