Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Quote:
Vicki, If you had told me last year that I would have a bunch of Silkies, I would've laughed at you! I'm not a "fluffy" kind of person, especially when it comes to my animals. Guess I'm getting softer with age, although a few folks I know would howl at that one!

I saw the e-mail, skimmed over it, will respond tonight. I know how busy you are..

 

[flgardengirl]

Aww common Vicki you know you want some of these cute little fuzzy butts lol

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Vicki, If you had told me last year that I would have a bunch of Silkies, I would've laughed at you! I'm not a "fluffy" kind of person, especially when it comes to my animals. Guess I'm getting softer with age, although a few folks I know would howl at that one!

I saw the e-mail, skimmed over it, will respond tonight. I know how busy you are..

haha....I suppose...I've been around them...but am always drawn to the dual purpose birds...always have been

Thanks for bein understandin about my slackerness!

While we're on the subject of temperament and personality of birds...anyone have a Marans that's just plain shy? I have a black girl that has just a tiny amount of copper, but she is so shy I barely see her...and I LOVE HER. she's just a beauty!...I have moved her to a couple of different pens to see how she would mesh with them, but she decided for me where she wanted to be. She's hopped over a 7' fence to live with my wyandottes and some coronation sussex in a grow out pen. She's the only black one in there, so you'd think i'd see her more often, but nope...she is content to stay at the outskirts... I have never even been able to get a photo of her...

I constantly worry about her....because I'll lay awake at night trying to remember if I saw her when I shut up pens for the night....and worry something got her. She's about to get moved to prep for breeding season...but she's about given me a heart attack on several occasions when I couldn't find her! Have I mentioned...shes REALLY good at hiding? And its not a fear thing...she's just a loner...content on her own and kind of just marches to her own beat. Maybe that's why I really, really like her!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha if I'm gonna have some crazy haired birds...I want some brabanters hahha

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Vicki, If you had told me last year that I would have a bunch of Silkies, I would've laughed at you! I'm not a "fluffy" kind of person, especially when it comes to my animals. Guess I'm getting softer with age, although a few folks I know would howl at that one!

I saw the e-mail, skimmed over it, will respond tonight. I know how busy you are..

haha....I suppose...I've been around them...but am always drawn to the dual purpose birds...always have been

Thanks for bein understandin about my slackerness!

While we're on the subject of temperament and personality of birds...anyone have a Marans that's just plain shy? I have a black girl that has just a tiny amount of copper, but she is so shy I barely see her...and I LOVE HER...I have moved her to a couple of different pens to see how she would mesh with them, but she decided for me where she wanted to be. She's hopped over a 7' fence to live with my wyandottes and some coronation sussex in a grow out pen. She's the only black one in there, so you'd think i'd see her more often, but nope...she is content to stay at the outskirts... I have never even been able to get a photo of her...

My BCMs are definitely on the shy side. VERY independent and would prefer to be left alone. In our situation, they don't always get that choice but they are DEFINITELY shy birds - and they have been that way out of the egg. Second generation (still very young), not quite as shy but they would DEFINITELY prefer to be left alone. My imported BCMs aren't proving to be any less shy. Cockerel is definitely better than the pullets (although he screams bloody murder if I actually attempt to handle him) but all of them are my least friendly.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha....I suppose...I've been around them...but am always drawn to the dual purpose birds...always have been

Thanks for bein understandin about my slackerness!

While we're on the subject of temperament and personality of birds...anyone have a Marans that's just plain shy? I have a black girl that has just a tiny amount of copper, but she is so shy I barely see her...and I LOVE HER...I have moved her to a couple of different pens to see how she would mesh with them, but she decided for me where she wanted to be. She's hopped over a 7' fence to live with my wyandottes and some coronation sussex in a grow out pen. She's the only black one in there, so you'd think i'd see her more often, but nope...she is content to stay at the outskirts... I have never even been able to get a photo of her...

My BCMs are definitely on the shy side. VERY independent and would prefer to be left alone. In our situation, they don't always get that choice but they are DEFINITELY shy birds - and they have been that way out of the egg. Second generation (still very young), not quite as shy but they would DEFINITELY prefer to be left alone. My imported BCMs aren't proving to be any less shy. Cockerel is definitely better than the pullets (although he screams bloody murder if I actually attempt to handle him) but all of them are my least friendly.

hmmm...that's really interesting... I have BCMs from three places and none of them but her is shy....the others follow me around and will sit next to me if I'm outside or jump on my lap.... I wonder if other people will chime in too to see what they say about their BCMs.... I think if Gigantor thought he could pull it off, he'd sit in my lap, but usually I have a lap full of crazy cats that are jealous of the attention I give the birds.

