Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

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Kathy~
Nothing wrong with that at ALL my dear!!! I appreciate people who just raise them for the dark eggs.... IMO they contribute just as much knowledge and info on this breed as people who breed toward the standard..... to me both sides of the coin are just as important.

I think of it as being like the production red vs. the show quality RIR. The production red is an important layer of brown eggs, being very very good at it. Breeders of Marans who have dark eggs as a goal are providing a handy backyard bird. No, it's not the same as a bird bred to the standard. But neither is a production red.

So long as people are clear about what their birds are when they sell them, I'm OK with it.

Very well put and I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[kathyinmo]

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I will have nice dark eggs, and that is what I want!

Kathy, I see you working with other breeds of poultry and thought how nice it was that you had an interest in more than one breed. It disappoints me that you are only interested in the Marans for the egg color.

That is just the point. I am "working," with other breeds and will continue to work on them. It takes up alot of pen space. I give up on working on Marans to conform to the proposed SOP. I have spent hundreds (probably a thousand or more) in eggs, and have yet to get any descent start to the Marans. So, for now, I will just have to be happy with nice dark eggs only, and let you all work on them.

 

[snowbird]

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I think of it as being like the production red vs. the show quality RIR. The production red is an important layer of brown eggs, being very very good at it. Breeders of Marans who have dark eggs as a goal are providing a handy backyard bird. No, it's not the same as a bird bred to the standard. But neither is a production red.

So long as people are clear about what their birds are when they sell them, I'm OK with it.

Very well put and I couldn't agree with you more.

I just have one comment, Has anyone ever saw an add for Marans eggs that says they are bred for egg color only ?

 

[Organics North]

Wow you guys are amazing!
What a resource..

I will take pics and post.
Greebs also suggested taking pics of the females too.

These birds are pullets and cockerels at about 15 weeks.

Will be back..
ON

 

[Wynette]

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Don~ I'm not following you, sorry. What do you mean by interested in the complete Marans? Are you referring to a person that is breeding for everything at once?

There are very few people that really care about the Marans type and breeding to a Standard. They are only interested in breeding a chicken that lays dark eggs and could care less what the bird looks like as long as it lays a Dark. To me the egg color is important but also the Marans type is important. Breeding for egg color alone is what has gotten the Marans in the mess they are in now. I guess you can tell I don't like this subject.

Don, I agree with you for the most part - but to say that "there are very few people that really care abou tthe Marans type and breeding to a standard" is just bullhockey. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's my opinion - FWIW.

I don't find a darn thing wrong with folks breeding simply for egg color - and as far as ever seeing Marans advertised that actually comes right out & says they are breeding for egg color only - buyer beware, always. You need to do your research as a customer. Asking lots of questions is a start, and not buying from a breeder that "doesn't have pictures" of their stock is an extremely good practice to follow. I, like Kathy, have spent a good bucket of $ on hatching eggs & stock. I learned quickly that not all "breeders" are in it to improve the breed, and began doing much, much more research before buying. The onus is on the BUYER to do the research. If you end up with crappy birds, sorry, but to me that says you didn't do enough research or ask enough questions.

 

[Debbi]

I sure hope no one's hackles are getting ruffled here with this subject, it was not my intention. Also, I see nothing wrong with only wanting them for the dark eggs. I don't show, I never have, chickens anyway. If I ever do breed something show worthy, I may give it a shot, but that's a looong way off. Seems even the French have this difference of opinion, and breed specifically for dark egg layers, while the others breed for conformation/color. I don't see anything wrong with expecting to have BOTH qualities in the same birds, and intend to aim my breeding towards that end. Somewhere along the line, someone must've come up with some birds that fit that description or there never would have been a French SOP in the first place encompassing an egg color standard and a conformational standard in one bird. I'm sure other breeds have come up against this very thing. Some may have overcome it, some may have ignored it, and some may have developed two categories like the French did. When I bred, showed and trained Dobermans back in the 80s, it was all the rage to breed pretty, over angulated dogs that were afraid of their own shadow. The breed had originally been devised to be a utilitarian breed to use with livestock and as a protector. Frankly, they were butt ugly in the very beginning, but did their jobs well. When they started becoming popular, people didn't need the aggressivness of the originals, and poodle-ized them into pretty little things. I wanted both! I wanted first and foremost, soundness of body and temperament. I wanted good looks AND courage. I wanted brains and beauty. I ended up with several outstanding dogs. My greatest award came from an old time breeder at a fun match. This was a well known breeder of her time, and she had raised a multitude of dual purpose dogs. She gave my male (of my breeding) Best in Show (he was 9 months old), and said he was the best example of the breed she'd EVER seen. She had no idea who I was, nor what his breeding was. The "money crowd" was there with their new crop of beautiful "poodles", and were snubbed by this judge. You should've heard the gasps in the crowd when she pinned my dog! It was priceless, and I will never forget it. The judge came up to me after the show, shook my hand, and gave me her written critique of the dog. I don't know how I got on that tangent, but my point was, you cna have both qualities in the same bird, given time and effort... IF that is what you want to do!

 

[Wynette]

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[Debbi]

Wynette,

I agree with you and Don both. I can see both sides of this coin, being a virtual outsider trying to get in. I'm pretty sure, most, if not all, started out buying eggs and chicks willy-nilly before the light bulb went on. I know it did with me, and without forums like this, I may very well still be fishing in the dark. The point is, the ones that do care to learn, will. The ones that don't, won't. There are a lot of folks out there that will sell anything to anyone and don't care what they get, as long as they get their $$$. There are a lot of people though, thankfully, that do care, and are trying their best to improve the breed for the future generations. Lots of them are right here! The bigger the facilities, the faster you will make improvements. The smaller facilities, well, it will take more time, but I believe we all want what's right for the breed, and will try to improve as we can. These kinds of dicussions, I find very helpful. Without critiques, we all just have chickens and not the specific breed and the properties that exemplify that breed. Knowledge is power! I want to thank all here that have helped me learn and pointed me in the right direction!!

 

[Wynette]

DITTO, Debbi!

I also wanted to mention quickly that when you speak with potential breeders, ALWAYS ask them what they're working on in their breed pens. If you find a breeder that tells you their stock is "finished" and needs no work, RUN! A responsible breeder will be open to telling you anything that they've seen in their pens, and things they've bred out in the past. To me, it's a given. I tell folks what I'm working on even if they don't ask! I don't want anyone to hatch stock from me and then be disappointed to find that they have a characteristic that may not have appeared in the pictures in my auctions, or what have you. Being willing to tell & show what you're working on is also helpful to others, in that - ESPECIALLY in this thread - many of us have gone through that already and can give awesome feedback on how to correct it.

 

[gvntofly05]

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I'll give that a

too!