Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Illia]

To me, in Black Coppers especially, culling "hundreds" isn't a problem because, I'm sorry, but I have seen SO MANY Black Coppers ruined and pulled far away from the standard just because of the owners' or sellers' demand for a dark egg. Most Black Coppers out there are underweight, overweight, squirrel tailed, under or over coppered, golden instead of copper, have terrible combs (especially having side springs) and so on. . .

If you look at the standard, it really isn't that hard to find a bird that matches it. It's just not easy.

 

[ruth]

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Thanks Wynette - I agree. It seems that birds are being culled because they're not Blue Ribbon winners more than anything.

I just hate to see so many people who were so excited about BCMs get discouraged and turned off to them altogether because they've read all the posts on this thread and the prior thread and have come to believe that their birds will never be good enough "for the Blue Ribbon" and have decided to not even try raising BCMs.

 

[geebs]

There isn't many correct birds and until there is... the gate is narrow... It is called the standard of ___________ for a reason... Only the best of the best should represent the breed on the whole.. otherwise they would just be chocolate egg layers... like easter eggers.

 

[Debbi]

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Thanks Wynette - I agree. It seems that birds are being culled because they're not Blue Ribbon winners more than anything.

I just hate to see so many people who were so excited about BCMs get discouraged and turned off to them altogether because they've read all the posts on this thread and the prior thread and have come to believe that their birds will never be good enough "for the Blue Ribbon" and have decided to not even try raising BCMs.



Ruth ~ That may not be a bad thing! People looking for an easy fix will give up. People who try to dedicate themselves to the betterment of the breed will produce better birds. In the long run, the quality should prevail when the halfhearted propagators drop from the scene. Just my thought.

 

[ruth]

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But wasn't the "demand for a dark egg" the very thing that started it all???

The resulting birds can hardly be blamed and I just feel that now people who only wanted a dark egg and a pretty bird are getting turned off to the breed.

I still see absolutely NOTHING wrong with raising pretty birds who lay beautiful dark eggs and yet may never qualify for the show ring. I just don't want to see the joy taken out of owning these birds just for the "dark egg" and the fact that it's a nice, dual purpose bird.

 

[geebs]

Ruth Breed them for whatever you want.. this is CHICKENS not world peace or putting men on mars... A standard is being picked.. what should it be??? who knows.. we will soon know... If you are just liking the eggs then don't cull all the finery... you are likely to cull out traits that influence that...That is the great thing about chickens... you can have em your way.....Just like Burger King. If the standard doesn't matter to you.... Cull them for whatever kind of chocolate flock you want and don't worry about the rest... Send in the eggs and skip all the fooffy bird beauty pagents.

 

[Illia]

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Great point here. Especially on the Chocolate Eggers / Easter Eggers thing.

 

[Debbi]

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But wasn't the "demand for a dark egg" the very thing that started it all???

The resulting birds can hardly be blamed and I just feel that now people who only wanted a dark egg and a pretty bird are getting turned off to the breed.
I still see absolutely NOTHING wrong with raising pretty birds who lay beautiful dark eggs and yet may never qualify for the show ring. I just don't want to see the joy taken out of owning these birds just for the "dark egg" and the fact that it's a nice, dual purpose bird.

I agree, but the thing is, seeing as how the Marans has become "all the rage", some of those folks that may say they just want the dark eggs then turn around and breed culls to culls so that the breed doesn't even resemble what it should look like. Just peruse ebay, for one, and you'll see "Rare breed", "Only a few breeders can get feathered legs", "Show Quality!" (ya, at the Fair with no other Marans!), etc. Then take a good hard look at their birds. And so it goes. The standard of perfection is there for a purpose other than for showing, it is there so folks can actually see what the breed SHOULD look like. If I wanted to buy a Cadillac, and someone tried to sell me a Volkswagon saying it was the "rare" version, unless you had seen the difference before, you may not know better. Sorry, bad anaology!

When something is new, and some people see dollar sign potential in it, the breed will suffer. If people only, truely want a nice looking chicken that lays pretty dark eggs, that's fine. Sell them cull "dark egg layers" NOT Marans.

 

[geebs]

Debbi.. if it lays a #4 or better.... it is marans.. maybe not SOP but it is marans... Call em chocolate egg layers of marans type... That should work... The darker the better.. I swear the ugliest birds lay the best eggs... I think it will end up like the americauna and easter eggers... Don't worry... be happy... Can't get too strung out about what other ppl do.. Can't control the world... make up an SOP and let the general public decide... They can educate themselves once there is a standard of measure. If everyone is breeding ugly nasty looking egg layers then the competition for the ribbon hounds is a little easier

... No matter what the marans is to you what it is truely....... a tough breed to work with and I applaud everyone in their projects for whatever reason we all chose to work with this breed. breed em for blue ribbon egg and breed em for the crown... It is great to have that choice or like Ruth... Breed em just cause ya like em.. They are good food some say.. I know someone who raises the males for meat.. Good for that as well... Too each his own.

 

[Wynette]

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Ruth - I TOTALLY and 100% agree with you! I've said all along, I don't think it's a bad thing at all to simply want gorgeous eggs!! I say again, and I know many of you disagree with me - the onus is on the BUYER...BUYER BEWARE...to do your research. Ask tons of questions! If someone has gorgeous eggs and is advertising same, but you are wanting potential show stock, ask for pics of the birds! I don't think any of us should feel badly or embarrassed about what we have - you can find something useful in so many of the birds out there!