 

[samantha1128]

I have a 4 bcms and I have a few questions. I have a beautiful black copper marans rooster that is a little over a year old. I lost my great bcms pullet to a coyote and had to buy another hen. I don't know her exacts bcms breeding, but other then having a little too much copper, she is a good bcms type. I hatched their eggs and got 5 chicks. I sold 3 and kept 2 and they look to be a male and a female. When they get older can I breed them together with the others, and does the darkest layer ensure the better type when hatched or is it more on the rooster. All chicks had feather legs although the 3 I sold had more brown on head when born and the 2 I kept were black and white.

My goal is to try and get the dark eggs, just for a hobby for me and I am a chef so everyone likes the look.

Any tips? Is it also better to get some outside bcms hens? Or should I stick with mine....

 

[Debbi]

I had one gal that was an independant loner type. She was the one that ventured into "The woods of no Return", and didn't. Figures, she was one of my best pullets too, with copper and shank feathering! Both girls from Pink's eggs are aloof. They are the first ones out of the run in the morning, and Heaven help me if I try to pick them up, they scream and flap liked they are being murdered!They do come when I call them by name though. My two original hens and two of their daughters are just the opposite. If I sit down in a chair in the run, they will be in my lap or on the arm of the chair. Most of the boys just keep there distance, which is fine. Clyde stops and let's me pick him up every night to be put in his pen with no arguement. Roy has refused to go into the run for a few nights now. I know he's been intimidated by the gang of roos here trying to make a name for themselves. He will let me get right up to him, but he knows I want to put him in the run, so at the last second, he bolts. He has since taken up roosting on the deck at night. I sure hope nothing gets him before I can get rid of these other cull roos!! Maybe then it will go back to normal...or at least as normal as this circus gets!

 

[slick4591]

Quote:
Hi Slick,

Are the boys getting ready to molt? All of my boys molt very slowly, and I get feathers that turn white. They don't grow in white, they are black at the end by the skin. They don't get white tips either, the white shows up in the middle of an otherwise black feather! Mine show up in the sickle feathers of the tails, and every last roo I have here on my place has at least one of these right now! Myron lost his the other day, and Pip has one flagging in the breeze like a loose tooth!

After they are done with molting them out, what grows back in is black once again.

Lynette ~ My heavier feathered shanked boys get a white feather on each foot, but I find they molt out too, and grow back in normally colored.

Could be. There's new feathers on the ground every day, and it's not like they are going bald. Sure sounds like what yours go through. Thanks, glad to know that.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
haha....I suppose...I've been around them...but am always drawn to the dual purpose birds...always have been

Thanks for bein understandin about my slackerness!

While we're on the subject of temperament and personality of birds...anyone have a Marans that's just plain shy? I have a black girl that has just a tiny amount of copper, but she is so shy I barely see her...and I LOVE HER...I have moved her to a couple of different pens to see how she would mesh with them, but she decided for me where she wanted to be. She's hopped over a 7' fence to live with my wyandottes and some coronation sussex in a grow out pen. She's the only black one in there, so you'd think i'd see her more often, but nope...she is content to stay at the outskirts... I have never even been able to get a photo of her...

My BCMs are definitely on the shy side. VERY independent and would prefer to be left alone. In our situation, they don't always get that choice but they are DEFINITELY shy birds - and they have been that way out of the egg. Second generation (still very young), not quite as shy but they would DEFINITELY prefer to be left alone. My imported BCMs aren't proving to be any less shy. Cockerel is definitely better than the pullets (although he screams bloody murder if I actually attempt to handle him) but all of them are my least friendly.

In general, my bcm marans are less friendly than the blues, bl coppers and wheatens. My golden cuckoos are more shy than the BCMs especially the female GCs. they do not like to be picked up. I have 2 male GCs and one is real friendly and likes to be held the other is nice as long as you don't pick him up..if you do, expect to get scratched big time. He is a spaz! I think my GC are the 'wildest' of the bunch.
The birchens are sassy and very bold. The birchens are very friendly to people but geez, do they ever HATE cats. IF any one of them sees a cat, they run up and peck it as hard as they can lol. They are also pretty mean to other birds especially the girls. They won't even take crap from girls twice thier size.