Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[desertmarcy]

I'm still sorting through the black and blue copper Marans cockerels I am raising to pick a couple of good ones. Most of them are 2 to 3 months old. I'm down to 25 blacks and 5 blues!! More of these need to go to freezer camp, but I'm having trouble selecting. So far, the ones that go are ones that have too much color on their breast. I figure if they have a lot of color this early on, it will only get worse. But now I am looking at their shape and I am wondering about what to look for in their back. It seems to me a lot of them look kind of rounded. Is this just a normal look for this gangly stage? Gosh, I wish someone with more experience/better eye for this were here to help me! Anyway, here are some pics of the blacks, tell me what you think. Feel free to comment on other aspects of the birds also. This is the rounded look I'm talking about:


And another one:

One more:

This guy doesn't seem to have that shape, but maybe it is just the way he is standing upright? Heck, it could be the same bird in one of the above shots for all I know!

This one is taking his good old time about coloring up:

Not sure about this guy yet:

 

[desertmarcy]

Now I will bore you with pics of the 2 older blue coppers. I have 3 younger ones, they aren't old enough yet to really evaluate. This guy looks good so far, at least to my eye, except he has a LOT of middle toe feathering. He is probably around 3 months old, he has just started to crow also:

Same bird:

His comb:

Would you look at those foot feathers!


Here is the second guy, he looks to be a bit younger. I think he is getting too much breast coloration, what do you all think of him?

 

[Debbi]

Marcy,

It maybe the way they are standing, they look hot, but the rounded back is referred to as
"Roached" or "Roach Back". Try to get some pics of them standing up straighter. Usually though, when there is that dip between the bottom of the neck and the back, it means roached. Some may grow out of it. Check their combs, I'm thinking I see a few side sprigs on some of them??

 

[desertmarcy]

Marcy,

It maybe the way they are standing, they look hot, but the rounded back is referred to as
"Roached" or "Roach Back". Try to get some pics of them standing up straighter. Usually though, when there is that dip between the bottom of the neck and the back, it means roached. Some may grow out of it. Check their combs, I'm thinking I see a few side sprigs on some of them??

Yes, they ARE hot, it is upper 90's to low 100's here. Is roach back considered a DQ? I can grow them longer if need be, or cull ones that look like that now. I did think they looked a bit odd and not all look like that, so...I haven't seen any side sprigs. My plan is to go out with a flashlight after dark and look them all over closely, then I can band the ones that will be butchered the next butcher run. It is too hot for me and them to be chasing them all down during the day. I will look closely at all the combs then---but I am on the lookout for side sprigs, believe me!! So far this year, in all the Marans I've hatched and raised, I have only found one with a side sprig, yeah!!

 

[Wynette]

Yes, they ARE hot, it is upper 90's to low 100's here. Is roach back considered a DQ? I can grow them longer if need be, or cull ones that look like that now. I did think they looked a bit odd and not all look like that, so...I haven't seen any side sprigs. My plan is to go out with a flashlight after dark and look them all over closely, then I can band the ones that will be butchered the next butcher run. It is too hot for me and them to be chasing them all down during the day. I will look closely at all the combs then---but I am on the lookout for side sprigs, believe me!! So far this year, in all the Marans I've hatched and raised, I have only found one with a side sprig, yeah!!

Feel their combs for sprigs as well; it can sometimes be a VERY tiny bump.

I'd never had issues with sprigs either until this year....I have stock from another breeder and apparently that's where it's coming from. I haven't hatched but 2 on my farm this year, and both have been TINY sprigs, but apparently Debbi (I was told she posted it here & she also let me know privately) hatched some that were much worse from my line. Sigh. I swear, JUST when you think you have something worked out, something ELSE comes along!

You need to remember that this breed is brand spanking new - only accepted into the SOP a year ago. I have more issues with my Silver Penciled Rock than my Marans, and the SP rock was accepted in...gosh, 1920's, I think. And - I've been told by now 4 judges that my line of SP Rock is the best there is in the U.S.! When I think about it, it drives me batty! How can I have the best there is of SP Rocks but have MORE issues with them than the Marans?

