Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[geebs]

Hathor... THanks Blush blush..

I would love to comment... I went back and looked and the reason I didn't comment was that the pictures were a bit overwhelming to me...I had trouble sorting out the who's who.

Would it be possible to post a profile shot and a chest shot of each individual.. We can do this one at a time or 2 pictures of each and I can give the the merit that I see on each one. I can tell you this now though... If those are current pictures there really isn't enough to work with yet as they are not mature enough to have a final decision. I have used a different male a time or two that I would have culled early on... I was just lazy and kept them around and to my amazement they ended up being better specimens then the ones I 'tagged' for future breeding.

I would be glad to critique for you, however, It shouldn't influence you as they are not a complete picture yet.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
when i bought my birds i was told they were wade jeane line, but not until i asked. i assume the old lady was telling me the truth because she didn't have any idea what that meant, lol, and she raised a dozen varieties of birds, not a FCBM connoisseur.. i have no idea beyond what i was told. i did take pics of the eggs mine came from (quite dark, some were 6s for sure) and of the breeding flock before i bought them, if you'd like to see the ancestry. may i ask, why do you ask?

Is it possible the BC could of had some Blue Blood added. I see lacing and shafting in most of the feathers. If they have Blue Blood it would explain the Lacing.

 

[Davlyn]

E1 chickens R so beautiful. I am in awe on how wonderful all of your chickens look. Beautiful, awesome... Koodoo's to all of you

 

[ruth]

Quote:
What I mean is I haven't "worked" my line. I bought what I thought was a great line and they lay nice eggs and were representative of the French standards. That's all I was interested in at the time I bought the birds. So I've sold hatching eggs and I've sold chicks. Sometimes I have a few chicks left over after an order is filled and they are turned loose to run the farm. I haven't added them back to breeder pens.

I just bought leg bands and separated my birds into two pens so far - what I call Best of the Best, and the "Project" pen. I will further separate and actually start to "work" the line and record outcome of matings soon and legband the offspring and put them back in the breeder program. Because, as you said, my original flock will eventually get too old to lay and I will need new hatches. But I want to make sure I know which birds produced which offspring and document outcome. For example, right now my "Project" pen is a great body/type/comb roo but he has too much red on his breast. I have him in with hens that don't have much copper around the neck. I personally like lots of copper. So I'm waiting to find out if their offspring really will produce hens with more copper.

I also have a few hens with too much color going down their chest and I'm not sure who to mate them with. I'm guessing I'll put them with a roo with a solid black breast and record the outcome.

But thus far, my breeder pens have only been the original pure birds. I didn't want to add one that was running around the farm just because it looked pure when I do have lots of "mutts" running around as well. When I start adding birds back to the breeder pens I want to be sure they are pure and to know "who da daddy".

I think my case is a little different because I started with over 40 hens and 10 roosters and they were in 6 pens so I had a BIG line to start with. I'll start keeping some of my own hatches from this point forward and document results and actually start "working" the line for APA standards AND egg color/shape.

I've learned so much from all of you that I feel ready, willing and able to TRY and try again......

 

[haTHOR]

geebs--

sorry for the confusion...you should be standing in the middle of 30 birds trying to take pics...now that's really confusing, lol.

to simplify--all pics of the roo are of the single bird i *think* is the best i have got, not of multiple roos. but they are recent pics. i know i need to wait but i've got seven roos and dh is really "fed up" as they constitute about 25% of the food/water consumption and he does the feeding/watering. he wants to butcher this weekend...i have to go with the best i have right now, but i would like to know what to work on for the future.

will get more recent pics of my hens...you had seen these pics before, and they quite a bit older now. but going with your mossy question...i guess i should feel "lucky" to have two very mossy girls as i am going for egg color and have often read there is a correlation b/t mossiness and dark eggs. all my birds came from really dark eggs and i know that's where the starting point strength of the birds i have is, not SOC.

 

[VioletBlueIvy]

Hello Everyone!
I have been waiting to post a picture of my Wheaten Marans Rooster for you to critique for me and he has finally come of age! I have two little month old cockerels that I am sure will be better quality than he is, but I am just learning so maybe your input will help me learn what to look for

No need to worry about any hurt feelings either, I am just curious!

Just as an FYI I have a Silkie and an EE rooster in addition to this guy (his name is Marshmellow) and I have the two cockerels coming up too, so I guess I need to make some decisions on who ,out of the Marans, I should keep.

So here he is!

 

[geebs]

Okay... I get it...

Are you hoping to keep only one roo? I think it is a best practice to keep three with the numbers you have and also for practical purposes... Loss being one of them. The one you posted a picture of certainly would be a likely candidate.

I know it is hard to get pix when in a large group.. the hens tell you what roo to use... If you cull all of the non standard birds both male and female that will bring the numbers down and give you a manageable number... That would mean culling mossies if you are going for standard... or other option is keep three roos and work the birds... Keeping layers, and projects and show.. Three pens. There is many strategies to this.

You have to know what the goal is to design the strategy to meet it and then there are other factors....like the husband insanity factor... a biggy.

So you have a big question... One is... the goal...(Ultimate goal, short term and practical)

then there is the resources.. What availability do you have to pens, separation, brooders, incubators etc.

time frame... Do you have a time frame goal.

Then we would look at the stock and pick the best for shape and outline....
The color eggs they hatch from if you know that is a big choice make for me personally.. If I know I have a male from a Super dark 8 and then the next option is a more correct male from a 4 I would personally choose the #8 bird and correct the fault using a hen that compliments it.

I think we all like to keep our options open to a point but you do have to decide what works for you as a person and then start making choices and narrowing the field.

All that being said... What next???

(that is if you aren't boggled and blind by now) ha ha

 

[Davlyn]

Quote:
I for sure have no clue, but this Roo is awesome ! He is just beautiful. His coloring is just out of this world...

 

[geebs]

He is wheaton... out of my league..

Thanks for the picture though!!!!

 

[haTHOR]

Quote:
when i bought my birds i was told they were wade jeane line, but not until i asked. i assume the old lady was telling me the truth because she didn't have any idea what that meant, lol, and she raised a dozen varieties of birds, not a FCBM connoisseur.. i have no idea beyond what i was told. i did take pics of the eggs mine came from (quite dark, some were 6s for sure) and of the breeding flock before i bought them, if you'd like to see the ancestry. may i ask, why do you ask?

Is it possible the BC could of had some Blue Blood added. I see lacing and shafting in most of the feathers. If they have Blue Blood it would explain the Lacing.

of course i have no idea what happened before i got the birds and only have the word of the woman i bought from, so i really can't say. i know you had mentioned that before and you thought perhaps penedesenca (sp?) was in their ancestry as well. i hope not, is all i can say! gonna go with what i was told but am always open to learning more.