Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[onthespot]

Keithallen, I like your roo. I'd use him if he was here. I'd like to see his wing stretched out so you could see the flights, how they look up closer to where the feather shaft is bare. Lot of ince looking roos running around with quite a bit of white hid out there, including my own roosters, in case you thought I was casting stones. I'm not. Just wondering how much white a nice roo like that, from an #8 egg has hiding out there in his wing. I like your roo. I could pick him apart, like I could my own, but I'd rather not. I'd just like him just fine the way he is if he was here. Thanks for sharing.

 

[geebs]

Hi Onthespot!!!!

Debbi.... I would assume if he is mounting.. he is doing the deed...Just me... You need to separate the pullets and cockerels except for the ones you are wanting mated... Now it is 5 weeks till I would trust an egg...

 

[cpartist]

Hi Geebs and Debi

...I'm on the EST, and up by 6, but I don't sleep much

So I'll join the party for a bit.

keithallen1965 ...Nice looking roo! Very nice hen. Just overall pleasing to look at. Agree with
Geebs on the tail, disagree on the shank coloring, I think it's fine... (we all have our personal preferences)
once the standard is set we can breed to that. I think his hackles might be a tad light, but the girl
behind him looks to have what he needs.

I got my first egg from the "baby" pen today. It was lying on the coop floor broken...but I'm still
pretty jazzed. I think it's from one of my Blue Copper's babies, as mama was an early layer.
These girls turned 20 weeks on Thursday, but have had bigger red combs for 3 weeks.

It's not as dark as mama's first (above), but she's been crossed to a totally unrelated and different line,
I've heard how you can lose color by doing this, and am not sure what the roo is contributing,
color-wise, so I'm kinda pleased, but not super pleased...if you know what I mean. I've never
gotten a splotchy one like this, but maybe when her "paint jets" get their "groove on" the color
will even out to an overall dark

.

Also, I have a 19 week old Blue Copper with my W/BW Ameraucanas...she was hatched under
a broody with them. My broody hatched birds are not nearly as friendly, hop in your lap, as bator
hatched birds that I handle often. It is so much easier just to let Mama's do the work, but they
are more shy than hand raised. That's why I thought this girl was non-shank feathered and I was
going to leave her with the Ameraucanas to produce Olive Eggers. I've just seen her close up...
she has at least one feather on each leg. She also has better coppering coming in then my other
Blue Coppers.

and is looking to have an "open tail"... she's flashin' ya Don

So should I put her in the Marans pen? I ask myself WWGD (what would geebs do?)

And Debi...Fuglee is a total horn dog

 

[Debbi]

cpartist ,

I really like your Blue Copper girl!! Nice little "panties" on her too! Yes, Fuglee is a horn dog!

I couldn't believe my eyes

He kind of puts me to mind of that Jethro Tull song, "Aqua Lung"

Geebs,

Nowhere to seperate the cockerels from the pullets yet. Trying to wait till "my guys" get done with some building projects so they can get started on the big coop! Hopefully, he is too crippled to really get on the pullets, but if he does manage, at least I'll get some eating eggs. He sure was giving it his best shot! I think he's getting nervous about the 4 other cockerels coming into his harem, and he can pick out the boys! All 3 of his girls are checking out the nest boxes too. I won't hold my breath, and will try to wait patiently for that first egg! This is as bad if not worse than waiting on the eggs to hatch!

 

[pinkchick]

WoW! Welcome to the Marans thread NEW PEEPS! Glad to have you all here with us!

Hi Keith! It's been a while since we've seen you around these parts! Good to see ya!

CP~

I know exactly what you should do with her............that's right you guessed it, get that girl on the first flight over here STAT!!!!! I showed her photo to my Mr. Bill and now she's all he can think of..........

I have a blue cpr gal that has one feather on each shank, she is in the breeding pen because of her lovely egg, her type, eye color and her blue color, the feathered shank thing doesn't hold me back one bit. Of course I want all nicely feather shanked kiddos but when a bird has other nice qualities to lend, I will over look other smaller and somewhat easier to correct faults or issues and go on from there.

Congrats on your lovely little speckled egg...bummer that it was all smashed.

 

[pinkchick]

Ummmmmm..........it's like waaaaaaaaaay toooooo QUIET in here folks. It's a little spooky!

 

[geebs]

ya no kidding... I throw a party and no one shows up... Kinda creeped me out... (I had to smell my armpits and throw in a tic tac)... But that didn't help either....So I guess everyone is at church!!! Don't know what all they were doing on a Saturday night but I guess it was a good night since no one was holed up at their computers... Must have been some real action!!!

I knocked off early and got some sleep for a change... It sure beat dancing with myself!!! lol

 

[Debbi]

Well, I'll join the party for a bit. I have GOT to mow the yard, the grass is taking over...still.

Ok, all you hatchers in here, what do you set your humidity at for Marans eggs?? I just read something that said they need low humidity, and should not be hatched like other eggs? Never heard that before, and maybe that is where my problems with my hatches are stemming from. Any advice, please??

 

[pinkchick]

To give us all something to talk about I thought that I would post a few photos of some birds that were/are culls and I am not going to say why I culled them (well one of them is pretty darn obvious...lol), I would like to hear what you all have to say and your thoughts.

Seeing things through other eyes is very educational for me.

 

[geebs]

Geebs is thinking you better bring that pullet to the show for her!!! (you probably already offed it huh??)

Eye color length of back. what else???