Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[slick4591]

Slick ~ Don't feel alone there! I've been hatching since late 2009, and still haven't found the "recipe" for a great Marans hatch! Go back a few pages, and Ron gave a tiny lecture on some of his hatching ideas! At this point, I'll try anything!

Thanks, Debbi. Yes, I saw what he posted and I'm not really down about the hatching. Heck, I was please to get anything on my first attempt with an unproven incubator. I know it's like most thing where I need the experience to succeed.

I'm not happy with my birds. When I went looking for birds I emailed Bev Davis herself and asked for chicks. She in turn referred me to someone and I figured that was just about as good as her birds, so I spent quite a bit on them. Now, I'm looking at squirrel tails, white feathers, bad combs and number 5 eggs on their best days. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect show champs, but I did expect something to work with. Right now I don't feel like I can even work with these.

 

[Debbi]

Ok color gurus, here goes, and this has to be quick as storms are rolling in.

Inspecting birds tonight, mostly the roos. Mr. Pip, who I was told by Geebs (thanks girl, you were so right!!!), has a "Wheaten influence" going on. Now, he has never showed any cinamon wing triangle, but colorwise, he has always looked more Wheaten than BCM; you know, with the golden and copper mixed hackles. Tonight upon inspection, I was particularly checking out these odd white feathers that have popped up in the wings, like never before! The white appears in the middle of the feather; not at the skin, nor at the ends. All of the older roos have this to some extent, and I have attributed it to going into molt; although none of my boys have ever gone into a FULL molt yet! Ok, so checking Mr. Pip. Open the wing, and instead of white, which he did have on one primary on each side, there on the bottom edge of the first primary is....CINNAMON!!!!

Ok, then onto the shanks. He hatched with some nicely feathered shanks, but weeks later, he was clean shanked. Tonight, there are many stubs of feathers coming in, even on the outside toes! This guy is almost 2 years old! Ok, long story short and to my question... Is there a possibility that he is a BCM x Wheaten mix? He looks more Wheaten than he ever did BCM. Could he produce true colored Wheatens if bred to Wheaten hens?? Was going to upload a pic, but I don't think I'll have the time before the storm hits. No wonder he had such a hard time assimilating with the other chickens! Mine are all very segregated by color, and he has ALWAYS been the odd man out! Makes me wonder now if his color is Wheaten instead of BCM poorly colored???? Something inside of me has always told me to hold onto him. He is my dancing chicken and entertains me, but is also a challenge. Cripes! Could he be Wheaten in disguise?? Maybe this is why so many Wheaten sports crop up in some lines so often?? Pip is supposedly from Jesse Bryant birds, so basically Wade Jeane with a God knows who roo?? I see a project in my future...

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Ok color gurus, here goes, and this has to be quick as storms are rolling in.

Inspecting birds tonight, mostly the roos. Mr. Pip, who I was told by Geebs (thanks girl, you were so right!!!), has a "Wheaten influence" going on. Now, he has never showed any cinamon wing triangle, but colorwise, he has always looked more Wheaten than BCM; you know, with the golden and copper mixed hackles. Tonight upon inspection, I was particularly checking out these odd white feathers that have popped up in the wings, like never before! The white appears in the middle of the feather; not at the skin, nor at the ends. All of the older roos have this to some extent, and I have attributed it to going into molt; although none of my boys have ever gone into a FULL molt yet! Ok, so checking Mr. Pip. Open the wing, and instead of white, which he did have on one primary on each side, there on the bottom edge of the first primary is....CINNAMON!!!!

Ok, then onto the shanks. He hatched with some nicely feathered shanks, but weeks later, he was clean shanked. Tonight, there are many stubs of feathers coming in, even on the outside toes! This guy is almost 2 years old! Ok, long story short and to my question... Is there a possibility that he is a BCM x Wheaten mix? He looks more Wheaten than he ever did BCM. Could he produce true colored Wheatens if bred to Wheaten hens?? Was going to upload a pic, but I don't think I'll have the time before the storm hits. No wonder he had such a hard time assimilating with the other chickens! Mine are all very segregated by color, and he has ALWAYS been the odd man out! Makes me wonder now if his color is Wheaten instead of BCM poorly colored???? Something inside of me has always told me to hold onto him. He is my dancing chicken and entertains me, but is also a challenge. Cripes! Could he be Wheaten in disguise?? Maybe this is why so many Wheaten sports crop up in some lines so often?? Pip is supposedly from Jesse Bryant birds, so basically Wade Jeane with a God knows who roo?? I see a project in my future...

