Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

Quote:
THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION - - - - How do we make sure we aren't throwing away our good money on low quality birds ? ? ??

ANSWER:

1.) Reputation - - - do your research and try to buy from those whose flocks have a reputation for producing good / high quality birds.

2.) EGGS - - ask to see the eggs the birds were hatched from or eggs from current egg layers.

3.) PARENTS - - - ask to see the parents. If the parents have DQ's, then babies run higher chances of having DQ's.

4.) BLOODLINE - - - ask what bloodlines, how far removed from bloodlines, etc.
BE AWARE that sellers can say ANYTHING they want to on this item . . .
I ask anyways because I know and some of the previous posters are discovering that a
Jean / Davis mix tends to not produce the greatest bird. So, if you are Jean - - don't mix with Davis
and vice versa - - - If you are Davis - - - then don't mix with Jean.



NONE of these criteria gaurantee a GREAT bird, but each will improve your chances.

 

[chickenpickens]

I'm putting this in the Marans thread because we are incubating Marans eggs as some of you know. The big question is - at 6 days can I candle them a get any idea of development. btw - You can see a picture of my bator with eggs in this thread. Thanks and now I'm off to church.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
You can candle them, but the chances of you seeing much besides an air cell is pretty slim, a pretty darn high powered light is needed, but even then it can be very tricky to see in these eggs. With Marans eggs......I always set 'em and forget 'em, what hatches....hatches. I will run them past the candler on day 18 to see if I can weed out any non-fertiles or ones that just didn't do anything, but it is still very hard to see into these Marans eggs.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:

Thank you 3chimama

Both of the blk copper broodies have hatched thier chicks and I only have the blue one sitting now. The second blk copper got off her eggs yesterday after only hatching one live chick 3 days ago and I think she pecked the shells open too early on 3 others I found dead and bloody. She wouldn't sit on the rest of the eggs anymore so I moved her and the 1 chick to a separate pen. I left the eggs in there overnight because we had a big storm and I figured I would deal with them in the morning because I thought they were probably no good by now. Anyhow, I go out there this morning and one cold egg was hatching!!!! So I put it in the bator this morning and I can hear it peeping still and pipping the egg a little more so hopefully it will be okay. What a miracle!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION - - - - How do we make sure we aren't throwing away our good money on low quality birds ? ? ??

ANSWER:

1.) Reputation - - - do your research and try to buy from those whose flocks have a reputation for producing good / high quality birds.

2.) EGGS - - ask to see the eggs the birds were hatched from or eggs from current egg layers.

3.) PARENTS - - - ask to see the parents. If the parents have DQ's, then babies run higher chances of having DQ's.

4.) BLOODLINE - - - ask what bloodlines, how far removed from bloodlines, etc.
BE AWARE that sellers can say ANYTHING they want to on this item . . .
I ask anyways because I know and some of the previous posters are discovering that a
Jean / Davis mix tends to not produce the greatest bird. So, if you are Jean - - don't mix with Davis
and vice versa - - - If you are Davis - - - then don't mix with Jean.



NONE of these criteria gaurantee a GREAT bird, but each will improve your chances.

Well said Math!

The most important thing to me is to do your research, learn everything you can about THE BIRD or breed first before running out to purchase. I love it when a Marans or other breed enthusiast or prospective owner comes over to purchase birds or eggs and they come prepared with their list of questions. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE talking Marans and am glad to do it and I am very glad to share the knowledge that I accumulated in my knoggin' as well, but when they have gone out of their way to learn what they can about the breed and come up with a list of questions...it's like music to my ears.
The second most important thing to me is for the buyer to actually ASK those QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!! Don't be afraid to ask questions and especially about the background of the birds you are interested in. IMO, the seller should always be happy to divulge the history and background of their birds. If they cannot give you history or they say they don't know and they are asking big $$$$$$ and calling themselves a breeder.......RUN!!!! I don't care if they tried to show you the worlds darkest egg, RUN! After all you are looking at spending your hard earned money. Would we buy a car that the salesman promised would never have a dead battery, but he couldn't tell us where the car was made???

 

[gvntofly05]

Quote:
You can candle them, but the chances of you seeing much besides an air cell is pretty slim, a pretty darn high powered light is needed, but even then it can be very tricky to see in these eggs. With Marans eggs......I always set 'em and forget 'em, what hatches....hatches. I will run them past the candler on day 18 to see if I can weed out any non-fertiles or ones that just didn't do anything, but it is still very hard to see into these Marans eggs.

I pretty much set and forget on Marans eggs also! Sometimes I will candle at day 10. By then I can usually see a pretty good shadow in those that are developing. I always leave them all in until day 18 though. By day 18 you can weed out those that were not fertile or stopped developing early. I candle in my interior bathroom, no window, so it it pitch black. I use a very high powered LED flashlight. I can never see veining just the shadow. If they have developed correctly by day 18 all I can see is the air cell. If the rest of the egg is not solid black, I don't expect it to hatch.

 

[pinkchick]

TurkeyMountain~ Beautiful EGGS!

WELCOME BACK ILLIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rebecca!


Yay! Lots of new peeps around in here!!!!!! If I have forgotten to give a BIG OL' WARM Marans lovers Welcome to anyone please forgive me and WELCOME!!!!!!!!

This is one of the fastest moving threads I've ever seen and sometimes a person just can't keep up.

 

[geebs]

Pinkchick's comment about set it and forget it Ronco method is good but if you are not of the "Ron Popiel methidology" like me then:

Surefire makes a flashlight that could see through LEAD. It is a great little pocket pal... A little on the spendy side but definetly worth the purchase if you are an embryo hound... (I just gotta look in those darkies)

You have too much patience Pinkchick... I bet you even wait till Christmas to open presents!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
LoL! We don't exchange Christmas presents in my family (not because of religious beliefs either) we just celebrate the day together with a huge dinner, but believe you me if there were presents under my tree I would be shaking and rattling Jan! I'm not that patient!

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Some good lookin' girls!

I'll get some photos in ooh an hour. I've got a photo of my most recently passed away cockerel, Maple. I think a couple people here may remember him and his "feminine" name. He was HUUGE and VERY mature looking at 4 months. He was amazing! He looked 1 year old. . . But eventually his laziness, eagerness to attack my heels, and not so promising egg color in his genes got him to be in the freezer camp. I must admit, although he had a wonderful, deep looking chest - Once dressed, it was all feather and no meat. The Araucanas actually have more breast meat than him, and are 6 pounds smaller.

Now all I have left for Black Copper cockerels is Cacao, a cockerel I hatched from Wynette, and two unnamed cockerels from Cree Farms. (Bev Davis lines) - VERY excited for those two boys! One is the sweetest, tamest, most laid-back cockerel I have ever known. Anyone can come right up to him, pet him, pick him up, feed him by hand, whatever. . . He won't spook or complain one bit.