Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[ruth]

Mine all have feathers down the outer toe but none of my BCMs leg's or toes resemble some that I've seen in pics which to me look like my Cochin's legs/feet. I've also noticed that they start out with a heavier feathering but tend to lose it as they age - especially the males. Of course most of my males freerange unless they are needed in a breeder pen and my freerange birds really tend to lose their leg/toe feathering.

 

[ZoiChick]

Mine all have feathers down the outer toe but none of my BCMs leg's or toes resemble some that I've seen in pics which to me look like my Cochin's legs/feet. I've also noticed that they start out with a heavier feathering but tend to lose it as they age - especially the males. Of course most of my males freerange unless they are needed in a breeder pen and my freerange birds really tend to lose their leg/toe feathering.

Hi Ruth, while you are looking in, I have to compliment your attitude without ego. One of these days If the raising chicken urge doesn't fail me, I hope to buy chicks or eggs from you. As a beginner with my first BCMs before ever seeing any in the flesh, they aren't bad examples, but they are certainly NOT sq. Reading the first 700 pages of this forum is quite informative and my background in show dogs might lead one to believe I love beating my head against a brick wall :rolleyes Meanwhile we have pens and hen houses to build and will enjoy the lovely eggs.: while learning about chickens in general Back to lurk mode ZoiChick This is my little dark egg layer. Dark eye tho. And here is a sample of her eggs. The lighter ones on the left are from the other hen, but they still taste good.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:

I'm joining the bad comb club!!

This is one of my Olive Eggers (with hard boiled egg on his beak) - not quite 5 weeks old. Now I have to hope it isn't my Marans boy that's throwing this.

 

[Arielle]

Mine all have feathers down the outer toe but none of my BCMs leg's or toes resemble some that I've seen in pics which to me look like my Cochin's legs/feet. I've also noticed that they start out with a heavier feathering but tend to lose it as they age - especially the males. Of course most of my males freerange unless they are needed in a breeder pen and my freerange birds really tend to lose their leg/toe feathering.

I noticed yesterday how few feathers are left on my roosters' legs. All 4 have decreased the feathering on their legs. THey were looking like cochin feathering back in the fall but now the feathering is much more sparse along the shank and on the toes. Most of the feathers are very short, maybe growing in new ones. THis is my first year with FBCM, so I will wait and see how the feathering look in a few more weeks.

 

[geebs]

 

[Arielle]

Does any one use dogs to help with fox/coyote problems? Fox problems, and coyote problems can often be controlled by using domestic dogs. Coyotes especially don't cross onto the territory of a domestic dog. Not a perfect system depending on the coyote but liberal use of walking a pet dog along the perimeter can be helpful. Pee, pee, pee along a fenceline.

Or you can borrow my son, who with bat in hand chased a coyote with a favorite chicken in mouth. (Coyote clearly was not going to stop and argue as he already had his prize. I did need to council my son on adult duties v children duties.) Or my DH who chased a fox who had scooted under the barrier fence only to exit at high speed up and over the 5 ft fence. Wish I had been there for that one. Fox has not been back.

 

[ZoiChick]

I have had that Jesse line for a long time (first Wades I bought)....I have never had pene combs come up.... Other stuff.... UH OH YA... The yellow leg thing threw me... but that was a problem in that line for sure as it was in several lines early on.... It was a way in the beginning to show you really had Jesse birds... I have had big combs but not any of the pene combs... side sprigs ya.. in every breed with single combs you have that as a possible fault...There are still a couple of closed Jesse flocks out there... I will ask around...

Debbi... You may ask yourself why ppl don't tell where they got bad stock...   it isn't a secret pene society...   No one is HIDING anything...(we all secretly have penedesencas hiding in our closets...he he)    I don't have anything to hide for sure...  I have hatched my share of pene combs for sure... I know why too...Unless I got the birds from point of import on a closed flock... with no other breeds in the yard... anything is possible... and still... a nieghbors bird can still visit...  We DONT know as buyers what we are going to get... and also the genetics that were available... well they were mutts from the get go... We are just a few short years in and just LOOOK where we are... We have come a long way baby...  Unfortunately ppl still tried to make the wheel rounder than it was... that was the pene problem... if one dark layer is good... well lets mix the two (the thinking here)... Penes have died out.. there isn't many good ones in the US to be found... There is a reason... They are some wicked flighty things...  It is pretty easy to see the influence they had... As a person who owned both Penes and Early imported marans from most points of import years ago I can tell you that the early birds are nothing like what we have today... Good and bad... Some flocks will be forever in getting rid of the carnation comb... it is prolific... Did one rooster of Jesse's have a carnation Comb influence... I really don't know... In all the hatchings I did from those eggs... and all the subsequent generations I have had from his closed flocks.. I haven't seen it. PPL Crossed them with Barnies and Wellies also

