Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cockatrice6420]

Are splash Marans and Americanas related anyway in generics? I have some Marans and Americanas and they seem similar in egg size and shape.

Also how do you have a moving avatar? I've always wondered it's really cool.

I don't know about the avatar, I'm wondering too. However, chickens are weird, genetically speaking. It's not like dog breeding where you try to keep within breed and then mutts are made from mixes. Most chicken breeds are mixes and selected breeding from those mixes until a desired standard breeding pattern is made. Chickens are bred for feathers, egg production, egg color, meat production, or ease of plucking, usually. So...... the chances of two breeds having some shared ancestory is pretty good.

 

[3riverschick]

Are splash Marans and Americanas related anyway in generics? I have some Marans and Americanas and they seem similar in egg size and shape.

Also how do you have a moving avatar? I've always wondered it's really cool.

Hi,
I don't believe so. The Marans are a European breed. The stock in the USA comes from (basically) France, England, Canada, and Belgium. Ameraucanas are and Americanized version of a South American breed. I believe they lay a blue egg? In which case the Marans would not be helpful because when you cross a brown egg layer with a blue egg layer, the offspring lay green eggs.
Best,
Karen

 

[Brat Flock]

I am SO eggcited! I have Hatching Eggs from Littlepeddlers' Marans coming to set on the 10th for a Halloween Hatch-A-Long how cool is that! I thought about adding a few Ayam Cemani to go with the "black" Halloween theme but black and copper, and BEAUTIFUL eggs from a newly started breeding flock sounded like much more fun, long term. Can't wait!

 

[3riverschick]

I am SO eggcited! I have Hatching Eggs from Littlepeddlers' Marans coming to set on the 10th for a Halloween Hatch-A-Long how cool is that! I thought about adding a few Ayam Cemani to go with the "black" Halloween theme but black and copper, and BEAUTIFUL eggs from a newly started breeding flock sounded like much more fun, long term. Can't wait!

Oh I am so excited for you! Brenda's strain is so lovely! Their value is also in not being mixed with any other strain. Once you do that you have "just another" Marans. Nothing special. So how does one propagate a flock with a small gene pool? Bob Blosl, a late and sadly lamented Educator here on BYC, was once asked that question. He had a great answer that is time proven to work. Put the same strain of related birds in the hands of 2 breeders who live at least 500 miles apart. After 5 years , the personal breeding decisions and personal management styles of the 2 breeders will have created flocks that, tho they are of the same family and strain, have diverged to the point that breeding one flock to another is a line-breeding within the strain. Easy peasey. This is why it is so valuable for Little Peddler breeders to network and keep good records.
Best Regards,
Karen

 

[gander007]

Quote:
Oh this is so true ...........

 

[Brat Flock]

Oh I am so excited for you! Brenda's strain is so lovely! Their value is also in not being mixed with any other strain. Once you do that you have "just another" Marans. Nothing special.  So how does one propagate a flock with a small gene pool? Bob Blosl, a late and sadly lamented Educator here on BYC, was once asked that question. He had a great answer that is time proven to work. Put the same strain of related birds in the hands of 2 breeders who live at least 500 miles apart. After 5 years , the personal breeding decisions and personal management styles of the 2 breeders will have created flocks that, tho they are of the same family and strain, have diverged to the point that breeding one flock to another is a line-breeding within the strain. Easy peasey. This is why it is so valuable for Little Peddler breeders to network and keep good records.
 Best Regards,
 Karen

Thank you! I wonder if you could help me get another thread started specifically to this line? I don't know a lot of people in the business yet but forming a strong network would really help us stay in touch and swap for " new blood" in established flocks.

 

[mikeybrownie]

Do these look like birchen Marans? This strain is new to me! But that's what I bought them as and wanted to know if they really are birchens thanks

 

[gander007]

Do these look like birchen Marans? This strain is new to me! But that's what I bought them as and wanted to know if they really are birchens thanks

They look to be only a couple of weeks old if you try to feed them some cooked eggs the feathers will grow out really nice , and fast .....

 

[mikeybrownie]

They look to be only a couple of weeks old if you try to feed them some cooked eggs the feathers will grow out really nice , and fast .....

But they are birchens?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

But they are birchens?

They're saying that is too early to tell. You have to wait until more feathers grow in.