Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Spitman]

Hi Spitman!

Birchens are BEAUTIFUL! The Silver on the black or the blue is striking. They have a slightly lighter egg color than the Coppers do but they are still Marans and still beautiful.

If you cross the 2 colors will have get a mix of colors that happen...such as gold/straw hackles or cream colored hackles, copper hackles and such. You can breed them this way but it will take forever to clean up and perfect the silver or the copper in the offspring depending on what color you are trying to achieve. What do you want to achieve with crossing them?

thanks pink chick been gone the last 11 days on a mission trip . Well I was hoping to make blue Birchen , I I have seen pictures of the cream hackles and such , I have no problem culling to get rid of the copper and cream color but , sounds like it could be more generation then I care to get started on. I read somewhere that the only difference between bcm and black Birchen is the silver , gene verse copper gene ? so why would the color of the eggs be darker in the bcm ? Just wondering ? I'm going to post some pictures tomorrow , the 2 cockereles are about are about 8 weeks and still are not showing any color just black with tiny bit of silver in the breast area on 1 . But the hens are showing silver in the neck area , 2 silver and one copper. Oh well thanks for the feed back. Mabey I will just start breeding birchens. Seems to me the boys sould be showing some color by now ?

 

[gilavina]

I love the chunky ones, too!

Give me a decade (or two or three...) and I hope I'll start seeing the progress some of you guys are celebrating!!

(I just hope I have my eye more developed in order to get there!!)

you will get there!

 

[gilavina]

thanks pink chick been gone the last 11 days on a mission trip . Well I was hoping to make blue Birchen , I I have seen pictures of the cream hackles and such , I have no problem culling to get rid of the copper and cream color but , sounds like it could be more generation then I care to get started on. I read somewhere that the only difference between bcm and black Birchen is the silver , gene verse copper gene ? so why would the color of the eggs be darker in the bcm ? Just wondering ? I'm going to post some pictures tomorrow , the 2 cockereles are about are about 8 weeks and still are not showing any color just black with tiny bit of silver in the breast area on 1 . But the hens are showing silver in the neck area , 2 silver and one copper. Oh well thanks for the feed back. Mabey I will just start breeding birchens. Seems to me the boys sould be showing some color by now ?

Fantastic, where'd you go?

The birchens are definitely a commitment...and the egg color for the most part across the board is definitely lacking. I'm not sure the exact reason for it, but I wonder in part if it doesn't have to do with them not being as popular as the BCMs...
You said your girls are showing color and not your boys? hmmm...around here with mine, its usually the opposite way. What were the parents of these boys marked like?

 

[luvinbluechickens]

Does anyone know how to get ahold of Helen Byers in Texas. Or if she is on BYC? I bought some blue Marans eggs off of eBay from her last year and want more. Also, would be interested in some Bev Davis bloodline blues if anyone has them and the eggs are good color. I've bought several sets of B/B/S eggs and so far Helen's have been by far the darkest and most reasonable.
Thank you,

Emily

 

[Debbi]

haha.... yeah...except I hope they don't call my bluff, cause I don't know if I could do them in if I had to....

I seriously love these boys...in all their imperfection

What a cute pic! Yes, I know what you mean about them being nice and calling your bluff. Even with the faults in both Clyde and Roy, because of their mellow dispositions, I would be hard pressed to ever get rid of them! I can pick them up, anywhere and anytime! I have never gotten so much as a sidesways glance from either of them. After having two rank roos here, the mellow is even more appreciated!!

 

[gilavina]

What a cute pic! Yes, I know what you mean about them being nice and calling your bluff. Even with the faults in both Clyde and Roy, because of their mellow dispositions, I would be hard pressed to ever get rid of them! I can pick them up, anywhere and anytime! I have never gotten so much as a sidesways glance from either of them. After having two rank roos here, the mellow is even more appreciated!!

no joke...I love my sweet boys. I was carrying Gigantor around yesterday....just picked him up and he doesn't mind in the slightest...finally had to put him down cause he was wearing my arm out...
That little bantam girl thinks the sun rises and sets with him...its so funny watching her endlessly chasing him all over the place.
I'll try to get shots of chicks when I get home from work today, I crapped out and fell asleep waaaay early for me last night

 

[pinkchick]

Does anyone know how to get ahold of Helen Byers in Texas. Or if she is on BYC? I bought some blue Marans eggs off of eBay from her last year and want more. Also, would be interested in some Bev Davis bloodline blues if anyone has them and the eggs are good color. I've bought several sets of B/B/S eggs and so far Helen's have been by far the darkest and most reasonable.
Thank you,

Emily

Hi!
I believe that Gilavina may have her contact info.

 

[gilavina]

Hi!
I believe that Gilavina may have her contact info.

I do indeed...I am getting ready to leave for work in a few minutes, but can hunt it down when I get home from work later on

 

[luvinbluechickens]

Awesome. Thank u!!!

 

[Debbi]

I have one older hen that I think is miffed with me. Evidently, I culled out her "boyfriend" the other day. She is normally very shy, but yesterday in the run, she followed me everywhere, and when I would stop, she would peck at my cane and my feet! She also had a few choice words!

It's ok, you are going to the "eating egg only" pen yourself, be glad you aren't a roo!