Valentine was probably the most prolific of the impact on the marans  aviculture... they were one of the first to mass market marans at a price ppl could afford.. It showed up in egg color among other things.. Those were some of the first crosses I surmise... I had my share of those...all which met with a clear and definite end.. I gave some eggs away in the beginning.  (who knew) fortunately the birds were so unredeaming that I doubt anyone kept em... It is easy to believe what ppl tell you when you buy em. this is truly a buyer beware....  The culling in that respect MUST be ruthless (no offense Ruth he he )  The comb isn't the worst of the offenses IMHO.. it is the attitude of the birds also.. They are rangy and the roosters aren't friendly... the eye color isn't right... dark flecks etc...It is also the genetic base.  We can get hung up on the combs but there are other signs of the roosters that have gone before....   The sickle tails and rangey bodies.. that is enough to scrap heap em if you ask me.... the nice short tails and low riding bodies are more in keeping with what the breed is supposed to look like... If we keep that MEAT/EGG producer in mind we won't need to scrutinize the combs so hard as the pene culling will dissappear at a faster rate... There are breeders out there that I wouldn't take their birds even if they were free.... I think of it as poison to my flock... It all  comes back to the same thing time after time...

Monique, I love Jesse's flock... nice kind birds with lots of redeeming qualities..  I will take them as I find them... If in the future I ever have a side sprig show up.. I will let you know.. as of yet I haven't...  But who knows... anything can happen in chickens...

 The combs argument in this group is years old... glad to see we are still kicking that dog... I sure thought it would be dead by now. Wonderful to see nothing changes around here.    Let's wage war on the flighty birds.. that is something you hear less about... Marans crawl right up in  your lap and want to see whacha got... that is the mark of a good marans... If it is flighty.. eat it.. It should run to the pot... that is my official position on that matter...Well guys... Lots to do today... one of the last nice days... See ya around the cyber-farmyard...geebs has left the building

Thank YOU! Geebs. A great deal of valuable information that puts the problem in perspective !!!

 

[Arielle]

Thanks Zoi CHick-- a good post to revisit. GOod reminder to be sure the rooster and his hens are well secured in advance of collecting eggs for the next generation!! No jumping fences allowed!

 

[3riverschick]

Does any one use dogs to help with fox/coyote problems? Fox problems, and coyote problems can often be controlled by using domestic dogs. Coyotes especially don't cross onto the territory of a domestic dog. Not a perfect system depending on the coyote but liberal use of walking a pet dog along the perimeter can be helpful. Pee, pee, pee along a fenceline.

Or you can borrow my son, who with bat in hand chased a coyote with a favorite chicken in mouth. (Coyote clearly was not going to stop and argue as he already had his prize. I did need to council my son on adult duties v children duties.) Or my DH who chased a fox who had scooted under the barrier fence only to exit at high speed up and over the 5 ft fence. Wish I had been there for that one. Fox has not been back.

Couple of ways to go with the poultry protection dogs. One is Great Pyrenees from a working livestock guardian line. If you buy 2 , it's even better because they will attack the coyotes as a team and kill it.
Another route is the lady in southern Califonia who breeds Maramma Sheepdogs are livestock guardians. She has a website and I do believe I remember reading her dogs will do poultry guarding.
There is at least one other person out there who breeds poultry guard dogs. They're the smaller breeds. One sells already trained dogs (website). However, they are the smaller breeds, great for mink and rats. Have to ask the breeders how they would do against larger predators like coyotes. I bred smooth collie working dogs for 15 years. I have no doubt they would kill a coyote.
Best,
Karen , Bellwether Collies (retired)

 

[rsquared]

Geebs, great post and very succinct. Thanks for helping me see the forest as well as some of the trees!