Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[VillageChicken]

Pink wrote: Who knew I would fall head over heels for the BLR Wy's?
How could anyone who's followed your posts at all NOT know you'd fall head over heels for something blue and feathered?


Hey Pink, and other Marans folks. Sorry for the long hiatus. LOOOONG cold winter here, and lots of sickness.

Guess who just hatched his first BLUE copper Marans this week? Just two made it from a badly packed box of shipped eggs, but one has an odd white spot on his head, like it's cuckoo or something. One is just perfect, with really good shank fuzz - only one toe. Do you ever have a hard time telling the difference between a dark blue and a black at hatch?

I've got an incubator full of eggs from a German guy who packs amazingly well. Giant styrofoam cooler with foam on the top and bottom. Got cuckoos, silver birchens, whites and black coppers in there from him.

 

[pinkchick]

remind me to get a couple pics of some of my wyandotte l.f. running around for you. I have two SLW roos that are just phenomenal...different in their own right, but think that they will lend really well with my breeding program. I'm gonna be looking into some more stock in some specific colors as I have a few gaps to fill, but can't wait!

Be careful....don't fill up all your space..remember we have Birchens coming!!!!!!!

Oh and make sure this time next year you have room for those Blue Laced Barnie project birds too lady!

 

[gilavina]

On top of the excellent layers they would be, I bet the cockerels are huge and would make excellent roasters, don't they? I can just see some of those chunky monkeys now.


6 days for you and 5 days until lockdown here!


Wonder what's going on at Donna's????


Very sad to read of Barb's eggies! What a bummer!

Oh! Yay! I didn't know you had some eggs going in about the same time as me! I'll be running the hatcher for this one so I'll be able to watch babies hatch!!

The cockerels are huge....and I bet you would get the heft, but the tenderness the Marans have. You know what some of the best roasters I've ever had are? The sussex...they grow slower, but holy crap!! Tasty!

 

[gilavina]

Pink wrote: Who knew I would fall head over heels for the BLR Wy's?
How could anyone who's followed your posts at all NOT know you'd fall head over heels for something blue and feathered?


Hey Pink, and other Marans folks. Sorry for the long hiatus. LOOOONG cold winter here, and lots of sickness.

Guess who just hatched his first BLUE copper Marans this week? Just two made it from a badly packed box of shipped eggs, but one has an odd white spot on his head, like it's cuckoo or something. One is just perfect, with really good shank fuzz - only one toe. Do you ever have a hard time telling the difference between a dark blue and a black at hatch?

I've got an incubator full of eggs from a German guy who packs amazingly well. Giant styrofoam cooler with foam on the top and bottom. Got cuckoos, silver birchens, whites and black coppers in there from him.

Hi! Long time no see! I hope that you all get to feeling better!

I cannot wait at all to see how the silver birchens turn out that you got! I am so glad you are getting into them!

 

[pinkchick]

Pink wrote: Who knew I would fall head over heels for the BLR Wy's?
How could anyone who's followed your posts at all NOT know you'd fall head over heels for something blue and feathered?


Hey Pink, and other Marans folks. Sorry for the long hiatus. LOOOONG cold winter here, and lots of sickness.

Guess who just hatched his first BLUE copper Marans this week? Just two made it from a badly packed box of shipped eggs, but one has an odd white spot on his head, like it's cuckoo or something. One is just perfect, with really good shank fuzz - only one toe. Do you ever have a hard time telling the difference between a dark blue and a black at hatch?

I've got an incubator full of eggs from a German guy who packs amazingly well. Giant styrofoam cooler with foam on the top and bottom. Got cuckoos, silver birchens, whites and black coppers in there from him.

LOL! Hi Roger!!!!! Ohhh...how I have missed that smiling face in your avatar!

Welcome back and hope everyone is doing great and that you and your family are all healthy and remain that way.

Congrats on your Blue's!!!!! I knew you couldn't stay away from them!

Yes....sometimes it is very hard to tell some blues from blacks at hatch. In my last hatch I had a very very light blue copper hatch.....she is now fully feathered in the wing area and she is extremely DARK BLUE and cute as the dickens! Will get a photo of her later today after I pick up my new goaties.
I watch the suspected very dark blues closely and mark them....eventually as they are feathering out you will see subtle differences in them and you will just know they are blue.

Can't wait to see your next hatch! Oh and in my limited experience of seeing imported hatching eggs....the best packing job came from Germany...every little eggie was nestled comfy and cozy in its own foam cut out space, fit perfectly to the egg with a matching foam cover and in a long wooden box made specifically for the eggs and foam. I had the pleasure of hatching those Silkie eggs out for this friend. Sadly only 3 hatched and 1 died just after hatch.....but man o man...what a packing job!

 

[gilavina]

Be careful....don't fill up all your space..remember we have Birchens coming!!!!!!!

Oh and make sure this time next year you have room for those Blue Laced Barnie project birds too lady!

haha...I've been trimming down to just the breeds and color varieties that I really want to work with and think I've done a pretty good job. I'm gonna be trimming down more once it gets a bit warmer. I have some girls that have just started laying and think they should sell quick once we get past this really cold snap. its ridiculous. Its 10 in the morning and still -2 out. I made the plan for the birchens and my colors of wyandottes I need to fill my space, so I'll be looking at probably 40 chicks max coming from outside sources, so think I should be good. I esp can't wait til my brooder gets here, that will make everything so much easier....

And hark!!! What's this I hear?!!!!! BL Barnie project birds for muah!?

 

[pinkchick]

haha...I've been trimming down to just the breeds and color varieties that I really want to work with and think I've done a pretty good job. I'm gonna be trimming down more once it gets a bit warmer. I have some girls that have just started laying and think they should sell quick once we get past this really cold snap. its ridiculous. Its 10 in the morning and still -2 out. I made the plan for the birchens and my colors of wyandottes I need to fill my space, so I'll be looking at probably 40 chicks max coming from outside sources, so think I should be good. I esp can't wait til my brooder gets here, that will make everything so much easier....

And hark!!! What's this I hear?!!!!! BL Barnie project birds for muah!?

Yes Ma'am....you are getting some of those project babies! I can't wait to cross my little man back to a couple of the girls and see what happens.

 

[DMRippy]

On top of the excellent layers they would be, I bet the cockerels are huge and would make excellent roasters, don't they? I can just see some of those chunky monkeys now.


6 days for you and 5 days until lockdown here!


Wonder what's going on at Donna's????


Very sad to read of Barb's eggies! What a bummer!

I have to go to the farm to find out

I think nothing yet. Maybe tomorrow we will see some action.

 

[gilavina]

Yes Ma'am....you are getting some of those project babies! I can't wait to cross my little man back to a couple of the girls and see what happens.

Wahoo!!! (Ironically I live not far from a town called Wahoo) That's exciting! I'm really hoping that this year I will be heading in a really good direction with getting the gaps filled in my pens and further thinning out some of the birds I can't use. Its been interesting seeing my birds grow out from last year....better than expected to be honest!

 

[math ace]

ROFLMAO

I am buzzing is REAL QUICK just to share my latest find on ebay...


http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-EXCELLENT...832?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfe69b470

ROFLMAO

I want to point out that this person says

"these birds have been bred with the submitted standard in mind. "

Anyone catch the contradiction of ....

"Marans are not yet an officially recognized APA breed"

Yep, that is right folks... this person is breeding with the standard in mind.... BUT does not know that the breed and its standard was APA recognized almost a year ago...