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I may be starting a can of worms - - - so all the regulars on BYC can feel free to correct me, BUT be GENTLE, I mean no HARM or OFFENSE. . .
In the US, there have been 4 well know breeders who started the Marans ball rolling - - Bev Davis, Ron Presley, R Valentine, and Wade Jean. I have listed the names alphbetically by FIRST NAME, not by preference - - - OK.
Now each line has good points and bad points (called faults). There is not a PERFECT line out there . . . . To me there is more value given to a line that has been kept pure - - like pure Jean or pure Presley. So, the first thing I would find out is if Bargin's stock is PURE Wade Jean.
Now you will have to ask around on Wade's lines - - - There is a C1 line and a C2 line. I don't know the difference, but those on here that are Jean fans will know. Some of Jean's lines DO NOT MIX well - - so knowing which line they are from is important.
Currently, I could purchase pure Presley marans for $6 a chick - straight run and min of 10.
A 7 months ago, I paid $10 for my
month old PURE Bev Davis roo.
A year ago, I paid $7 for my week old Davis / Presley mix pullets - - not a straight run.
I too live in an area where no one has them, but everyone wants them. At our local swaps, there is one lady who comes up from central Florida and sells Jean marans. She brings egg shells with her to the swaps and has pictures of the parents. Clearly, her intent is not to rip people off.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who have tried to get rich selling marans. They have not done careful breeding and have even mixed other breeds in with their marans stock. They don't practice selective breeding. They let a handful of roosters run loose with a pile of hens and they don't know who breed who OR if it was a complementry coupling.
So my bottom line is until you know you have some really good looking birds who are laying some really dark eggs - - - be very fair in the pricing. You don't want to burn your customers. You want them to pass good words about you and keep coming back for more. The young chicks that are pure breed - - - you could do for $5 or $6 each - - straight run and the eggs were DARK. Lower price if the eggs were only a 4 or 5 in color darkness !
The older chicks (older than a month) add $2 per month for cost of feed.
By the time they reach 4 months, you should be able to start culling the ones that you don't want. REMEMBER, these are your rejects - - so you should reach a price that a common breed POL hen in your area would be going for . . . .because these should be consider LAYING hens NOT breeding hens. You need to make sure you don't lead people on about what they are getting.
I sold my culled BCM marans roo at our swap a few months ago. He was 4 months old and I sold him for $10. I sold him at a loss because he was not good quality - - faults were apparent. A 4 month old pur breed good quality roo would go for more. THIS WAS MY REJECT - - I sold him to a lady who just wanted a barnyard roo. She was delighted that he was a marans and had no intention of showing or breeding him for show bird
GOOD LUCK - - AND VERY SORRY MY RESPONSE WAS SO LONG.
Math Ace,
That SHOULD be the ideal for every honest chicken person, no matter what breed you are talking about. But, in the real world, unfortuneatly, there are people in it for the "rare" factor, hence the "money" factor. People who don't do any or at least a little research are going to get burned by these folks! Even then, after research, there are no guarantees! Ideal is not the norm any more, sadly to say. Buyers, do YOUR HOMEWORK, check out your sources BEFORE you lay down your hard earned cash! From now on, if I want a certain and particular bloodline, if possible, I will go to the ORIGINAL breeder...period. Too many folks are out there touting this line and that line, without any proof. JMHO