 

[CountryFriedChicken]

has anybody purchased marans from Jim Hughie? I am looking for good quality Jeane marans (Black/Blue Coppers and Birchen). Mr. Hughie is quite high priced compared to others but it is very hard to find nice marans at all in my area. I already have a quad of Black coppers bred by Tommy Culpepper (through someone that bought from him and trying to thin out his flock).. I am not trying to stir for drama... thanks.

 

[Debbi]

has anybody purchased marans from Jim Hughie? I am looking for good quality Jeane marans (Black/Blue Coppers and Birchen). Mr. Hughie is quite high priced compared to others but it is very hard to find nice marans at all in my area. I already have a quad of Black coppers bred by Tommy Culpepper (through someone that bought from him and trying to thin out his flock).. I am not trying to stir for drama... thanks.

Never heard of him, personally. Does he have a web site or some pics of his birds somewhere for us to look at? Don't go by high prices or where others tell you they bought their birds, most of the time, it's BS I have found! Unless you bought the birds directly from Tommy, I would take their lineage with a pound of salt. One breeding can get the original stuff waaaay of track! You think it's hard to find good Marans in GA? You should come up here!

You are pretty much in the heart of Marans country down there!

 

[CountryFriedChicken]

Never heard of him, personally. Does he have a web site or some pics of his birds somewhere for us to look at? Don't go by high prices or where others tell you they bought their birds, most of the time, it's BS I have found! Unless you bought the birds directly from Tommy, I would take their lineage with a pound of salt. One breeding can get the original stuff waaaay of track! You think it's hard to find good Marans in GA? You should come up here!

You are pretty much in the heart of Marans country down there!

he advertisies in the GA department of agriculture market bulliten and craigslist... there is some pictures on craigslist (taken with the phone I believe). Yes I am in GA, but I have had to pass on so many marans to find the quad and the chicks in the garage (even though they are not pure of any line - wade jeane with bev davis but I will be keeping them seperate from my jeane birds if I do not cull them all).

 

[Debbi]

I hear ya on the culling! By all rights, I should cull every last one of my Marans here, they all have faults, some even have DQs. I'm only keeping the ones with the faults I can live and work with, the rest are being culled out. I have some Wheaten eggs due to hatch next weekend, hopefully, I will get a better start with them than I did the Black and Blue Coppers. If it weren't the good luck I had with my Silkies, I think I would be chicken free right now. I know how very disheartening it can be!

 

[desertmarcy]

Feel their combs for sprigs as well; it can sometimes be a VERY tiny bump.

I'd never had issues with sprigs either until this year....I have stock from another breeder and apparently that's where it's coming from. I haven't hatched but 2 on my farm this year, and both have been TINY sprigs, but apparently Debbi (I was told she posted it here & she also let me know privately) hatched some that were much worse from my line. Sigh. I swear, JUST when you think you have something worked out, something ELSE comes along!

You need to remember that this breed is brand spanking new - only accepted into the SOP a year ago. I have more issues with my Silver Penciled Rock than my Marans, and the SP rock was accepted in...gosh, 1920's, I think. And - I've been told by now 4 judges that my line of SP Rock is the best there is in the U.S.! When I think about it, it drives me batty! How can I have the best there is of SP Rocks but have MORE issues with them than the Marans?

Thanks for the tip on feeling for the sprigs as well as looking, I did not know that. I also did not know, being a newbie, when I first got this breed what I was in for! I wonder if I would have had I known. I was lusting after the Silver Penciled Rocks as well--yours are just beautiful. Bought some show quality large fowl--RIRs and BRs from a show person, he advised me the SPRs had a long way to go, so that's what kept me from them, that and I already had my pens overallocated

But MORE issues than the Marans? Wynette, that is downright depressing. But when you get them there, I will be in line