Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

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Fingers crossed for you for everything Ms. Wynette! But please do tell what kind of eggies did your friend share???

 

[snowbird]

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Don~ I am not an expert by any means, but I can tell you that out of my 2 boys that I have that will be 3 years old very soon that their legs have not lightened in the slightest degree, still nice and evenly colored with the pretty vermillion colored reticulates.

Hey Kim, Really interesting on the shanks, These I have are right in the middle with a real nice medium slate. I always have culled the very light colored shanks as I believe it has something to do with the White feathers. Just my opinion but seems to work for me.

Nice t-shirt weather yesterday but looks like rain is on the way. I kinda like not having to go out in the rain and feed chickens .

 

[pinkchick]

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I know this is short notice but if we can get a couple more folks to submit entries that would be awesome! Nevadans need to be exposed to this beautiful breed!

Thanks!
Sunny

HI SUNNY!!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

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Don~ I am not an expert by any means, but I can tell you that out of my 2 boys that I have that will be 3 years old very soon that their legs have not lightened in the slightest degree, still nice and evenly colored with the pretty vermillion colored reticulates.

Hey Kim, Really interesting on the shanks, These I have are right in the middle with a real nice medium slate. I always have culled the very light colored shanks as I believe it has something to do with the White feathers. Just my opinion but seems to work for me.

Nice t-shirt weather yesterday but looks like rain is on the way. I kinda like not having to go out in the rain and feed chickens .

Good insight on that Don...I only have Blue Copper boys growing out and will watch their shank color for you as they continue to mature.

I was expecting a nice deep leg color on the Birchen boys as well but they are light with a darker gray undertone..you know the light skin on the outside and the darker color under the skin...if that made any sense at all. Wondering if anyone knows exactly what color the Birchen legs should be? Should they be the same as the BC?


P.S. Don~ Here in the PNW a person must get used to feeding in the rain.

 

[snowbird]

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Have to jump in here and comment. There are way too many people out there selling eggs and chicks from Mixed Marans like these and flooding the market. Notice you have several DQs going on here with Faults mixed in also. White in tail and other places, white ear lobes, hardly no shank feathering.

Keep in mind though they are your chickens and you can do anything you would like with them.

I appreciate your input and am here trying to learn so I can use whatever information people will give me. What do you mean by mixed Marans? I am a little confused on the shank feathering as some places I have read that it should be very light and some places say a little more...is there a picture someone can share of the "correct" feathering?

Wynette has posted the Langshan picture on the Marans SOP thread for reference to leg feathering. The white ear lobes point to some Penne blood being mixed in to get better egg color. With the white wing and tail feathers that is a DQ and should not be bred forward. The overall type on your Marans is very much Penne looking or gamey. I realize it isn't your fault as there are people selling any egg they can get and not worrying if it is a Marans or a mix.

 

[snowbird]

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Hey Kim, Really interesting on the shanks, These I have are right in the middle with a real nice medium slate. I always have culled the very light colored shanks as I believe it has something to do with the White feathers. Just my opinion but seems to work for me.

Nice t-shirt weather yesterday but looks like rain is on the way. I kinda like not having to go out in the rain and feed chickens .

Good insight on that Don...I only have Blue Copper boys growing out and will watch their shank color for you as they continue to mature.

I was expecting a nice deep leg color on the Birchen boys as well but they are light with a darker gray undertone..you know the light skin on the outside and the darker color under the skin...if that made any sense at all. Wondering if anyone knows exactly what color the Birchen legs should be? Should they be the same as the BC?


P.S. Don~ Here in the PNW a person must get used to feeding in the rain.

Kim, It will be interesting to see what color the legs on the Birchens end up being. No one I know will admit how they were developed to begin with. The light legs you say your Birchens have were what I have always culled for when picking breeders.

Still working on getting a couple of nice splash pullets .

 

[snowbird]

Kim, My greatuncle was Chief of Police at a small town not far from Portland for about 100 years.

 

[flgardengirl]

Shouldn't (silver) Birchen Marans be exactly the same as BCMs except for the replacement of silver instead of copper? I see so much difference on them in pics around the internet etc. so I was just wondering.....

Cool on the Nevada show but it is a little short noticed lol. BTW do you have to be NPIP to send eggs into a show? I still need to get that done. I was gonna get to it this summer but we were so busy with other things. I am gonna try and do it this spring unless we move.

 

[geebs]

Kim: I have had several aging hens over time (marans)... They do tend to show their age especially around the molt time... My other breeds... even my old brown Leghorn... just don't look old at all. I will post a picture of Charles from year to year after he finishes molting... He changes color over time... It is great to use the roosters to watch because I don't trim the spurs and you can see their age in the spur length... certainly an advantage over keeping hens...

I guess some others with older marans need to chime in... Perhaps we could ask Drom??? I don't know the factors but my hens and now my rooster are getting the gray look when they molt... My Jesse Bryant did that also earlier in the spring.. Similar vintage...

Don: Really what town was your Uncle in??? Tell me Echo oregon and I will fall out of my chair.. Ha ha... Well it is up the gorge a bit but my husband's family was the sherrif there for a long time and many years ago... Family came in on the wagon train etc...

Littles: It would be interesting to put your BC with a birchen and see if the rooster is carrying birchen... He may well be hiding stuff under all the red.. THe light legs... the light beak horn. He could have wheaton tucked in there as well.

 

[pinkchick]

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For about 100 years?

Are you letting a little humor get away from ya this morning Don?

Seriously though...that's too cool! Do you still have relatives out this direction?