Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[OneMountainAcres]

He is very dark. What some term over-melanized. He should have more color on his saddle and shoulders. The lack of saddle color would concern me and I personally would not breed one so dark. My females do not have great hackle color....it would be a road to nowhere. You have to take into account what your hens bring to the breeding equation.

Thank you. I know that he is very dark but he's of the best type that I've been able to find anywhere. My plan is to grow out some of his offspring and see if any one his sons show more color. If so, I'll put one of them back over my hens. My girls have some copper, one more than the other, so maybe a breeding to her will help in coloration.

 

[blackbirds13]

He is very dark. What some term over-melanized. He should have more color on his saddle and shoulders. The lack of saddle color would concern me and I personally would not breed one so dark. My females do not have great hackle color....it would be a road to nowhere. You have to take into account what your hens bring to the breeding equation.

Thank you. I know that he is very dark but he's of the best type that I've been able to find anywhere. My plan is to grow out some of his offspring and see if any one his sons show more color. If so, I'll put one of them back over my hens. My girls have some copper, one more than the other, so maybe a breeding to her will help in coloration.

I understand entirely. It is such a balancing act. I finally moved a male i love type and size wise to my cull pen because his breast is just to colored.
Watch the top line of your boy here. The angle seems off and more slanted up than down but it could be just the photo, stance or space he's in

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I understand entirely. It is such a balancing act. I finally moved a male i love type and size wise to my cull pen because his breast is just to colored.
Watch the top line of your boy here. The angle seems off and more slanted up than down but it could be just the photo, stance or space he's in

These ones show his stance a little better but the picture quality is awful. I just recently found my good camera so I'll have to get some decent pictures of him

 

[OneMountainAcres]

My two girls, Faith and Merci

 

[blackbirds13]

My two girls, Faith and Merci

Their tails look really tight and narrow but I am curious about the breast. Is the white the feather color or are they covered with something as I've never seen Black Coppers with that coloring on their breasts before? Is it paint or ash or something? Their combs look odd and they seem to have speckled white on their plummage in spots - the one on the left seems to have it on her ear muffs (and a cloudy eye) and the one on the right seems to have some white on her ear lobes. I am not sure they are pure BCM from what you have posted. Your boys comb also seems off at the front and his breast needs filling out. I am no expert but If they are all from the same batch of eggs or chicks I'd hesitate to breed them forward as BCM if I were to go by these photos; if they express the true colors and type. I hope someone more knowledgeable pipes in as I think they may give a more knowledgeable assessment.

 

[cdonze43]

I am in Dade City Florida and looking for some hens and a rooster of BCM and have not been able to find any near by...any help would be appreciated. Have a coop all ready and no chickens to live there... thanks

Live Oak FL... SawMill chicken farm has great Marans.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Their tails look really tight and narrow but I am curious about the breast. Is the white the feather color or are they covered with something as I've never seen Black Coppers with that coloring on their breasts before? Is it paint or ash or something? Their combs look odd and they seem to have speckled white on their plummage in spots - the one on the left seems to have it on her ear muffs (and a cloudy eye) and the one on the right seems to have some white on her ear lobes. I am not sure they are pure BCM from what you have posted. Your boys comb also seems off at the front and his breast needs filling out. I am no expert but If they are all from the same batch of eggs or chicks I'd hesitate to breed them forward as BCM if I were to go by these photos; if they express the true colors and type. I hope someone more knowledgeable pipes in as I think they may give a more knowledgeable assessment. 

Lol, I should have specified. I ferment their feed and they really get into it. ..and then go dust bathe. The white on them is just dust and feed. The male is from a different line than them and the cloudy eye, she was blinking with the clear eyelid they have and it made the picture look like a cloudy eye.

 

[blackbirds13]

Lol, I should have specified. I ferment their feed and they really get into it. ..and then go dust bathe. The white on them is just dust and feed. The male is from a different line than them and the cloudy eye, she was blinking with the clear eyelid they have and it made the picture look like a cloudy eye.

Phew! I didn't know what to say. Well from these images I'd say the only thing would be the width of the back end and tail. Folks say you need a nice 'V' in the back. I'm still of the mind set that you will breed more dark than correctly colored going forward but your girls do have nice hackle color..I"d love some like that compared to where I am starting now. I do have a one boy I'm really crossing my fingers on and 2 more that may turn out well enough but you never know until they mature enough for type and molt out for plumage. I'm always out there looking at them and trying to see what they should look like compared to what they do look like. I have the profile diagram on my phone and I compare them to it....and I have someone to pass questions to which really helps more than anything else. I need to get out and take some good photos.

 

[Chickens R Us]

It's been so long since I've posted on BYC forgot how to do it

 

[Chickens R Us]

My beautiful Blue Copper Marans Roo, at least I think he is.