Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Quote:

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
So I'm wonderin... Is there anything to be done with the birchens with gold leakage on the back? Or would they for sure be culls?
And if not what would you breed them to?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Congratulations!

Do you have photos of your pullet that laid the egg? I am curious to see her now that she has matured a little more....I've made some crosses with Marans and Welsummers and I will tell you what....the boys from these crosses sure are nice big meaty birds for the freezer. I never did keep any of the female crosses so I am curious to see her.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
So I'm wonderin... Is there anything to be done with the birchens with gold leakage on the back? Or would they for sure be culls?
And if not what would you breed them to?

I am just getting into Birchens, so I am not 100%, but in my mind I would say yes that something can be done about the gold leakage and yes they can be used. Just like selecting and breeding for darker or deeper copper in the Black Coppers and Blue Coppers. the Silver Birchens would be the same... but a person would select and breed for better silver. My large Birchen boy has some gold leakage......I am test mating him to a Blue Copper (who has very little copper...just a slight hue) hen that I believe may carry the silver Birchen gene, the offspring should be split for gold/silver.....I will raise up the best pullets that show the best silver coloration and the least amount of gold leakage and I will breed them back to their father to see if the next gen. will (should) produce even better and cleaner silver.

So after I said all this.....Vicki can come by now and correct me.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Just goes to prove that university degrees mean NOTHING! At least, in my case. Paperwork with the Octagon 20 doesn't say my humidity pump is a gravity feed but I put it on the shelf above the incubator just for grins because of what you said and guess what????? Humidity came right up! (Who was it that said they were about to sign up for some science courses??? Maybe a bit overdue .... )

If humidity is still holding steady in the morning - eggs may be moved ....

AWESOME! Glad you got the humidity worked out!

 

[meepitqueenie]

Quote:
Congratulations!

Do you have photos of your pullet that laid the egg? I am curious to see her now that she has matured a little more....I've made some crosses with Marans and Welsummers and I will tell you what....the boys from these crosses sure are nice big meaty birds for the freezer. I never did keep any of the female crosses so I am curious to see her.

I will try to get a picture of her today - she is nice and big.

 

[Debbi]

Pink ~ Thanks, and yes, I do remember handsome, snotpuss Dale! He was what we thought was a Splash Birchen, yes? It will be interesting to see what Charlotte molts out to be. At first, I thought it was just the lighting she was standing in, but when I looked at her last night before sunset, she definately has some silver in her hackles. Dang it! Now I may have to get a Blue Birchen roo???

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
So I'm wonderin... Is there anything to be done with the birchens with gold leakage on the back? Or would they for sure be culls?
And if not what would you breed them to?

I am just getting into Birchens, so I am not 100%, but in my mind I would say yes that something can be done about the gold leakage and yes they can be used. Just like selecting and breeding for darker or deeper copper in the Black Coppers and Blue Coppers. the Silver Birchens would be the same... but a person would select and breed for better silver. My large Birchen boy has some gold leakage......I am test mating him to a Blue Copper (who has very little copper...just a slight hue) hen that I believe may carry the silver Birchen gene, the offspring should be split for gold/silver.....I will raise up the best pullets that show the best silver coloration and the least amount of gold leakage and I will breed them back to their father to see if the next gen. will (should) produce even better and cleaner silver.

So after I said all this.....Vicki can come by now and correct me.

Haha that's how most of my replies are followed up.
I have a roo that is has the gold silver split I think and I figured he was a cull but I think he is pretty so he got a life pass out of the butcher pen into my barnyard mix.

 

[Debbi]

Anna ~ As long as the foundation of good "type" is there, and you aren't dealing with any DQs, color can be worked with. Don't lose the type in favor of a color though, it wouldn't matter if the Birchen color was perfect, if it was on a bird that looked like a Leghorn!

I think Pink and Vicki need to start a Birchen thread??

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Ummmmmm....yeah!