Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[AquaEyes]

Please excuse my "newbie-ness" apparent in my question, but how different-looking are the B/B/S Marans (not B-Copper/B-Copper/S-Copper) from Jersey Giants? These two breeds are on my wish-list for the future, and I realize that the Giants are bigger, but by how much? Does anyone here have a picture of both together? They don't have to be B/B/S. I just want to get an idea of comparing them, to see if I'd easily be able to tell them apart if I kept them in the same flock. Thanks in advance. Viewing the breed threads on my wish-list favorites is a GREAT break from school work, and keep those gorgeous pictures coming.



~Chris

 

[CatKai]

Question about the Cuckoo Marans

. I just bought 4 chicks last week from an individual that got them from Estes Hatchery, 2 of them have feathers on the legs and 2 do not. The hatchery told me that none of their Marans have feathered legs. The 2 that do not, might they come in later or would they have them by now if they were going to? Of the 4 chicks, 3 had clipped wings and 1 did not. I did not get an answer about why that was and those 3 are growing in feathers to match the un-clipped one now.

Thanks,
Kim

 

[Zanna]

Would someone be so kind as to explain the combination of breeding blue copper marans/black copper marans and how/if they complement eachother. I am interested in breeding black copper marans and a lot of breeders seem to have blues as well and sometimes use them over their blacks? If this is already talked about somewhere in this thread could you please direct me there?

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
My understanding of this is that if they do not hatch with feathered shanks they DO NOT grow in later. They will always be clean legged.

 

[Bravo]

Quote:
I remember you posting those a few (dozen) pages back (this thread goes sooooo fast). The cylindrical ones, right? My 4 suet cages are headed out to the backyard to serve their originally intended purpose LOL

I agree completely about the shipped eggs...I am going to be setting 2 different breeds of eggs on Saturday that are being shipped. I was going to research a post where someone said that not turning the eggs for the first several days improved the viability of shipped eggs. Maybe they are on to something.

 

[syble]

blue and black coppers are complemetary, and you will get both by breeding them together aswell as splashes when you breed blue to blue. coppering is just another layer of color, blue/black/splashes are all part of blue breeding.

As for splinting, the easiest way i've been told to do it is bandaids and tooth picks. I wouldnt write it off for breeding untill after its fully grown. its often attributed to incubation. The way it was explained to me was it is the feather footed version of curled toes that happens with chicks based usually on heat. once splinted they are normal and usually normal toed babies are produced. something about the feather footed gene in concert with the curled toes allows for webbing. but the causes are probably the same as non feather footed birds and as such non genetic. I've seen it before with silkies and cochins. both went on to parent many normal offspring.
Sib

 

[syble]

oh and about dividers... I just took some of the hardware mesh i had about and divided my hatcher in half, or 1/4, depending on which i use. just wanted to be able to track specific eggs.
Sib

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I am a FIRM believer in SHARING. . . . . I am still experimenting. I found a good way to contain the chicks, but the air flow in the incubator was blocked too much. Some have suggested making cages out of the plastc canvas with holes in it that is found in the craft department of stores like walmart, micheals, jo anns, etc. I am thinkning about trying that next. I have tried things with bigger holes that allowed really good circulation BUT I had some chicks escape from the holes. It is AMAZING how small of a hole the fat chicks can push their bodies thru.

I like the EXCUSE for a new incubator idea. . . . I like that a lot. I am running two now. I set one batch in one for hatching and the other for the first 18 days. . . . That way you can continously hatch by moving eggs into the the hatching incubator for the last 3 days . .. move them out and move the next set in for the last 3 days, move them out and move the next set in for 3 days. OF course you have to allow a few extra days for these slow pokin marans that seem to take a day or two extra to hatch.

I hatched a batch last weekend and a batch this weekend and another is waiting to go in the hatching incubator in 10 more days. . . .

WARNING: IT CAN GET CRAZY - - VERY CRAZY - - VERY VERY VERY CRAZY if you do this. I accidently put the last set of eggs in Lockdown 2 or 3 days EARLY because I messed up when I marked all these hatches on the calendar. I am GLAD that I am not hatching anything next weekend.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I would like to place my order for a COMB like that!

Not only do I have the market on hatching cockerels, but I also have the market on the MOST UGLY combs. . .

I wish we could just order the body parts we want so that we could put the bird together the way we wanted to.

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
I would like to place my order for a COMB like that!

Not only do I have the market on hatching cockerels, but I also have the market on the MOST UGLY combs. . .

I wish we could just order the body parts we want so that we could put the bird together the way we wanted to.

What you need is a MR. Potatoehead CHICKEN!