Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

I saw them....they are looking great and they are growing so fast. I wish I had some silver girls! Mr. Birchen here has no purpose.

That really bummed me out reading about you losing that little girl of yours. Maybe you will be able to track one down. Or, if you can find someone that has pure blues, like that one farm you mentioned out your way, you could get a few girls and should start seeing birchens before long at all with breeding them.

 

[pinkchick]

Hello I have a Blue Copper Maran my hubby brought home last night. I look at it and I see what I think is wrong with it. I am not sure if I want him for a breeder. But if he passes the Maran thread DQ's I'll use him. He was born in OCT 2011. Grandparents from French eggs or so he said. He is large and to me his color looks good. The tail looks maybe boarderline 90 degrees. On alert it is a bit forward relaxed it is just below 90. A couple toes appear bent. Comb is very large all points are there. He had a rough night trying to get out of the pen. His tail feathers got trashed.
So fire away, tear him apart.

Hi!

There are a couple things......tail set for sure, IMO, and the color of his copper seems to be to light fro my taste. I do love the color of his blue and looks to have a nice comb and nice size to him. Not knowing if the toes were bent at hatch or not would make it very hard for me but you could always test mate him to see what happens. If you don't like the results then make the culling decision. Hope this helps.

 

[pinkchick]

Thanks Vicki! I am very happy seeing the egg color coming from my birds that other have. I can tell you that egg color was not like this when I started out with them. I am here to say that backcrossing truly does work. I can't wait to see what your Birchen girls are going to lay.

 

[gilavina]

Thanks Vicki! I am very happy seeing the egg color coming from my birds that other have. I can tell you that egg color was not like this when I started out with them. I am here to say that backcrossing truly does work. I can't wait to see what your Birchen girls are going to lay.

For the first time this spring I saw the progress in egg color from some of my birds from last year's hatches. Its pretty fascinating. Hoping for even more progress with the chicks hatched out this year.
I can't wait to see what those birchen girls lay either!!! They have gorgeous body type and confirmation and have the true look of being a black copper, just with the copper exchanged for silver, so I'm wondering if they might not be developed from a copper line as sports. If so, the egg color might not be bad at all. Either way, they will add a lot to the size, and body type of my birchen program, not to mention the leg feathering.

 

[pinkchick]

For fun and giggles I think I am going to cross one of my Blue Copper girls that does not show any copper to him and see what happens. Can't hurt egg color any at all.....will only improve it. Remember the egg color the Birchens hatched from don't you?

I really don't want to use the suppose to be Birchen gal that is copper. She is very very small and petite....not at all what I want in a Marans. The roo is so big that he surpassed my 6 mos. old Splash roo that I sold last week.

 

[gilavina]

yeah I do remember the egg color. Most all of the birchens I've seen leave a person wanting in the egg color department. I'm hoping you will still find a good start with them!
I'm heading out for the morning...going to the local spring exotic sale. I've got two families that are wanting to get into 4h and want some decent, but not expensive birds to show and I am gonna see what the market is like. I'm not selling since I did on tuesday. Which I did well at! Plus. I grew up in this sale barn and love going to see what's there. Doubt I'll bring anything home, but even just going is half the fun for me!

 

[Debbi]

Hello I have a Blue Copper Maran my hubby brought home last night. I look at it and I see what I think is wrong with it. I am not sure if I want him for a breeder. But if he passes the Maran thread DQ's I'll use him. He was born in OCT 2011. Grandparents from French eggs or so he said. He is large and to me his color looks good. The tail looks maybe boarderline 90 degrees. On alert it is a bit forward relaxed it is just below 90. A couple toes appear bent. Comb is very large all points are there. He had a rough night trying to get out of the pen. His tail feathers got trashed.
So fire away, tear him apart.

Ok, pardon me for being blunt this morning, my back is killing me! Personally, I would name him "Soup". I don't care for him at all. His eyes look very dark, his hackle/saddle color is too straw/golden colored, that tail is just about as close to a Squirrel as you can get, and he is lacking in shank/toe feathering. His wings also look very droopy to me, they should be held tightly and almost horizontally. I just think it would behoove you to find an all around better roo. The time it takes to grow the offspring out, only to be disappointed, isn't worth it. Sorry, JMO

 

[Debbi]

Hey Vicki, those Birchens gals are looking good!! Such a deal, too.

I did too much work around here yesterday, and am dearly paying for it today. My lower back is wrenched, and I have all I can do to stand up semi-straight. OY! But, I did get a lot done yesterday. Cleaned the coops, raked the runs, took all the old litter to the garden, spread it around, dug trenches for potatoes (hope I'm not too late for planting them??), watered the garden (where's all this supposed rain??), went to town, came home and fed chickens, dogs, cats (or yeh, found the 2 babies PLUS 3 more!), cleaned the brooders and fed the little guys, and I was spent! Now, I won't be worth two dead flies for the next couple of days, but it was worth it!

 

[slick4591]

Just did a 10 day candle and things look good. 41 eggs and 3 were clear. Unfortunately, the 3 were my Blue Copper x Blue Copper and I only had five of them. Plenty of Blue Copper x blue and splash Ameraucanas and 10 Black Copper x Black Copper.

I already have my next hatch figured out and it will be Blue Copper x Black and Blue Copper and since I dug up a Blue Ameraucana Roo I have him in with the splash and blue Ameraucana girls.

Also, I gotta give Ron props on recommending the Brinsea High Intensity candler. It works a lot better than my little LED flashlight. Thanks!

 

[ronott1]

Just did a 10 day candle and things look good. 41 eggs and 3 were clear. Unfortunately, the 3 were my Blue Copper x Blue Copper and I only had five of them. Plenty of Blue Copper x blue and splash Ameraucanas and 10 Black Copper x Black Copper.

I already have my next hatch figured out and it will be Blue Copper x Black and Blue Copper and since I dug up a Blue Ameraucana Roo I have him in with the splash and blue Ameraucana girls.

Also, I gotta give Ron props on recommending the Brinsea High Intensity candler. It works a lot better than my little LED flashlight. Thanks!

Your Welcome

I am using rechargeable eneloop batteries in mine. I have two sets so that I have a fresh set ready. I used the Brinsea high intensity candler today--I will be setting Golden Laced Wyendotte eggs tomorrow after they rest. The Air cells are pretty much gone, so I will set them for 4 days with the turner off to help repair the air cell and the embryo.

I hope these do better that my last hatch

Ron