Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

I bought 4 chicks that were supposed to be black copper marans. I have never had this breed before but they just don't seem right to me. Maybe their true feathers will come in. I didn't think they had any white on them. They also have feathered legs if that helps and 4 toes. They are approximately 3 weeks old. Here is one of them. Also any clue what the red spot on the side of its face is? Been there since we got it and it looks like its the feather color.

That looks like a Marans to me. They look like they are in a TUX. The spot... well, I would tag them and watch. It may turn out to be mossy colored, but you never know. I have some that hatch with that and they are mossy. Could mean they will lay a dark egg.

 

[stoopid]

Plum, where are you located?

 

[Coop de Grille]

Is this a French Blue Maran baby? S/he is four weeks old.

 

[Coop de Grille]

Is this a French Black Maran baby? Also 4 weeks old.

 

[SMilano]

Any information would be appreciated..... I recently got chicken fever and started out with 2 RIR's, a bantam cochin, and 2 pekin ducklings. i learned to love them all, and then learned about them. Then i decided to add to my collection and my focus became the BCM's. I love the idea of their eggs and the breed is so beautiful. From what i had read on websites is that they are a pretty docile bird and make good backyard pets. It too me awhile, but I finally got my hands on 4 Bev Davis french version chicks. I decided that since i was going to add a new little group to the flock, that i might as well add all the ones that i wanted to collect at the same time and came across 2 very small, i am assuming bantam silkies. they are supposedly 2 days older than the marans and are half the size. when added in with the marans, as they were alone, cold and neglected from where i got them from, and so tiny and cute. I thought the benefits outweighed the risks, these little guys didn't seem like they would make it on their own. the marans were mean and aggressive at first. pecking mostly at willow, the little white one. after a few minutes they stopped, then willow seemed to always stand alone. she will just stand and fall asleep where she is. if she tries to get in the group she struggles to get under the bigger birds and have them sit on her. they all get tired of it, even her black little sister senna, and everyone leaves her alone. only one the the smaller bcm's seemed to hang with the smaller birds, so i took her and senna and willow and separated them from the rest together, hoping it would be less trampling and commotion, and maybe a motherly instinct from the bcm. any suggestions or insight? i spoke with another chicken person today and he said that he doesn't have marans because they are mean and very big in size. i may need to part with a couple if this is the case. Just at 8 days old i can already tell that i have a cockeral, he is starting a comb and has gold on his wing tips and gold on his face and is very dominant and aggressive. at 8 days.... my older group is so happy together and compatible and peaceful, i would hate to add demons to the group. are they really mean?

 

[DMRippy]

Is this a French Blue Maran baby? S/he is four weeks old.

Looks like a blue roo to me. The French part would be feathered legs... I can't tell from the pics.

 

[DMRippy]

Is this a French Black Maran baby? Also 4 weeks old.

This is not French... no feathers. Looks like a pullet.... not sure about the comb, kinda look off, if it is a straight comb then it look like a Marans. But time will tell when they grow up.

 

[Coop de Grille]

Thank you! The Blue chickie does have feathered legs.

I bought 16 eggs from someone local, 12 were mixed. Four of them were supposed to be pure French Black or French Blue Marans. I have never had Marans before and I can't which out of the 13 that hatched are the three pure breed ones.

This one doesn't have feathered legs, is it Maran?

 

[DMRippy]

Any information would be appreciated..... I recently got chicken fever and started out with 2 RIR's, a bantam cochin, and 2 pekin ducklings. i learned to love them all, and then learned about them. Then i decided to add to my collection and my focus became the BCM's. I love the idea of their eggs and the breed is so beautiful. From what i had read on websites is that they are a pretty docile bird and make good backyard pets. It too me awhile, but I finally got my hands on 4 Bev Davis french version chicks. I decided that since i was going to add a new little group to the flock, that i might as well add all the ones that i wanted to collect at the same time and came across 2 very small, i am assuming bantam silkies. they are supposedly 2 days older than the marans and are half the size. when added in with the marans, as they were alone, cold and neglected from where i got them from, and so tiny and cute. I thought the benefits outweighed the risks, these little guys didn't seem like they would make it on their own. the marans were mean and aggressive at first. pecking mostly at willow, the little white one. after a few minutes they stopped, then willow seemed to always stand alone. she will just stand and fall asleep where she is. if she tries to get in the group she struggles to get under the bigger birds and have them sit on her. they all get tired of it, even her black little sister senna, and everyone leaves her alone. only one the the smaller bcm's seemed to hang with the smaller birds, so i took her and senna and willow and separated them from the rest together, hoping it would be less trampling and commotion, and maybe a motherly instinct from the bcm. any suggestions or insight? i spoke with another chicken person today and he said that he doesn't have marans because they are mean and very big in size. i may need to part with a couple if this is the case. Just at 8 days old i can already tell that i have a cockeral, he is starting a comb and has gold on his wing tips and gold on his face and is very dominant and aggressive. at 8 days.... my older group is so happy together and compatible and peaceful, i would hate to add demons to the group. are they really mean?

I don't think I would put bantams with Marans... just me. I don't find my Marans to be mean. They are big birds and because they are bigger they will be dominate in a pen. I don't have problems with other LF and Marans together. I think maybe they see the smaller ones as weak and it is just natural to pick on the weaker chicks. JMHO.....

 

[Cadeau]

I also keep my bantams chicks separate from my LF chicks - the little ones just seem to get run over.

They stuff themselves under b/c they inherently know to nestle under their mother!
BUT if they're too tiny or too weak to pop up, when they're getting crushed, they can get killed...

My Marans aren't mean either, but they are VERY active, compared to both my bantam cochins and my BLRW.


But I DO often use an adolescent or grown bantam cochin to take care of my chicks in the brooder!