Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

Quote:
Geebs

go back and look - - - the hen is a rooster. Pic #1 is a hen and Pic #2 is the hen's SON. . . .

 

[flgardengirl]

No the one in the second pic is a rooster (cheepa's son lol).
Here is today's egg from Cheepa.

Here are what 2 of my Bayhorsebonnie girls have been laying. I just don't know which two. I have 5 of them.

 

[chicken stalker]

very nice...wish you had some eggs for sale.

 

[flgardengirl]

Thank you. I wish I had some eggs that are fertile

I swore no more breeding till Feb or March. I had one hen tore up with stitches and others with no back feathers. There were plenty of hens with one roo but still had problems. I am gonna divide everyone into breeding pens in the spring (here anyways) and letting the girls have a break for the winter. I want to breed my key west chickens too.

 

[HenThymes]

Quote:
Wow, thank you very much for the golden education, this has and will help allot. I plan to keep a picture diary as these two feather out each week anxiously waiting for final results. I will post as they mature and will be looking for advise as where to go next with them. I am truly enjoying this new endeavor with marans.

 

[geebs]

Nice EGGIEs.... that is what I am talking 'bout!!!! SWEEEEEEET You could just put the roo with a girl in a breeder pen two or three at a time and then put the MR> away.. they would be fertile in two days and stay that way for a couple weeks... giving you time to hatch only the ones you want to... If you gave congegal visits every day for a few days with a different hen they would all be fertile and then you could hatch as you please.. Shame to waste the darkies on cake baking!!!

Or Omlettes... What do you do with your darkies?

Math Ace... Okay.. I am a r'tard!!!!

 

[flgardengirl]

Well lately I have been smacking everyone's hands and telling them not to touch any of the dark eggs until I could get around to taking a picture of them LOL! My dd gives her boyfriend's family eggs all the time and I'm like Nooooo not those and Noooo not those either haha. Yeah we basically eat them after I'm done procrastinating. I used a bunch to make a Snickers Pie and a Recees pie on Christmas.

 

[geebs]

What a fitting dish for a chocolate EGG!!!!

 

[math ace]

My roo was being to rough on the little hens . . . .

So, he gets kicked out of the coop run in the mornings and is not allowed to return to the ladies until dust. . . .
We've been doing this for a couple of weeks and the girls seem to be handling it well . . . ..

The big chunky monkey is not so happy, but there is no trouble getting him to return to the coop at dust

He runs his butt there just as fast as his legs will carry him!

 

[VillageChicken]

flgarden -
About Columbian gene - since your roo is a sport, he likely carries just one copy of Co, it is dominant. It is not really visible on the Birchen allele. In theory the Birchen allele nulllifies the normal effect of pushing black to the extremities - wingtips, hackle and tail (like Delawares). Though I've read that the Dutch use Co in BCM to control overmelanization, genetic theory says it doesn't do anything. So our BCM can carry Co and we don't know if it makes any difference in the formation of the ideal SOP bird!

On the Wheaten allele you try to re-create the "Ermine", or the silver version of Blacktailed Buff. Basically like a Silver Sussex, all white with black in the hackle stripe, tail and wingtip.

You would need the silver from Birchens. That's the only unbarred silver based Marans. But it would be really hard to segregate the Co gene from a Birchen cross because it would be invisible on the dominant Birchen allele. It would take 3 generations and 16, 32, then 64 birds to get the right genetic combination for pure silver columbian! And that is if you happen to select the right birds that are carrying Co.