Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Ivywoods]

This first hatch is going to be "anybody's guess" but I am seriously considering crossing my one roo that has way too much coppering with some hens that are too dark.

I eliminated him from the hen pen because of the extra copper on his breast, but otherwise he is a pretty nice bird...... what to do? what to do? Anyway, I'll see what I get with this first hatch, then I may just go ahead and put this one of mine that is "too orange" and see what I get.

How long do I need to wait between roos to be sure that the eggs are fertilized by the second rooster?

I need to buy some legbands.

 

[geebs]

My husband was a crew chief on a C-130 and they dropped all kinds of things... One of them was agent orange....That is a GREAT Name for a rooster... LOVE IT>>>

I know what you are saying SNOWBIRD, but I am a slave to the egg.. That bird was a pullet at the time the picture was taken.. I will go out and look deeply at the other one...The one I have left.. Did she have all black as an adult.. IDK.. I will look at this one though... I can say my pullet that was very mossy... has no brown... I did look at her and photographed her also.... She is all black even underneath...

 

[Debbi]

Ok, with all the talk about the brown fluff and mossy coloring, is it then really the BCM that lays the darkest eggs? Orrrrr, is it the Wheatons? Seems to me the wheaton gene thing keeps popping up in the feather coloring, that then in turn leads to the darker eggs. Am I getting this right? Golder hackles, red in the breast on roos, white legs, leads to the mossy factor? Or does the mossy factor have nothing to do with the wheaton gene?

Which came first, the BCM or the Wheaton?? Maybe the Wheaton coloring came first and the BCM was the sport, but how could that be? My mind is on other things tonight, but this came to my mind, and needs clarification! And...I'm spent

 

[chickenguru]

When I first got marans I didn't know anything about them. Now I have a few
and I still don't know a whole lot about them as far as them being up to
the standards. I had 2 good sized roos, and I kept the one that did at least have a tail.
I just liked the coloring of the one I kept although he does have a point on his comd
that is bent over. The hens don't mind him at all.
The first picture is the roo I got rid of and the last two pics are of the roo I kept. The roo I kept
did not want to pose for the camera and I have not gotten anymore pics yet.

 

[geebs]

Debbi BCM lay the darkest... The darker of the bcm are the mutts with mossy etc... Although I have a couple of cutie pies but as a rule my darkest layers had poor conformation which I was able to correct in a subsequent breeding.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Ok, that's what I've seen all over the place. But, where does the mossy come from? Is it the wheaton gene?

Let me add this question. Is the wheaton gene possibly in with the BCM as in stacking of genes? If so, how does it totally go away, and if it does breed out, does that affect the egg color? Am I wrong in assuming the extra red in BCMs is coming from the Wheaton gene?

 

[Debbi]

chickenguru

Hello!

Your second roo looks way more promising! Good call!

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
Oh my goodness,........................Now I'm looking for mossy birds that lay dark eggs....LOL
Just kidding ladies but that would be A okay with me I would just send them to the layer pen & keep their prettier siblings to try to improve what I have. Such dreams have we...........................

 

[Mahonri]

Well, I'm getting BCM educated.
Guess I'll keep both, then come after my New Years Hatch I'll see if I have anything worth keeping.

Hoping someday to replace all my FBCMs with W/BW Marans. Illia has me sold on them. SO BEAUTIFUL... and I know how to breed wheatens.

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Non-crowing.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5138209633_bc01d12287_z.jpg

Perched

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5146539339_9d11b6f5ae_z.jpg

Exposing his white underfluff in the tail base, which makes him look ugly . . .

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4108/5129629513_5ce2e4f237_z.jpg

He still looks a bit shallow underneath to me.

Walt