Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Quote:
In just what I am seeing in my flock, I would say give the roos at LEAST a year to totally fill out.

As far as your roo being narrow in the shoulders, I'm not seeing it. It's hard to gauge a bird by pics. They should be wide at the shoulder and gently taper off towards the rear, like a blunt wedge.

As for the breeding shed, you could wait till they are a year old to see more clearly what you will end up with, but in reality, about 8 months of age you are going to get a good idea. I would not hesitate to use your roo! You are starting out with much better stuff as far as the roo goes, than a bunch of us here!

Thumbprint on the comb is, I believe, the wrinkled section near the skull, at the front of the comb. This is a guess on my part, but it does look like a thumbprint to me

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
The Marans standard say sparse feathering all the way to end of toe. The leg color should be light to med. Slate on the Marans males BC.

 

[Debbi]

Oh Don, your new tag line should be mine!

I will joyfully admit my knowledge is very limited here, I'm going by my own observations. Your knowledge and strict critical eye does not go unappreciated here, and I hope you do realize that!

 

[Cadeau]

Thanks Don!

The more info I can gather, the better off I'll be!
You have way more experience than I do, so I very much respect your opinions.

 

[birdygirl123]

I agree with Debbie.. Its how we all learn. For me, its like being good at anything.. You sit, watch, learn and take in what best suits your thoughts and in this case flock.. I am glad to see people having differences of opinions here.. So thank you .. I'm here because Ive wanted this breed for a year and a half.. I already had a flock of other birds and didn't have room. After our move and selling those.. Now.. Im starting all over.. and here I am.. .. If I'm going to jump in and have them, I want to know all I can.

 

[robnms]

Quote:
Cold Weather? You mean you don't have tomatoes on your plants yet?

haha....tomatoes in the ground up here? not without some kind of cover over them for protection. The average last frost here is May 15th....

I spent 4 years in Va and another 3 in NC, I did like the snow and the joy of all the seasons the first 2 years I was there but it got old quick. Being from La and having more sumer than winter, I have to say that I'll take the high heat and humidity instead of the cabin fever.

You need to put your hens in the spare room and get some eggs or just send a pullet down to me!! HAHAHA!! It'll keep the family company on the trip down.

Did the Coonasses at least bring you some fresh vine ripe strawberries, cracklin, boudin, smoked sausage, smothered okra and a jar of roux? You already have chickens that won't lay, ya might as well make gumbo. You need to ask them about the chicken sausage and patties.. YUM YUM!!!

 

[birdygirl123]

I read that about the broken feathers.. I do have something interesting though.

The birds that I have.. the chicks.. I have pictures of their parents.. I will have to see how well I can blow them up. They were taken with my picture phone.. and from a distance..

The older roo.. had white on a wing feather you could see on his back. I know she said that he was not a year old yet (i think). She herself was unsure if he had just injured his feather, or what.. She also had a younger roo in with all of them.. .. (about a month younger I think) That had no white.. The hens had no white.. Of course like everyone, she said that the BCM's were a work in progress... Was great for me, I just wanted them!..

So hmm.. I have pictures of my 2/3 week babies.. which have the white now.. should I take good wing pics, and follow them as they get older to see?..

I understand about the tuxedo look, but the wing feathers got me..

Quote:
The correlation between the white and its relationship to the coloring in the adult birds is one of the things we are looking at on the black copper marans thread. There are some of us that are hatching chicks and taking pictures of them for six months and seeing what we can observe. . . . If some traits are unique to a line or shared across the board.

I think most juvies have white as babies - - the tuxedo look is what the marans are know for.

I know in other breeds, it is not uncommon for newly born chicks to look NOTHING like the adults. The plumage changes constantly until the adult feathers are received. Speckled sussex is one of these breeds.

It is only considered a flaw if it does not molt out. EVEN stranger . . . If a bird damages a feather, it can grow back white even if it was black first. . . .

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
The correlation between the white and its relationship to the coloring in the adult birds is one of the things we are looking at on the black copper marans thread. There are some of us that are hatching chicks and taking pictures of them for six months and seeing what we can observe. . . . If some traits are unique to a line or shared across the board.

I think most juvies have white as babies - - the tuxedo look is what the marans are know for.

I know in other breeds, it is not uncommon for newly born chicks to look NOTHING like the adults. The plumage changes constantly until the adult feathers are received. Speckled sussex is one of these breeds.

It is only considered a flaw if it does not molt out. EVEN stranger . . . If a bird damages a feather, it can grow back white even if it was black first. . . .


My boy feathered out both sides white primaries, he has moulted those now.

Me girls never had white feathers... down yes, feathers no- and they look a tiny bit 'dark' to me- but hey- no white feathers!

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Hey Debbi, took off another batch of chicks this morning. Had about 20 wheaten included. I culled the two week old ones yesterday for the first time. Will PM you later on tonight.

 

[birdygirl123]

Im downloding pics that I took to see if I can see... From my research now, the older white feather roo looks like he has too much wheat color.. Might be sun, or my phone screen..

Im glad that they lost the white feathers!..

and that the hens didnt have them at all..

Quote:

My boy feathered out both sides white primaries, he has moulted those now.

Me girls never had white feathers... down yes, feathers no- and they look a tiny bit 'dark' to me- but hey- no white feathers!