Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

Kim, In my mink I believe a lot of the problems we are seeing in the Marans is caused by breeders that have crossed the different varieties every way possible.

My Mentor with the Buff Brahma Harold Miller of Behney & Miller fame from pennsylvania, always told me to breed within my stock and about every five year I would need to bring in some new birds for color and vitality, He always said to try and find some stock that was bred similar to what I had. Never do a complete outcross unless there was no way around doing that.

I believe the faults we are seeing are cause by mixing the colors and not keeping the off spring seperated. As long as people breed the fowl with DQ's there will always be these problems. I also believe we should test mated all of our breeders to eliminate these producers of faults. If we do some single matings and eliminate the culls we will be able to raise less and have better fowl.

I am not saying anyone can not do as they like with their Marans, but just do not spread them all over the country if they have all these faults. We can look right here on BYC and see all the new colors showing up and know that someone is mixing up a lot of genes.

I guess the main thing is for everyone to just do what they feel is best for themselves. Don

 

[Lotsapaints]

Morning everyone my eggs from "Ruth" go into lock down today so I'm hoping for the best going to try and keep my humidity at 60-65. Glad you have a plan Math it's just plain difficult to find a nursing home the horse riding club I belong to has one that we go to they think we are entertaining when we try and sing...I always wish that we had more time to visit with them. It's a nice small facility with friendly staff it's not easy caring for the elderly.

I took more pictures yesterday Splish is quite the protector he's having a difficult time when the hens are in the laying box and the others are out digging in the yard...

this is my favorite hen I love her necklace

and he sure likes to crow about his women

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
THANK YOU for responding and explaining my friend! I understand where you are coming from.....it's like your little Wade Jeane special that popped up in your last hatch, right? Man I should have had a V8!

I can see clearly now even though the rain is not gone.

Now...just because I see your point....doesn't mean that I won't continue to breed my Blues into my Black Coppers

.....I am bent on producing a very nice Black Copper male from either one of my Blue Copper males......I am sure it will take some time but I am determined to make it happen. Wish me luck even though I know you disagree with how I am going to go about it.

I love how we can all agree to disagree in this thread and talk things over without flaming tempers or uncalled for comments. This thread ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! I hope it never changes!

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
This is where you are confusing me. To breed ANY color with DQs isn't the fault of the color, it's the fault of the breeder and shoddy breeding practices. BCMs have DQs, so do any other variety/color of Marans. Neither Pink nor I were suggesting to breed a poor quality bird to any color bird, just to achieve a color. Breed type, correct conformation, egg color, and temperament should be the primary goals. Once you have two birds with the qualities you want, free of any DQs, then you can breed for the color. A black bird derived from a blue x black cross is still a Marans, and is still a black bird. So I guess here is my question; if the black bird from the previous breeding is free from DQs, and lives up to the other goals listed above, why not introduce it back into the "pure" BCM flock? I'm not being arguementative, Don, I'm just trying to see your point of view on this.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
This is where you are confusing me. To breed ANY color with DQs isn't the fault of the color, it's the fault of the breeder and shoddy breeding practices. BCMs have DQs, so do any other variety/color of Marans. Neither Pink nor I were suggesting to breed a poor quality bird to any color bird, just to achieve a color. Breed type, correct conformation, egg color, and temperament should be the primary goals. Once you have two birds with the qualities you want, free of any DQs, then you can breed for the color. A black bird derived from a blue x black cross is still a Marans, and is still a black bird. So I guess here is my question; if the black bird from the previous breeding is free from DQs, and lives up to the other goals listed above, why not introduce it back into the "pure" BCM flock? I'm not being arguementative, Don, I'm just trying to see your point of view on this.

Debbi, In my old mind you would never want to breed a Black from the Blue mating into your Black Copper. Where is Village Chicken when I need him. I am sure he can explain this to you much better than myself. Don

 

[Mountain Mel]

Quote:
THANK YOU for responding and explaining my friend! I understand where you are coming from.....it's like your little Wade Jeane special that popped up in your last hatch, right? Man I should have had a V8!

