Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[FireTigeris]

My bbys are all grown up... not adult moult (yet) critique otherwise?

 

[nivtup]

Looks like they have potential. It will be some time before final determination can be made.

If anything, I would want some darker coppering in the neck / hackle. This may change with time. It looks like saddle feathers are just starting to show, you should see more color develop there and in the shoulders of the rooster.

 

[geebs]

I thought those were Monique's birds as well (ruth) Thanks for the shoutout everyone... My babies are grown into near adults... I have four barred/bantam project birds and one wheaton 8 black copper marans. There is a swap this weekend so I will likely come back from it a few birds lighter... I am downsizing as I have made some breeding choices again... Sadly I am not satisfied with the BHB males...I waited forever for them to hatch and grow and now I am just not thinking they will work with my girls... DRAT... too much color in the offspring...

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Can you please tell us how old they are? Any chance you can get pics of them out in some dim sunlight (like on a cloudy day)? It's hard to tell the true eye color in pics sometimes due to darkness or flash of the camera. In the pics, both of them look to have too dark of an eye color. The two pics looks like the pullet has white ear lobes. The cockerel is lacking in saddle color, but that may be due to his age. To me, they look to be about 4 - 4 1/2 months old??

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
Can you please tell us how old they are? Any chance you can get pics of them out in some dim sunlight (like on a cloudy day)? It's hard to tell the true eye color in pics sometimes due to darkness or flash of the camera. In the pics, both of them look to have too dark of an eye color. The two pics looks like the pullet has white ear lobes. The cockerel is lacking in saddle color, but that may be due to his age. To me, they look to be about 4 - 4 1/2 months old??

I got them 3-4 weeks old at the big North FL Swap- near Olustee um... well lets see... Oh the weather is dark/shaded (9:30ish am) and I was standing 25 feet away... I can get more around noon?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Hi Fire~
I see a little pullet that looks like she may be very promising. I really like her at this age. Can't wait to see her in a couple more months. Are they around 3-4 months old? If so give that rooster several more months to grow out. You will still see alot of changing in him. As for the copper color in the hackle..in the 3rd photo...did you by chance have the flash on on your camera? If so it can wash out the color and make it appear lighter than it really it, so I wouldn't give his hackle color too much concern at this point. This too can change or darken after their first big boy full molt. My concern is his darker eye color..but if you are not showing them and just want to breed them for lovely dark egg layers then the darker eye doesn't matter and just for giggles I have used some dark eyed birds for breeding because they had so much more to offer their offspring than just the eye, I used a rooster that has the correct eye color and the majority of the time I get offspring with correct eyes. I love the color of his ear coverts.

I wish more of the Black Copper boys that I grow out would have that ear covert color. AND I see some very nice copper color coming in on his wing bow. Love that copper color!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing them and I look forward to seeing them more as they mature.

 

[geebs]

PINK

You coming to the swap????

okay editing the hugs... (dumb puter).... gotta warm this bugger up and teach it.. it doesn't know how to give "a proper hug"...

 

[pinkchick]

Geebsie Geebsie Geebsie!!!!! Missed you MUCHO my friend!!!!!!

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
Hi Fire~
I see a little pullet that looks like she may be very promising. I really like her at this age. Can't wait to see her in a couple more months. Are they around 3-4 months old? If so give that rooster several more months to grow out. You will still see alot of changing in him. As for the copper color in the hackle..in the 3rd photo...did you by chance have the flash on on your camera? If so it can wash out the color and make it appear lighter than it really it, so I wouldn't give his hackle color too much concern at this point. This too can change or darken after their first big boy full molt. My concern is his darker eye color..but if you are not showing them and just want to breed them for lovely dark egg layers then the darker eye doesn't matter and just for giggles I have used some dark eyed birds for breeding because they had so much more to offer their offspring than just the eye, I used a rooster that has the correct eye color and the majority of the time I get offspring with correct eyes. I love the color of his ear coverts.

I wish more of the Black Copper boys that I grow out would have that ear covert color. AND I see some very nice copper color coming in on his wing bow. Love that copper color!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing them and I look forward to seeing them more as they mature.

Awesome, I have an unrelated adult female here too- the other pullet looks nearly like that one.

I'll try again on eye color later in the day.

 

[pinkchick]

When is the swap? Canby right?
I keep getting asked that by several AWESOME peeps that have been out lately to purchase chickies. (I've been a hatching and shipping fool Jan...you just don't even know

You'd be very proud.) I wanted to go the show today in Stevenson but that is not going to happen. The to do list is just overwhelming and with all the nasty rain it puts a damper on things we can get accomplished that truly need to get done. So with the sun peeking its beautiful glorious face over the hill this morning....we are headed off to church with the daughters and my parents and when we get home we will be busy busy busy til the sun goes down. The chicken will thank me for getting busy.

Oh and totally off topic but just wanted to share with all my friends.........(this is a HUGE thing for me) Today is day 18 of being NON-SMOKERS for my DH and myself. WoW! I hadn't been really keeping track was just guessing since we stopped and when I just looked at the calendar I saw it was day 18.