Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Amelia Egghart]

Hi there!

I'm in CA so I can't help you out locally BUT... Here's what I did. I found local breeders and then asked a lot of questions/saw the parent stock before making a decision. You don't have to have show quality birds to start a good line. The key is to know what traits you're working with, so learn your genetics, keep organized and start hatching!

Once you start to see what you have then you can start improving.

Best of luck! Marans are quite rewarding

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I'm looking for a good meat line of marans. I've heard the cuckoo end up a little meatier than the other colors. I could order from a hatchery, but I'd like to get hatching eggs or chicks from a small breeder. If anyone has any idea where I can order them and get them in the beginning-mid April, that would be great. We're doing a heritage breed taste test at an organic restaurant. I'm going to grow out Dorkings, Marans and black Orpingtons for the taste test.

 

[Bantambird]

I'm looking for a good meat line of marans. I've heard the cuckoo end up a little meatier than the other colors. I could order from a hatchery, but I'd like to get hatching eggs or chicks from a small breeder. If anyone has any idea where I can order them and get them in the beginning-mid April, that would be great. We're doing a heritage breed taste test at an organic restaurant. I'm going to grow out Dorkings, Marans and black Orpingtons for the taste test.

If you can find them, look for some Bresse chickens too. Supposed to be top notch meat!

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I've looked into the Bresse and I am considering them. I'm not sure the restaurant owner would approve of them being her main breed, just because there's so much hype about them right now. She wants a bird that she can educate the public about and maybe preserve. Marans are not in short supply, so I may consider other options. I am considering Faverolles also, but since they have Dorking breed into them, not sure they'd be that much of a different flavor/texture. I really think she is hoping the dorking wins the taste test.

 

[forgetful]

New chick lover here! We are starting our homestead this April and one of the top priorities (for me anyway!) is getting our chickens started. I've been spending hours on BYC researching and found so much great info it is almost overwhelming. I won't be showing but want good quality lines for egg and meat production. I am very heavily leaning towards Marans. I've been trying to absorb this thread but there is so much of it! Can someone point me in a good direction to get my first birds? There are a couple of Craigslist ads here locally that have chicks (and lots of other breeds) but I'm gathering that may not be a good way to go but also seeing that hatcheries are not the best option either? Please tell me what I need to look for! I'll be getting a few other breeds just for variety in eggs but will only be keeping a Maran roo to breed with my Maran and other hens at this point. I'd like to get chicks started as soon as we move at the end of April, building the coop will be one of our first tasks so I should have it done by the time they are ready to move in. They will have a protected run but will also have the opportunity to free range when we are there (which is most of the time). Thanks in advance!

Edited to add:
This is one of the Craigslist ads I have seen that piqued my interest but don't know if its a good deal or not
http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/grd/5947834025.html

BTW I'm in OKC area now and moving to NW Oklahoma area if someone knows a good breeder near me!

An option you should openly consider is getting adult birds to start. Every newcomer, including me when I started, wanted to begin with chicks. What I've gathered from my own experience and seeing what others have gone through, starting with adults is a smart way to go. Not only do you know exactly what you are getting when you buy them (hidden genetics and breeding history aside), but you also can start hatching your own chicks within a few weeks and not have to go through the hassle of shipping eggs/chicks, or driving and picking them up. Buying chicks or eggs gives you no idea of what the birds will look like or what color the eggs will be when fully grown, and the amount of money you put into their feed and care while they grow far exceeds the cost of adult birds, even if the adult birds have to be shipped. In regards to raising chicks to have them be calm and friendly adults, this depends largely on the temperament of the birds and only a small amount of handling goes in to it. Buying adult birds allows you to see if they are flighty or aggressive, and helps insure that future chicks will carry the same temperament. This also will mean that housing facilities need to be completed before the adult birds are bought.

As for the ad you shared, I see several squirrel tails in the group, and egg color is light. The ad also describes the birds as blue and black, with photos showing both blue and black, and blue copper and black copper birds. I'm not sure if this means both solid and copper birds are running together, but if so that will make it hard to breed one color or the other without color issues. If your only concern is meat and egg production, then these things are not an issues.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

I've looked into the Bresse and I am considering them. I'm not sure the restaurant owner would approve of them being her main breed, just because there's so much hype about them right now. She wants a bird that she can educate the public about and maybe preserve. Marans are not in short supply, so I may consider other options. I am considering Faverolles also, but since they have Dorking breed into them, not sure they'd be that much of a different flavor/texture. I really think she is hoping the dorking wins the taste test.

That's such a awesome project! There's a few breeds on the Greenfire Farms website that are described as having good table qualities, such as the Barbezieux and Sulmtaler, which are two I'm considering. They have more than that, so check them out if you haven't already!

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

I have looked into the barbezieux, but they're not practical for WI winters, judging by their looks.

 

[joanstead]

Does this look like a pure black copper marans rooster thats around 6 months old? The comb looks wrong so I'm wondering if there's anything else that this could have been mixed with?

 

[ve]

He may be olive egger

 

[gander007]

Does this look like a pure black copper marans rooster thats around 6 months old? The comb looks wrong so I'm wondering if there's anything else that this could have been mixed with?

How do your hens look and how much do you like their eggs .