I can see clearly now even though the rain is not gone.

Now...just because I see your point....doesn't mean that I won't continue to breed my Blues into my Black Coppers

.....I am bent on producing a very nice Black Copper male from either one of my Blue Copper males......I am sure it will take some time but I am determined to make it happen. Wish me luck even though I know you disagree with how I am going to go about it.

I love how we can all agree to disagree in this thread and talk things over without flaming tempers or uncalled for comments. This thread ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! I hope it never changes!

I have much more experience in breeding cattle than chickens, but some things seem to strike me as the same. If you have too much in-breeding and crossing of "family members" such as bulls breeding their daughters, sons breeding mothers, brothers breeding sisters, etc...you end up with some real funky looking cows in the pasture. I feel like I see some of the same thing in pictures I have seen on BYC. It seems to me that there are quite a few folks out there who are crossing different birds - looking to come up with god-knows-what and when these strange looking birds come out (they are all cute when they are babies) people are too attached to them to cull what should be culled and then they end up with a mixed up flock of god-knows what and the whole thought of purity in lines or any attempts at SOP go out the window. Then if they sell or otherwise distribute these birds or their eggs into the public sector they are only doing irreperable damage to chickendom.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
THANK YOU for responding and explaining my friend! I understand where you are coming from.....it's like your little Wade Jeane special that popped up in your last hatch, right? Man I should have had a V8!

I can see clearly now even though the rain is not gone.

Now...just because I see your point....doesn't mean that I won't continue to breed my Blues into my Black Coppers

.....I am bent on producing a very nice Black Copper male from either one of my Blue Copper males......I am sure it will take some time but I am determined to make it happen. Wish me luck even though I know you disagree with how I am going to go about it.

I love how we can all agree to disagree in this thread and talk things over without flaming tempers or uncalled for comments. This thread ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! I hope it never changes!

I have much more experience in breeding cattle than chickens, but some things seem to strike me as the same. If you have too much in-breeding and crossing of "family members" such as bulls breeding their daughters, sons breeding mothers, brothers breeding sisters, etc...you end up with some real funky looking cows in the pasture. I feel like I see some of the same thing in pictures I have seen on BYC. It seems to me that there are quite a few folks out there who are crossing different birds - looking to come up with god-knows-what and when these strange looking birds come out (they are all cute when they are babies) people are too attached to them to cull what should be culled and then they end up with a mixed up flock of god-knows what and the whole thought of purity in lines or any attempts at SOP go out the window. Then if they sell or otherwise distribute these birds or their eggs into the public sector they are only doing irreperable damage to chickendom.

Mel, it is much easier for the Farmer to see all this, thanks for the comment. Don

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I have much more experience in breeding cattle than chickens, but some things seem to strike me as the same. If you have too much in-breeding and crossing of "family members" such as bulls breeding their daughters, sons breeding mothers, brothers breeding sisters, etc...you end up with some real funky looking cows in the pasture. I feel like I see some of the same thing in pictures I have seen on BYC. It seems to me that there are quite a few folks out there who are crossing different birds - looking to come up with god-knows-what and when these strange looking birds come out (they are all cute when they are babies) people are too attached to them to cull what should be culled and then they end up with a mixed up flock of god-knows what and the whole thought of purity in lines or any attempts at SOP go out the window. Then if they sell or otherwise distribute these birds or their eggs into the public sector they are only doing irreperable damage to chickendom.

Mel, it is much easier for the Farmer to see all this, thanks for the comment. Don

I see it and I understand it! But seriously it comes down to a person being educated about the creature they choose to breed and being responsible in their breeding practices...regardless of the type of animal one is breeding.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Lotsa~

I love him!

 

[snowbird]

Just a comment for the Blue Birchen and Birchen lovers. Has anyone thought about crossing a Iowa Blue into the Marans. I know with all the new colors showing up on BYC people are going out of the Marans breed to make some of these new colors. Will say this I am a believer in straight Marans and not cross breeding with other breeds.

For someone that is not a purist I believe the Iowa Blue would be a great help to making the silver blue. Just a thought. Don