Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[criker99]

So I know this is awhile ago, but I am in the general Olympia, WA area and my daughter and I want to work on a project that records an improvement of the breed and changes as a 4H project (breeding project not showing project). We really wanted to do golden cuckoos, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. My Point: I am willing to drive and meet and swap if it is still needed in this area, particularly if I can pick up some fabulous examples of the breed to start our project with ... and/or eggs that we can incubate to get started with.

 

[geebs]

Why isn't golden cuckoo in the cards... Do you need some eggs?

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Wait at least until after the 4-6 month molt. The white feathers are the major fault in my Black Copper and I have culled anything with a white area this year and will single mate all and try to find anyone that is producing white feathers and cull.

Thank you Don,

I seem to manage to find things wrong with all the roos and this was a biggie for me. So far the ones I have wrestled and looked at have that white on the base of the feathers, some more than others. There are about 5 more to look through.

And thanks PinkChick.

 

[elite8]

Ok Marans fans. Never had BCM's before. I found an ad on craigslist and picked a few up. Supposedly from a good bloodline. Five cockerels and a pullet...oh well. Two of them started looking really weird. They had white hackles. Never heard of Birchens before. Is that what these in the pic are? Due to a recessive gene? Other than the obvious, what is the difference when compared to a regular BCM? Right now I am trying to pick out one of the cockerels to protect the hens of my main flock. Not for breeding. Another question. Some of them have a lot of feathers on their legs and some have much less. Can there be too many feathers? I would still like to get one that is close to standard. Anything wrong with this other guy? He has a deformed wattle but I kind of like his personality. No hormones yet though...we'll see.

Thanks ahead of time

 

[allanimals21]

ok so this is gonna be loaded. Here are the Marans I got this weekend. Not the best pics but I wanted to get somebody with knowledge to see them one way or another.

This is what I was told is a Black Tail Buff Hen

Now she told me this is a Black Tail Buff Roo. He is the same age as the rest of the roos in my pics here and he/she don't look like a roo to me?

Really bad pic but this is my Blue Copper Roo. They were hatched in April I believe she said.

This is Stanley my Birchen roo. Again not the best pic

This is Stanley's eye. Good coloring?

Can't tell if this is a hen or roo. She sold me this one saying she wasn't sure.

This one she wasnt sure either. When I got them home and looked I think its a roo.

Group photo. White hen in front.

So be brutally honest. How did I do?

 

[Hennypen]

Do BCM have any lacing in the back feathers like this?

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
The white look very nice from what I can see, the Blue Copper are crossed with another breed as they have vulture hocks. The Buff bt seem to look ok also.The white male in a picture with a white female has the best tail angle I have seen on a white male.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
This is what they call Mossy and is a major Fault.

 

[allanimals21]

Quote:
The white look very nice from what I can see, the Blue Copper are crossed with another breed as they have vulture hocks. The Buff bt seem to look ok also.The white male in a picture with a white female has the best tail angle I have seen on a white male.

So my two roos aren't pure Marans? That bites. Guess I got taken on those guys. What do you think the bird in picture 6 is? Hen or Roo? I think hen but it has a larger comb than the other hens. But it doesn't have the saddle feathers and the high tail like the roo. I thought my white Roo was a pretty boy. His name is Larry. lol

 

[snowbird]

Yes, I agree it is a white pullet that looks to be getting ready to start laying.