Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Hey Debbi, is it freezin down your way too? seems like 12 is the magic number for temps this last week....blech! doesn't look like its supposed to be above freezin tonight, hence the stalling on chores til i am ready to make the mad dash

 

[desertmarcy]

I'm hoping someone can answer this question I posted a week or so ago. Apologize if it was already answered, I can't keep up with this thread and in a bunch of pages, I didn't see an answer

Thanks so much!

I have a question about breeding for good blue copper Marans. I also keep blue laced red Wyandottes, and I have read that to get the best blue color, one should breed blue to blue, not blue to black or blue to splash. Is this the same with the Marans? Or is that only a BLR Wyandotte thing? It was Foley's Waterfowl and Poultry that made the comment about breeding the BLR Wyandottes (on his website) and he has some of the nicest of that breed, I've been told.

I have my one and only blue copper that doesn't have comb DQ faults in with my black coppers, and a splash Marans in with the black coppers. Just wondering about the results of those. If they ever start laying again

 

[desertmarcy]

I have a question about what is considered a laying cycle. I understand the Marans egg color lightens as the cycle goes on, starts darkest and gets lighter. My group of 7 pullets stopped laying somewhere mid-December and I have just started to see eggs again, but they are much lighter than I remember. I am not at all happy

I don't have my egg color chart yet, I just ordered one--but based on what I can see of it online, I am guessing the color is about a 4

, they are about the color I am getting out of some hatchery quality Cuckoo Marans--certainly no darker. I do have a blue copper and a splash Marans in that pen also, "could" be theirs--but I've a feeling the eggs belong to the BCMs.

So: back to my question, with the month or so break they took in laying, would this be considered to be the start of a new cycle, or not? Please help me learn the definition of a laying cycle, I would like to hatch some more chicks

but I am reluctant to hatch such light brown eggs--I assume the best (only?) way to select for darker eggs is to hatch only the darkest eggs?

 

[Lotsapaints]

desertmarcy

I've been told the best blues come from a Black Copper Rooster crossed on Splash hens.......since I ended up with a Splash Copper Rooster and Black Copper hens I've been mating this way and most of the offspring has very nice blue with the darker lacing. I have hatched from a Blue Copper hen to my Splash guy and have mostly Splash chicks not feathered out yet so I can't tell you how the blue looks from that yet and soon I'll be testing breeding Blue Copper to Blue Copper. What might happen is the color looks washed out and you might loose the dark lacing or the babies might look so dark as to not appear blue also so far mine are not old enough to say.

As for the egg color it depends mine when they start are lighter then kinds jump all over the color scale then after a month or 6 weeks even out to laying pretty normal mine seen to lighten when it gets hot then as they get closer to molting darken up. I have one hen who lays a real darkie who just started back up and they were very light at first now after 2 weeks she's getting close to what she can lay. To me as the hens lay every year the color gets richer not really darker than their first season and every once in a while they will just lay a lighter egg

 

[flgardengirl]

Marcy: If your blue coppers are sort of washed looking out then you should cross out to a very dark blue or black copper bird. If they are too dark go with a lighter bird. If you have blues with good lacing both male and female mate them together. Lots of people cross their splashes back to dark blue or black when they start getting too washed out.

On the laying cycle pullets often times will lay darker than mature hens. Factors such as stress, diet, environment etc can all affect laying cycle and egg color.
Only time will tell if your girls eggs will darken up. Make sure they are getting enough greens and protein. Set your darkest eggs only and mark the chicks that come from the very darkest of those and breed these for your next generation. Make your goal to get a roo from the darkest egg possible and use him on your darkest laying girls. I know from experience that the roo's egg color genetics can contribute quite a bit to get those eggs darker.

 

[bluesGuy]

hi, i was just curious, of these lines of BCM which lay the darkest eggs?:cottage hill, bev Davis,Wade jeane. does any one know?

 

[newchickens2009]

Here are a few pics of my W/BW Marans roo and one of his ladies. Fell free to express thoughts and opinions

 

[stephanie1992]

Hi! They are just a mix of whatever is in them...the coloration coming in on the chest that you are seeing I believe to be from the SLW blood in them and is caused by the lacing (partridge gene) that the SLW carries. Others will come by and give their opinions as well. They are cute! Wonder what color egg they are going to lay?

I was wondering what color egg also. they came from a olive colored egg. what color do wyandottes lay? maybe it will be an even darker color olive egg.

 

[ruth]

Newchickens2009 - very nice comb on that boy.

 

[gilavina]

Katelyn,

How are things going over your way with the sorting?