Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Oooooo! I like her! Big Bertha type, and a low rider to boot!! My kind of chicken gal

 

[gilavina]

Oooooo! I like her! Big Bertha type, and a low rider to boot!! My kind of chicken gal

haha...most of my girls are big and beefy, but she is the second to biggest, the sister to my splash cock, Big Boy is the biggest. I have selected all my hens for certain things I want to breed forward, and think that I am going to have a very good hatching year next year if I can survive the winter with the feed prices. Needless to say, I'll be culling down very, very tightly this year, but still keep at least 3 BCMs and Big Boy, for the Coppers.

 

[blackbirds13]

I have a question about foot color. How much of the foot must be slate color? I have a few males that have these funky pink and slate feet. My favorite male has slate feet all over but some have these blotchy colored feet. My females seem to be fine across the board, its just the males and they are all from an auction buy. The ones I hatched out from ebay and my own eggs have solid slate. I have pictures I will download. I think I'll post this on the Black Copper site also. Should I cull these now - future chicken soup? Thanks.
I have one little guy I am soooooo hoping turns out well. I cannot put my finger on all of exactly why at this point but I just hope he's my keeper.

 

[blackbirds13]

This is what some of them look like -







Then I have a few males that have these feet - no females just the males have this issue. The males I hatched from some really dark ebay eggs are all slate and I have one or two males from the same batch of these blotchy ones that have all slate feet. What's up with this?

 

[snowbird]

This is what some of them look like -







Then I have a few males that have these feet - no females just the males have this issue. The males I hatched from some really dark ebay eggs are all slate and I have one or two males from the same batch of these blotchy ones that have all slate feet. What's up with this?

I think you know the word here, Patience, give them some time

 

[Johnn]

This is the chick i was asking the sex of a week ago, (this pic is closer up)

 

[Cadeau]

no problem. They will help a ton to hone your eye for selecting for body type. And before you know it you'll be able to look at your younger ones and be able to see which will have the best potential to give you this type. Its all part of developing your eye and what you always tease me about for having Katelyn.

haha - I'm not teasing, I'm wishing!!

 

[Cadeau]

no problem lady. I kind of figured that might be what you were remembering. He has the most color on his back and wings of any BCM I've seen so far. I won't be retiring him after this season, but will instead run him along side Geronimo in his own breeding pen with girls that are darker and have darker eyes. In particular I can't wait for this hen to be mated with Gigantor. She is a tank and a half.

the girl in the back



her from the back

Wow! She sure is a tank

those birds will be HUGE! how will they fit in the egg?!

 

[gilavina]

Wow! She sure is a tank

those birds will be HUGE! how will they fit in the egg?!

haha she is coming up to be a two year old hen and lays nice large dark eggs, so I'm sure she'll manage to fit them! haha

 

[Cadeau]

send her here - she's just what I need! haha


Going to work on roo pics today and I'll get some of those breeder cages!