Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Gees, all this talk about the fancy varieites. I just wish I could get some good stuff from my plain olds!

I'm still looking for a Splash, so I guess the easiest way to go is with eggs. I just listed a WTB in the wanted section, hopefully I'll get some bites. Vicki, how did your Splash boys turn out??

marquisella Pretty blue girl there! Hope you get your Birchens!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
My three splash boys are doing good, but will soon be culling down to two. One of them is staying smaller and is not quite as good in body type as the others...so he has to go to make room for others for fall. One of my splash boys has taken off like a shot growth wise and is starting to rival Gigantor's size. They hang out together and it used to be that there was a definite difference, but not so much anymore. I'm looking forward to seeing how they finish out.

 

[pinkchick]

Sue~

Your blue girl makes me break out singing that Stevie Wonder song............."Isn't she lovely, Isn't she wonderful"...........it's okay to sing along, you all know you want to.

 

[susanbird]

Good Morning,

Yesterday I got my 2 blue pullets. The lady decided that she did not want to sell me the one with the eye problem as she doesn't like any of her birds to go that have problems. So, yesterday she brought different ones that she had, to sell to me. She lives over an hour away and doesn't come to my area very often. They are pretty girls, I need to get them all moved into the pen that I made for other birds. Then of course I now have to figure out where to put the birds the pen was originally intended for. It is never ending.

I would like to know what you think about this, I saw a discussion in another forum about "mean" chickens. In my experience I have only had mean bantam roosters. One Silkie and 3 Mille Fleurs. All 3 Mille came from different sources so I can't attribute their being meanies to one breeder or hatchery. Likewise I have 3 Mille who are not mean and one is the brother of one of the mean ones.

Anyway, the meanness was being attributed to the birds coming from hatchery chicks or backyard breeders. My main experience with this was with cockatiels. Usually a whole clutch was fed together and on occassion one would be what we called a "bronco". That baby just wasn't human oriented and not inclined to be a pet. This bird would then be kept as a breeder. It would have chicks, that would be handfed, and there would be no prolbems, i.e., the chicks would not be "broncos".

I think that is just nature's way so to speak. Some birds are shy, some friendly, some skittish, etc. I certainly have no desire to have mean chickens running around and either lock them up or send them away. Does anyone have any ideas or theories about why some chickens are just plain mean to humans? I know, at least in my experience that they are really good flock protectors and are not mean to the hens.

Ooops, almost forgot, anyone have Crele Marans. I really like that coloring.

 

[Illia]

When someone has a Columbian that's when I'll jump in and drool and shoutingly ask - WHO?!!

 

[susanbird]

Quote:
I had never seen the Columbian coloring "in person" until I bought some random bantam chicks and 3 have that coloring. I agree it is beautiful!

 

[Illia]

Columbian in Marans though is practically extinct. True, Columbian in general is neat, but to me on Marans it is special, as it is very unique compared to the other Marans colors and practically extinct.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
On a Marans that color pattern would indeed be gorgeous. I keep my columbian interests under control with large fowl and bantam columbian wyandottes tho

And I suppose the light sussex, coronations and the lavender silver sussex all count in there somewhere too. What is it about the gorgeous neck markings that just make a bird so striking?

 

[susanbird]

Quote:
I read a description of Columbian Marans and although not the same reminds me of my Delaware Chickens.

 

[Illia]

Columbian Marans



For now I'll stick with my Blue Wheatens