Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Yeh Ouch! I'll never use leg bands again! Maybe wing bands? But those seem like they could get caught on things...owwww!

Hey Susie, did you get to the fair in Sedalia? Or maybe it's not here yet?

I sure won't be going, my arse has been draggin' lately, no motivation.

 

[pinkchick]

A close up of that comb for ya Debbi. He was out catching some rays.

 

[pinkchick]

Don~

You commented on this males shank feathering the other day when I posted him......here is a close up of his leg....what do you see? What is wrong with the amount of feathering that he has? I am very fond of this lighter feathering.

 

[geebs]

Just for you Pink... all the blue talk!!!! I do love a good blue copper...Not as much of a fan of the splash.... personal experience (thanks Walt)... I opt for the black and blue.. the PNW makes brown birds out of white birds most months of the year!!!

I have had a couple of nice splashes over time... Ya all might recall my fat Annebell the Cannibal... Super good looking bird... (Bev line)... Pretty good egg just not as dark as either the blues or the BC's that I produced in the crossing... So I used the black and blue (copper of course). That gave me only the colors I liked to look at (no waste in my mind) and good producers of darkies... Market here is pretty good to sell the dark layers.. Just couldn't get much for the light egg layers... (again personal experience). I didn't ever use black produced from the cross... Always worried that the black would be weakened in the crossing... though I never did PROVE that... just something I didn't do... All the blacks that were produced were considered sale stock not something to put into the BC line.... Don't really know why... Just Psuedo-sense I suppose. I haven't produced many birds in blue in the last couple years... kinda drifted into the BC's and stayed there. Some ppl just like the blue production for looks... that would be the splash to black cross... I guess for exibition it wouldn't matter to much... to me though, I liked the darkest eggs that I could produce and those were coming out of my Wade line of BC's...

Just sharing my thoughts for whatever they are worth with the masses... It would be interesting to know what other ppl are producing for egg color out of the splash....Hey Pink... Do you have color loss on the splash... I found the same trouble in blue birchen and standard birchen also.

Anyone care to chime in on that? BTW....

HI DEBBI!!!! I saw you and kept meaning to give a shout out... I get so little time to peck out my thoughts these days.... I think of you!!!! Thanks for the warm wishes... (we need some warmth around here part of the time... not as summery as it usually is)... The egg color I am getting from my offspring this year is excellent... I have good type but have yet to produce the hackle color I am striving for... Hope this next year yields better females...

Pink: I too am fond of the lighter feathering for practical purposes here in the PNW for the weather etc... My heavy feather footed birds I have had to trim through the winter due to mud and ice... A little more maintenance than I like...

Geebs has left the building...

 

[Ivywoods]

Quote:
Yes, I kind of like that lighter feathering, too. My little cochin has to stay in the barn where it is dry due to the feathering on his legs and feet. He's a fluffy little boogger, even if he is 8 years old.

Debbi-I plan to make it to Sedalia in Oct. The poultry show is Oct. 22, I believe, and I plan to meet my sister there. I'm also trying to arrange it so I can pick up a couple show quality birds in a couple breeds that I keep. A lady friend for my old cochin rooster would be nice.

I'm looking to sell a few birds right now. I hatched quite a few, and I have more than I can keep over the winter. My new barn won't be started until spring, so facilities will be a little tighter than I would like this winter. I'm working on plan "B" and may have to start thinking about plan "C."

The juveniles I hatched this year look a lot better than most of the parent stock.

I just have to figure out who is going to make the "cut."

 

[Ivywoods]

I think I am feeding my adult birds too much.

How much do you guys feed your birds? Do you put a time limit on how long the feed is in front of them?

 

[DMRippy]

Is there a genetic reason to toss the BCM from a BCM x Blue Copper matings? If the BCM are black genes x 2 and the blue's are Black x Blue and the Splash's are blue x 2... what genetically is different? I have only had biology 101 in college but am I missing something? I understand that a blue could "LOOK" black, but is that it? I would think that is unusual and would maybe only happen after several generations of matings and not just one generation. The blacks can only produce back offspring nothing else right? It would be genetics from the other bird in the mating that could make blue right?

This chicken stuff is WHY more complicated than I bargained for and I should have taken BIO 102 and stayed awake

Who knew I would be the crazy chicken lady

I have a lot of test matings in my future!

 

[math ace]

Quote:

Funny, I don't remember shipping you any eggs from my stock, but it sure sounds like you are describing my stock

 

[geebs]

Hey Math!!!

You didn't corner the market on big meaty combs... My boy has a fat comb!!!

fortunately he doesn't stamp all of them with it... but some get it... The hens (some of them got dem fatty patty combs) I think that is what puts such a pork chop blade on the males...

UG... well ya can't have it all.... so how you been... how does the flock grow???? you got pix in here somewhere.... Can't possibly keep up... I have a couple hours before it is light... Huge schedule this week.... again, but thought I would pop on here and see what everbuddy is up to.

Hey Pink: Are your boys getting lighter with Age??? I found this to be true with a few of my birds... that as they age thier color changes just slightly from molt to molt... are you seeing the same thing?

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Kim, Now that there is a Marans standard that is approved by the APA we will be required to breed Marans that are SOP acceptable to be able to say we have Marans that are bred to the SOP. The outer toe should be feathered to the tip. Best thing to do is look at the Langshan real close on the shank and toe. There have been judge on BYC saying they expect feathering like the Langshan.

I bred my Marans to have that look because it was said that was what they were looking for in the showroom. Take a close look on your Marans , there will be a ridge where the feather row is on the shank and toe.