Quote:
Don~ I can say that I do not use the color chart except for determining whether or not an egg is a 4. If they are a 4 or anything more than that I keep the bird that lays it...BUT.....I look for all things considered in a breeder not just egg color. This slows the process down considerably but is the only way I have found to keep a sort of even keel in breeding and not losing everything such as type and variety color and patterns. I will gladly accept a #4 egg because it means that they are still a Marans but the norm here for my birds runs between a 4-6 with the occassional darker egg but I have never never never had an 8 or 9. I will take the slow road anyday so I don't lose everything. Breeding birds is like a marriage it takes work no matter what we started out with if we are determined to make it work.
Kim, I like a dark egg also, and would not set a real light egg under any circumstances. I see people all the time saying they have 8-9 eggs. It is really hard to tell from pictures as the camera has a lot to do with how dark. I do not have a problem with any color Marans I have as even the Cuckoo and White lay at least a 5-6 on the egg scale.
The only reason for the post was to see what people are breeding for in their Marans. I pretty much no what the regulars are going for.
Don,
I personally started my whole Marans adventure just chasing the darkest egg. That was a year & 1/2 ago. I have since then evolved to trying to breed towards conformation & SOP. Of course I am in my infancy on this & find that all of you are very willing to share your knowledge & experience but it is still difficult to get "good" birds to start with. So............... I may be a very long time getting anything that is up to standard. In the meantime anything that doesn't show promise for that goal goes to the layer pen & will not be bred or is given away or sold as pet quality only.
Don~ I can say that I do not use the color chart except for determining whether or not an egg is a 4. If they are a 4 or anything more than that I keep the bird that lays it...BUT.....I look for all things considered in a breeder not just egg color. This slows the process down considerably but is the only way I have found to keep a sort of even keel in breeding and not losing everything such as type and variety color and patterns. I will gladly accept a #4 egg because it means that they are still a Marans but the norm here for my birds runs between a 4-6 with the occassional darker egg but I have never never never had an 8 or 9. I will take the slow road anyday so I don't lose everything. Breeding birds is like a marriage it takes work no matter what we started out with if we are determined to make it work.
Kim, I like a dark egg also, and would not set a real light egg under any circumstances. I see people all the time saying they have 8-9 eggs. It is really hard to tell from pictures as the camera has a lot to do with how dark. I do not have a problem with any color Marans I have as even the Cuckoo and White lay at least a 5-6 on the egg scale.
The only reason for the post was to see what people are breeding for in their Marans. I pretty much no what the regulars are going for.
Don,
I personally started my whole Marans adventure just chasing the darkest egg. That was a year & 1/2 ago. I have since then evolved to trying to breed towards conformation & SOP. Of course I am in my infancy on this & find that all of you are very willing to share your knowledge & experience but it is still difficult to get "good" birds to start with. So............... I may be a very long time getting anything that is up to standard. In the meantime anything that doesn't show promise for that goal goes to the layer pen & will not be bred or is given away or sold as pet quality only.
