Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

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Are you NPIP? and do you know about how much shipping would be? Oh and is pretty boy clean shanked? Not that I care about clean shanks as they are very easy to correct, just curious.

Kim, maybe you could explain how the clean shank is easy to correct. Half of the Marans on BYC have terrible Shank and toe feathering. What do you think about the crow head this birchen has ?

 

[Debbi]

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WAY TO GO TANNIS!!!

Are you going to any APA shows?? Pics lady, PICS!!!!!

 

[Debbi]

Cadeau ~ I don't sell eggs or chicks yet. I want to be sure I have a good and consistent flock before going that route! Once I'm happy with what I am getting, and only until it's something that I would keep myself, will I sell to others. It may be quite a ways off, as I am culling almost my entire flock...

 

[pinkchick]

Morning Don!

I am a firm believer that clean shanks are easy to fix, because I have done it. My Bill that you like so well is clean shanked and I have fought clean shanks from him since I started with him, but he is much too nice of a bird not to use. I have finally got to a point now that I do not have to use Bill directly for breeding as I have finally put feathers on all of his offspring and grandchildren and to this day...his offspring are not throwing clean shanked birds unless they are coming directly from Bill's pen, which I will only do and breed if I am looking to test mate a certain hen or have a hen that is too good not to cross to Bill to get some Bill qualities. Then I get clean shanks and have to deal with it, but it is relatively easy to deal with because I will breed these birds back to heavily feathered or feather shanked birds and incorporate the feathering back in. Trust me, it takes time and doesn't happen all at once and it takes hard culling, but it can be done. I don't breed the birds that only have 1 or 2 feathers, but rather I keep the birds that have acceptable feathering and I work on improvement from there...and let me be clear here when I say acceptable, I mean acceptable to me, not what it says in the standard, though that is what I am striving toward and the operative word here is striving, which in my mind means that I have some wiggle room to work, Rome wasn't built in a day. I am not showing these birds, but am trying to breed very nice birds that will one day meet the standard or exceed it, but as with all things, they take dedication and hard work to get there. I am in no hurry and if it takes me another 4 years to get there, so be it.


But then again and totally on the other hand........I can get clean shanked birds from a very well known line of birds that is fully feather shanked, so I ask, why would it be any different to try and correct it in birds that are suppose to be "correct" (or should I say an established line) and can throw clean shanks vs. birds that are clean shanked and putting the feathering back in?

Oh and please explain crow head to me? I must not see what you see. Thanks.

 

[pinkchick]

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Thank you for the info...I asked these questions in general so that if anyone else was wondering the information was out there. As I understand it, a person is supposed to be NPIP certified to ship birds. I don't know that it matters much if they orginally came from someone that is NPIP, I believe it has to be the person that is shipping and owns the bird. If I am incorrect I know there are wonderful folks that will come by and assist and set the record straight.

 

[stoopid]

Oh yes, I think I heard that too. But with what the USPS has done for me (NOT) I wonder if there is ant way of getting around that. Oh, well, Pretty Boy will have to go to a local. I will probably bring his to Sussex co. next month.

 

[snowbird]

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Kim, on the crow head go to page 18 and fig. 23 of the 2001 SOP.

I am clearly a SOP type person or you could substitute a different letter in the mix . After the first year when I started with Marans in 2007 I culled all Marans that didn't have feathering all the way down the toe. To get a high percentage of feather leg fowl we have to bred to feather leg fowl and cull all that are lacking in feathers. I am a firm believer in correcting all of the faults as we go along in breeding. If we only correct one item at a time we will never get an SOP birds as we will have other faults keep coming forward. I try and correct as many faults as I can each year. This is the reason I have all the single mating pens.

Will say again, I love the over-size Marans

 

[fowlman01]

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Thank you for the info...I asked these questions in general so that if anyone else was wondering the information was out there. As I understand it, a person is supposed to be NPIP certified to ship birds. I don't know that it matters much if they orginally came from someone that is NPIP, I believe it has to be the person that is shipping and owns the bird. If I am incorrect I know there are wonderful folks that will come by and assist and set the record straight.

Hardly anyone in CA is NPIP and a lot of birds are shipped out of Cali. None of the shows here require any kind of vet papers and birds shipped here to shows don't require it either. It seems to be up to each individual state.

Walt

 

[snowbird]

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Thank you for the info...I asked these questions in general so that if anyone else was wondering the information was out there. As I understand it, a person is supposed to be NPIP certified to ship birds. I don't know that it matters much if they orginally came from someone that is NPIP, I believe it has to be the person that is shipping and owns the bird. If I am incorrect I know there are wonderful folks that will come by and assist and set the record straight.

Kim, all states are different on testing for NPIP. Here in Michigan anyone can go to MSU in February and become approved to do the testing , then you send the papers in for NPIP approval. Some states also require health certificates for shipping. A certified tester if they have them in your state or a vet can give the paper work to ship live poultry and this will be attached to the box.

 

[pinkchick]

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Kim, on the crow head go to page 18 and fig. 23 of the 2001 SOP.

I am clearly a SOP type person or you could substitute a different letter in the mix . After the first year when I started with Marans in 2007 I culled all Marans that didn't have feathering all the way down the toe. To get a high percentage of feather leg fowl we have to bred to feather leg fowl and cull all that are lacking in feathers. I am a firm believer in correcting all of the faults as we go along in breeding. If we only correct one item at a time we will never get an SOP birds as we will have other faults keep coming forward. I try and correct as many faults as I can each year. This is the reason I have all the single mating pens.

Will say again, I love the over-size Marans

You ate your funnies wheaties this morning didn't you my friend? And I would never substitute the other letter Don, because I don't believe that you are. I believe deep down you are just a big softy.

Thanks for the tip on the crow head...I will definitely look into that.

Oh and to touch briefly on what you said about trying to correct one fault at a time....I agree, if we try to only correct one at a time then the others slip forward. I try to cull for as many as I can at one time, but some things like lack of copper and clean legs don't detour me, however, STUPID COMBS and other worse offenses will stop me in my tracks. I am in no race, because there is no finish line as I see it. We cannot just majically breed perfect birds because then there would have to be perfect birds out there to have started from, I say show me one if someone would like to differ.

But the challenges of this breed keep me coming back for more and the great advise and knowledge of the fabulous folks here on BYC and the Marans groups is greatly appreciated by me and as long as I have these relationships and friends like you to rely on, I will continue to try and improve upon what I have.

The day they all start laying Barred Rock color eggs, I quit because it means I totally messed up.