This TOTALLY sound like a question for Don. I believe he said my "colourful" BCM had wheaten in him.

 

[Debbi]

Barb, I think I recall Don saying he never had a Wheaten sport pop up in his birds, and he was breeding mainly Jeane line birds? I may be wrong here. I just might have to e-mail him with my question, but surely someone else has had this pop up?? I don't know if I'd call Pip a "sport" as he never showed his true colors until now, at almost 2 years of age. Makes me wonder if with all the large turn over and culling to who knows who, the Wheaten isn't infused into a lot more BCMs than previously noted?? I only held onto this roo because he entertained me, and until this March, had NEVER bred a pullet or hen. He was just the kindly, and alternative lifestyle Uncle Pip to all! Then the hormones and nature kicked in, and now these new feathers?? He has gone from low man on the totem to the top dog in a few short months, and now the feather change?? Boggles my mind!!

 

[Coop de Grille]

Five and a half weeks old now. Do these look like French Blue Marans?

 

[Debbi]

Five and a half weeks old now. Do these look like French Blue Marans?

Yup. First pic, on the right looks black with clean shanks. Last pic on the left, looks like a dark Blue with clean shanks. The "French" term refers to the feathered shanks, with the old method; and "English" would be clean shanked. These birds are now in the American Standards, so the French/English referral is moot. ALL Marans in this country should have feathered shanks and outside toes! Yours are looking nice so far, sans the clean shanked ones. The clean shanked/toed birds will pop up even with feathered shanked birds being bred together. Don't lose hope, it is a realatively new breed here and will take some time to get it all together.

 

[ronott1]

Yes, please try using those tips! Marans are tough, but I just read about someone that hatched only 5 out of 24 SG Dorkings and 2 died right away, so they have only 3 left.

There is another thing you could try. Look it up, but it involves spraying the eggs once a day with water. The evaporation from the water pulls the moisture out of the egg. This sounds like a better way to remove the moisture than sanding the shell.

Good luck with your hatches. There is a breeder close to me that sells hatching eggs for $1.00 each. Last December Hatched a very beautiful Blue Marans from one of her eggs. I am thinking about getting More from her. I love this Pullet!



Not bad for a one dollar egg. The EE came from the same hatch.

Ron

Slick ~ Don't feel alone there! I've been hatching since late 2009, and still haven't found the "recipe" for a great Marans hatch! Go back a few pages, and Ron gave a tiny lecture on some of his hatching ideas! At this point, I'll try anything!

 

[gilavina]

I don't like him, he doesn't have too a developed chest to help balance him out. I also just don't like the way he carries himself. Just my two cents.

 

[Cadeau]

Hi all

Just stopping by quicky - had my second surgery on Friday, so haven't been around much...

Congrats to all on their hatches!!

I had a wonderful hatch last night/today!
So far, I have 20 BCM and 2 bl CM out of the hatcher and tons more to come out tomorrow morning!



AND - I FINALLY got my first Olive Egg!!

It's a totally gorgeous army green and a full sized egg
- well worth the wait!!

I'll try for pics tomorrow, maybe when I'm on less pain meds! haha

 

[gilavina]

Hi all

Just stopping by quicky - had my second surgery on Friday, so haven't been around much...

Congrats to all on their hatches!!

I had a wonderful hatch last night/today!
So far, I have 20 BCM and 2 bl CM out of the hatcher and tons more to come out tomorrow morning!



AND - I FINALLY got my first Olive Egg!!

It's a totally gorgeous army green and a full sized egg
- well worth the wait!!

I'll try for pics tomorrow, maybe when I'm on less pain meds! haha

hey Lady! I've been wondering about you! I'm glad you are doing ok. I hope you are getting in as much rest as you can to heal up!