Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi

I have test mated my line of wheatens and breed only from birds carrying the correct genes for leg feathering, I haven't had any clean legged birds for a few years. Maybe this will help you in selecting the birds responsible for the clean legs. The male might have one set of genes for the feathering and one set for the clean legs.

Bev

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi

Nice looking black coppers, as you say you have got the color right. I am really envious of your birchen, she is beautiful and I love the lacing. WOW!!!!! Has she laid an egg yet? The silver gene is dominant, where her parents black coppers, it's very strange if they were? Now you have my interest! Gosh, she is a beauty!

Bev

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi

That's a nice egg from a white Marans. I have often wondered why the egg from a lighter colored bird isn't as dark as a black copper. I have asked the genetic experts and they say there isn't a link between egg and feather color but I am not sure.

Bev

Thank you...from you that means alot! I'll tell Snowball as I cant take any credit!

Do you have whites? I wonder where the guy I bought the chicks from got the white eggs from????

Hi

I was working on a white line but my husband had to let them go while I was in England looking after my father, he couldn;t manage to look after all the lines. However, I am getting some back in the spring from my original line so will carry on working on them. It was so hard getting the egg color darker with that line for some reason. I have noticed that the splash don't lay as dark an egg as their sibling blues.

Bev

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Hi criker99, The hen is a young french black copper pullet named Cheepa. Here is a few pics of her awhile back. She is a real sweetie.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/45258_cheepa.jpg

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/45258_cheepa3.jpg

GIRLFRIEND, we have to talk.
Nice looking hen ! I live 5 - 10 minutes from you. Why aren't you sharing a few of them DARK eggs with me ? ? ? ?

What blood lines is that hen from ? ? ?

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Love this Birchen. I have never seen one before. Are they rare ? ? ? ?

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Love this Birchen. I have never seen one before. Are they rare ? ? ? ?

Hi

Yes, they are. I did work on a birchen line for years and gave it up but have recently developed another but they haven't got that nice lacing.

Bev

 

[math ace]

Somebody asked about marans as mothers - - -

One of my four marans went broody around age 6 months. She hatched the clutch - - -accidently killed the first two, third was fine, and fourth never hatched.

The other three marans NEVER have been broody and they are around 10 months old.

The mommy maran did not do a great job raising the chick. For the first two weeks, she did ok. After that, she was over the mommy experience and wanted to go back to her flock. GRANTED, this could of been because she was young and it was her first hatching.

I am raising some speckled sussex and partridge rocks to try hatching the next set of eggs with.

 

[geebs]

Bev: All I had in the pen that I was collecting was Black Copper... that is why I asked... I cant imagine where this came from... But it happened in my Black copper pen... You tell me.. I would like a repeat performance in a male!!!! You don't think the lacing goes down the neck too far??? I lost a rooster over the winter and I wonder if he was the one responsible for 1/2 and that is why I haven't seen it again. Man she is a looker... What happens if I breed her back to black copper? Will I get black copper with hidden genes again???? I don't keep any other kind of males... Her egg color I will determine in a day or two... I just separated the flock today for my friend... We left her by herself sterile till we figure out what she is good for if anything. I sure like her shape. I had two males in the pen she was from... (a mistake I found out)... It was a storage issue and either was a good choice for what we were doing... but now...I don't know which did it. If it doesn't show up again... I can only guess. Thanks for the compliments everyone... I truley love this place to share and learn...

 

[cpartist]

Geebs....you and Pinkchick have such beautiful birds and eggs...must be something magical in the air or water up there in the PNW

.

Keep the pics coming....we love pics and all your insights!

 

[geebs]

There is!!! It is a magical place!!! Cpartist

and thanks!!!!