Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

DID anyone miss me ? ? ??

Here is a picture of one of my garden plots. I have been very busy the last 24 hours learning how to can stuff.
I have canned 7 quarts of green beans, 8 pints of summer squash, 4 1/2 pints of sweet banana peppers, and 2 pints of carrots.
NOT bad for my first time!

I can't wait for my tomatoes to start coming in - -- SALSA time BIG time!

 

[shesaredroan]

Quote:
Gee Math, now I'm hungry!!

I hoping to learn about canning soon, glad to hear you had a successful first time experience.

 

[geebs]

DID anyone miss me ? ? ??

Math Ace wrote


Yes, Math, I missed you.... but my aim is getting better!! BA HA HA HA

 

[geebs]

Inverted "V" Don??? I am a visual person so Please post a picture of your best female with this quality so I am sure of what I think I am understanding.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Jan, I hope you do realize that I know what a female with an inverted V looks like. I do not have anything good enough to post a picture.

 

[Cadeau]

ok - checked out the "guys" tonight:
Don - no sugar necessary!!

The boy with the darker eyes:
eyes are a dark tea color with lighter highlights
The ear tufts ARE the same color as his hackles
beak is black with some whitish/yellowish horn around the rim
legs are black with pink between the toes and on the underside of the feet.


The other boy:
eyes are lightening - not quite orange, but getting there - a very light "sweet tea" color
beak is black with some whitish/yellowish horn around the rim and by the nostrils
legs are black with pink between the toes and on the underside of the feet - toenails are pink
ear tufts are same color as top of head (copper)
This boy does have a copper head but the hackles lighten in color around the very bottom (bottom of hackles not hackle feathers) Most feathers have a very thin black stripe or none at all.

this boy was pecked pretty naked - when I got him, his back, tail, and legs were bare.
Everything has grown in pretty well, other than the tail is still growing in.

HOWEVER, the leg feathers are light black and sort of fluffy, rather than the normal feathers

Will this correct itself in his juvie molt or do you think this is his actual feathering?
(the other 5 from the same breeder have normal leg feathers)

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
I see nothing in what I read above that would make me believe they are not ok. The eyes will take forever to get orange sometimes so would not worry yet about the eyes. I like my Black Copper to have the fine black stripe down the hackle feathers and there is no requirement for this black stripe, it is just acceptable. The foot feathers you are talking about are just a little heavy I believe and I prefer the heavier foot feathering. I have seen that after a molt sometimes the leg feathering does not come back as heavy or at all.

 

[geebs]

Don: I was Asking if this is an inverted "V"? I think it is.... Just making sure. This is what I like in my birds....I am thinking that a "U" is more like the Brahmas... Am I correct??? I am certain you know.. just not so certain that I do. I apolologize for the ambiguity.

My thinking is this. In the birds that I have had with less pronounced point at the top... (possibly the U shape) they have more fluffyness where the tail and back come together. The standard calls for the feathers to be tight against the body. Can you get the U presentation you are speaking of in the female and still get the tight feathers that are called for? I haven't had that work for me... so I have gone with what I find works for the birds I have. Even a couple crummy pictures with explaination would help me here... I have a hard time visualizing things in my head... If you could even point me in the direction of a link that shows an example....I would find it most helpful...thanks.

I posted a picture to help with visualization.... (overhelping perhaps) again apologies...

 

[math ace]

Both the U and V are acceptable - - Correct ? ?

Don is just thinking that a U makes for a wider back . . . .
Geebs is concerned that the feathers won't be tight against the body . . .

I would like to see a U so that we could compare the feathers.

I am pretty sure my girls are more V shape, but I will check them in the daylight tomorrow.

GEEBS, where are you looking when you are concerned that the feathers won't be tight?

 

[Cadeau]

Thanks Don - that's the kind of info I need to know!
I can't promise that I won't ask TONS of questions (b/c I know I will

), but I CAN promise not to ask the same thing twice, once I understand!

Rained again this afternoon - so still working on pics!

Here's another question:
Last time I posted pics, you mentioned one of the boys might have a roach back.

Is this an actual shallow "n" shape in the spine or the feathering?

Reason I ask - I've run my hands over that bird and can't feel any rise in the back, but his feathers do kind of poof up. He was also keeping his tail down, like a hen, b/c he was in with 2 more dominant boys.

Can this be a "trick of vision" b/c he's missing the topmost feathers for his tail (the feathers closest to the sky were pecked out when I got him at 2mths old)
OR
Does the visual "bump" still count as a "roach"??

Now that he's "2nd in command" his tail is up and looks like it will probably be right around 45 degrees once his topmost feathers grow back.