Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[fowlman01]

Quote:
No, I didn't think they would win, I just wanted to enter something to get an idea of where they "stood" in comparison to other BCM eggs. I knew that they were lighter than normal since the girls are winding down on laying and/or painting their eggs.

This is a photo of one of the three darker, pointed end, eggs that took Second Place and Overall but apparently all three weren't exactly the same size/shape/color. I also can't ever take a decent photo - they flash out too much and look off on color or too light:

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x204/chicklady/eggs2-1.jpg

I didn't take a photo of the lighter set of eggs that actually won but they were pretty oval with no real pointed end/round end that you could distinquish. And they were more of a reddish brown instead of a chocolate brown like the above eggs.

All eggs came from different birds and since almost all are "off" on laying/quality this time of year - I didn't think I was going to get even one set of three to submit but got enough at the last minute for two totally different "looks" and spent $36 dollars overnighting them to someone who took them to the show for me (thanks so much Donna).

I'm still waiting on the Marans Group to post some pictures from the show.

Congratulations Ruth!

Walt

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
It will grow up and look like this

I guess it's a Silver Cuckoo though I had another one hatch without any color on the wings and she's a white girl very beautiful....she has a feather with the cuckoo barring on the very end but other than that she's white. The roo is interesting right now as he's feathering in almost looks blue he's pretty.

 

[tracyork]

Quote:
Thanks for the input. I will try to get a better picture of them, but it's awfully hard when they are all running in different directions! I was afraid I was only seeing one that was significanty darker, and hoping to be wrong about that. It would be about my luck!

Of the wheatens, I saw some discussion that the males have black spot on the wing. Originally, I thought maybe I had one of each in those, but they are both looking pretty similar now, with more of a light grey color on the wing. Any thoughts on that?

I also had a couple of genetics questions:
How does the feathered leg trait work? 5 of the 7 have it
I was also wondering about the potential negative aspects that can come up from wheatens that are produced as recessive sports from a cuckoo or BCM line. I assume they hold a double recessive gene for that color to display it, so if they were bred with another wheaten the offspring would be all wheaten in color, but other incorrect things, controlled by other genes might show up?

Just curious, I'm not sure that I would ever go down that road, but I like to understand it. And if I pass them on to someone else, I would like to be able to inform them as well.

Thanks,
Tracy

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
Thanks for the input. I will try to get a better picture of them, but it's awfully hard when they are all running in different directions! I was afraid I was only seeing one that was significanty darker, and hoping to be wrong about that. It would be about my luck!

Of the wheatens, I saw some discussion that the males have black spot on the wing. Originally, I thought maybe I had one of each in those, but they are both looking pretty similar now, with more of a light grey color on the wing. Any thoughts on that?

I also had a couple of genetics questions:
How does the feathered leg trait work? 5 of the 7 have it
I was also wondering about the potential negative aspects that can come up from wheatens that are produced as recessive sports from a cuckoo or BCM line. I assume they hold a double recessive gene for that color to display it, so if they were bred with another wheaten the offspring would be all wheaten in color, but other incorrect things, controlled by other genes might show up?

Just curious, I'm not sure that I would ever go down that road, but I like to understand it. And if I pass them on to someone else, I would like to be able to inform them as well.

Thanks,
Tracy

this is a picture of 3 of the chicks the one that looks all yellow is the White pullet she's beautiful getting close to point of lay the other 2 are cockerels one was yellow with a touch of gray in the wings at first and then feathered out with the cuckoo pattern. Your darkest chicks are pullets they have only one copy of the cuckoo gene as it's sex linked males have 2. The yellow chicks look very much like Golden Cuckoos too at hatch though I've never had Goldens with that much yellow on them...I was hoping that I had a Golden from that hatch when I saw that chick...

Here's another of him last week those feathers that look white are barred poor bird I'm always catching him and looking at his feathers I cannot wait for him to finish

I'm hoping that the tail feathers stay all dark but I can never tell that those tail feathers are going to turn white until they are 6 months old at least

 

[tracyork]

And here I thought I had some idea of what was going on! I guess all I can do is wait and see what they develop into. Of the two yellow chicks, one was darker than the other originally. They are pretty similar now, but I can still tell them apart because only one has the feathered leg.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, . . . Had to go to class today and it rained all day yesterday. I will go do it now - - Just for ya'll.

 

[Davlyn]

Very nice, cute chicks. Looking at all those chicks & beautiful chickens I am not sure I can wait till spring. Ahhh, but I must , I need another coop if I get more. My carpenter refuses to do any chicken coop work. I asked him if he would put a deck on mine for my babies... " He laughed & said no " . Shhhh ~~ DH is not a good carpenter~ so another coop.

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
I'd put my bators away and was absolutely, NO WAY, going to hatch this fall. Raising babies in winter is not my cup o' tea! But...I got to thinking about how these babies hatched now would be laying in spring rather than summer...and it changed my mind. So - eggs are in the bator yet again! Woot! I think today's day 10 - have to check calendar at home - and candling tonight!! Cross your fingers for a good hatch, my friends!

 

[BevDavis]

Quote:
Hi

The yellow chicks may be carrying the recessive wheaten gene but they are also carrying the barring gene as well. It would be nice to see some pictures as they grow. The way to tell if a chick is carrying the barring gene is the yellow dot on it's head but you can't see it with a chick that hatches yellow.

Bev

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
It's an addition I tell ya...I have some in mine too and I have a good excuse for later I need to see if my Cuckoos are carrying the recessive white so I'll be hatching this winter some will be pure but the only white rooster I have is a White Rock so I'll have some pretty birds whatever color they hatch out....