Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cockatrice6420]

I am not arguing, but I had read that sex links were based from a barred Plymouth rock hen, it's the same then for cuckoo marans?

 

[StarMeKritten]

I am not arguing, but I had read that sex links were based from a barred Plymouth rock hen, it's the same then for cuckoo marans?

Technically, a black sex link is just a cross between a barred or cuckoo hen and a non-barred (and not white) rooster. Most hatcheries use a production red rooster with barred rock hens. Crossing a BCM rooster with a cuckoo Marans hen will yield chicks that can be sexed at hatch and lay darker eggs then your average BSL but they won't be as good of layers as the ones that are bred for production.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Production isn't my thing really, my whole manager is built on egg color and freaky feathers, toes, etc. This mix will help out though with the culling of cockerels.

 

[Deej211]

fw maran x hyline pullet 23 weeks. waiting with bated breath for her 1st egg, am going to use her for olive eggers if she lays dark enough. she should lay lots of very nice big eggs nonetheless.


maran x brown leghorn pullet, im hoping for dark eggs but not holding my breath..pretty girl. about 20 weeks

 

[Cockatrice6420]

fw maran x hyline pullet 23 weeks. waiting with bated breath for her 1st egg, am going to use her for olive eggers if she lays dark enough. she should lay lots of very nice big eggs nonetheless. maran x brown leghorn pullet, im hoping for dark eggs but not holding my breath..pretty girl. about 20 weeks

Pretty ladies! The wait for that first egg is a bugger. I've got a group of bcm that just started, some are lagging.

 

[Naliez]

So, I have a question for all you Marans fans! I'm fairly new and still learning about the different breeds out there. One thing I've noticed was that Marans seem to be a highly desired breed and can get pretty expensive for a good quality chicken. I mean, that's kind of true for most of the higher quality end of any breed, but people who own Marans REALLY rave about them and Marans enthusiasts take them pretty seriously. I've noticed this about several breeds. People who love Silkies, LOVE their Silkies, and the Ameraucana people are another intensely passionate crowd. So, my question is, other than the dark eggs, what is it about Marans that makes them so unique and desirable? I made the mistake of calling a BC Marans a Black Sex Link (won't do THAT again!) but to a newbie such as myself, they don't LOOK incredibly exotic or anything. I'm interested in some of the more talked about breeds and these are one of them! So tell me! What is it that makes Marans so special? What do YOU like most about YOUR Marans? And last, who do you recommend them to? Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to your responses!

 

[Cockatrice6420]

So, I have a question for all you Marans fans! I'm fairly new and still learning about the different breeds out there. One thing I've noticed was that Marans seem to be a highly desired breed and can get pretty expensive for a good quality chicken. I mean, that's kind of true for most of the higher quality end of any breed, but people who own Marans REALLY rave about them and Marans enthusiasts take them pretty seriously. I've noticed this about several breeds. People who love Silkies, LOVE their Silkies, and the Ameraucana people are another intensely passionate crowd. So, my question is, other than the dark eggs, what is it about Marans that makes them so unique and desirable? I made the mistake of calling a BC Marans a Black Sex Link (won't do THAT again!) but to a newbie such as myself, they don't LOOK incredibly exotic or anything. I'm interested in some of the more talked about breeds and these are one of them! So tell me! What is it that makes Marans so special? What do YOU like most about YOUR Marans? And last, who do you recommend them to? Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to your responses!

I can say that I'm just a chicken addict. I love love all my breeds for their own reasons. The Marans are very confident, from breeders they have feathered legs, they are dual purpose, and mine are incredibly people savvy even the roos and around kids, the egg colors vary amongst types of marans but all I've heard of lay some shade of darker brown large eggs, they are cold hardy, though large combs could frost bite in severe cold, when bred with a blue egger you get the most intense olive egger chicks. I do love my marans.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

So, I have a question for all you Marans fans! I'm fairly new and still learning about the different breeds out there. One thing I've noticed was that Marans seem to be a highly desired breed and can get pretty expensive for a good quality chicken. I mean, that's kind of true for most of the higher quality end of any breed, but people who own Marans REALLY rave about them and Marans enthusiasts take them pretty seriously. I've noticed this about several breeds. People who love Silkies, LOVE their Silkies, and the Ameraucana people are another intensely passionate crowd. So, my question is, other than the dark eggs, what is it about Marans that makes them so unique and desirable? I made the mistake of calling a BC Marans a Black Sex Link (won't do THAT again!) but to a newbie such as myself, they don't LOOK incredibly exotic or anything. I'm interested in some of the more talked about breeds and these are one of them! So tell me! What is it that makes Marans so special? What do YOU like most about YOUR Marans? And last, who do you recommend them to? Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to your responses!

Here's one of my naughty girls, anytime the gate is left open, she's sure to be found snooping in the garage, lol. She's a black copper, btw. When I go to retrieve her, she's very calm and seems to indulge in affection.

 

[sophiaw00]

So, I have a question for all you Marans fans! I'm fairly new and still learning about the different breeds out there. One thing I've noticed was that Marans seem to be a highly desired breed and can get pretty expensive for a good quality chicken. I mean, that's kind of true for most of the higher quality end of any breed, but people who own Marans REALLY rave about them and Marans enthusiasts take them pretty seriously.

I've noticed this about several breeds. People who love Silkies, LOVE their Silkies, and the Ameraucana people are another intensely passionate crowd. So, my question is, other than the dark eggs, what is it about Marans that makes them so unique and desirable? I made the mistake of calling a BC Marans a Black Sex Link (won't do THAT again!) but to a newbie such as myself, they don't LOOK incredibly exotic or anything. I'm interested in some of the more talked about breeds and these are one of them! So tell me! What is it that makes Marans so special? What do YOU like most about YOUR Marans? And last, who do you recommend them to? Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to your responses!

I'm not an expert on marans, and only got them because they were what the person I bought my original chicks had. To be honest, they aren't even my favorite breed of my 10 chickens but I do love my 4 marans girls. I have 2 white marans, 1 splash, and one 1 golden cuckoo. As chicks, my splash, Daisy, was the most friendliest chick I had and would jump up on my lap for cuddles. She no longer does that, but isn't very mean. She's a beautiful girl and is by far my biggest chicken. My 2 white marans - Elsa & Betty Lou - are also very pretty, but their feathers do get dirty easily because they are white. Betty hasn't started laying yet, but Elsa began a week or two ago. Her first egg was bigger than any other eggs I had and she was the sixth chicken of mine to begin laying, and others had been laying for weeks! Her eggs are the prettiest, I think. They are a light chocolate brown (probably a 3 on the marans egg color scale) and have dark speckles and some light colored smears on them as well. Vivi, my golden cuckoo, is so sweet. She was injured very badly by another chicken of mine and spent a few weeks in the 'hospital' (which was really just a 4 x 4 wooden crate I usually use as my brooder). Because of the time she spent in the hospital, she was cared for a lot everyday by me which led to her trusting me and being my little buddy. She is so easy to catch now because she doesn't run from me, but instead she runs to me. She's very docile and never causes a stir with the other chickens, which is probably why they can get away with bullying her so much.


^ Daisy, splash

^ Betty Lou, white

^ Elsa, white

^ Vivi, golden cuckoo

The two darkest are my marans' eggs. The one nearest the top is Elsa's. It's hard to see the beauty in it in a picture.

All of the darkest colored eggs are from my marans. I only have 2 laying.

Both of the dark eggs in this photo are Elsa's.

 

[Naliez]

I'm not an expert on marans, and only got them because they were what the person I bought my original chicks had. To be honest, they aren't even my favorite breed of my 10 chickens but I do love my 4 marans girls. I have 2 white marans, 1 splash, and one 1 golden cuckoo. As chicks, my splash, Daisy, was the most friendliest chick I had and would jump up on my lap for cuddles. She no longer does that, but isn't very mean. She's a beautiful girl and is by far my biggest chicken. My 2 white marans - Elsa & Betty Lou - are also very pretty, but their feathers do get dirty easily because they are white. Betty hasn't started laying yet, but Elsa began a week or two ago. Her first egg was bigger than any other eggs I had and she was the sixth chicken of mine to begin laying, and others had been laying for weeks! Her eggs are the prettiest, I think. They are a light chocolate brown (probably a 3 on the marans egg color scale) and have dark speckles and some light colored smears on them as well. Vivi, my golden cuckoo, is so sweet. She was injured very badly by another chicken of mine and spent a few weeks in the 'hospital' (which was really just a 4 x 4 wooden crate I usually use as my brooder). Because of the time she spent in the hospital, she was cared for a lot everyday by me which led to her trusting me and being my little buddy. She is so easy to catch now because she doesn't run from me, but instead she runs to me. She's very docile and never causes a stir with the other chickens, which is probably why they can get away with bullying her so much. ^ Daisy, splash ^ Betty Lou, white ^ Elsa, white ^ Vivi, golden cuckoo The two darkest are my marans' eggs. The one nearest the top is Elsa's. It's hard to see the beauty in it in a picture. All of the darkest colored eggs are from my marans. I only have 2 laying. Both of the dark eggs in this photo are Elsa's.

Wow! Well, I gotta say, I AM a little jealous of your splash. What a beautiful bird! I like the cuckoo a lot too. And the eggs definitely make for a colorful bunch.