Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

That look had to be something! My DD(she's 12 years) doesn't care to help with the processing part- has no trouble eating the chicken later but my DS(10 ) and DS(7) are right there on top of things and like to look at all the parts and ask questions.
I find that if kids are not prejudiced against it they find butchering to be a very interesting thing, seeing all the body parts and what not. Unless someone has told them it's gross or disgusting or something like that they will not have any problems with it and will consider it normal. My younger two kids don't remember those days because they were 3 & 5 when we moved but my oldest one does and accepts that it is a normal part of living. Also the idea that nothing was wasted; feathers and other waste went into hot compost piles to become garden fertilizer, every part of the bird was used except the head; I saved all the backs, wings, necks, ect to make canned chicken broth for soups and we ate everything else.
 
I too have a couple of Marans that I did not hatch that have not begun laying yet. We believe them to be about 24 weeks old. Anxious/ excited for the laying to begin as these are our first chickens.
 
Does anyone have some baby pics that they can post of a splash marans at around 6 weeks old next to a photo of them fully grown? I've been told that they feather out very differently as they grow and am very interested to see the progression. Thank you :)
 
Lisa, The wing is almost Horizontal and appears to be real tight looking. The big Black stripe is where you get the copper on the female young fowl. Just a very nice type female. Maybe someone can get Walt to comment when he is back on board.
It may be the "REAL Tight Looking" that is throwing my eye off. I am so use to seeing my birds hold their wings slightly away from the body due to our heat issues.
My black stripping is thinner on my birds. That too is what I am use to seeing. Nice to know that the width of the black stripping can be associated with the type of copper color manifested in the hackles.
 
Well...I ended up with a few pics before dark since they stopped harvesting earlier than I thought they would. Its been just plain frigid today, the only thing that warmed me up was loading, hauling, and storing almost 1,000 lbs of feed.
I couldn't get a shot of the one boy I was telling you about Don, he had already gone to roost for the night and wouldn't come out, so I'll keep trying.

Here's update shots on my two youngest copper boys. Not the greatest pics as the blue wouldn't stop running away from the camera. I like his color tho. Oh, and excuse all the feathers, its heavy molting time in the Sussex pen next door.








Here's three of the younger chicks that have recently been weaned off their broody mama. Two cockerels and one pullet. The two have nice copper coming in, one pullet, one cockerel. I believe these are both out of Big Boy my splash in my avatar. They're pretty wild, and love running off to the goat pasture to hang out with them.




Just for fun, Kim, here's two of the Sussex - Marans crosses. They are beastly and wild as march hares. One cockerel and one pullet. They are just beautiful to watch running around. The cockerel is getting nice silver markings on his wing bow even.





Vicki, the topline on that blue copper cockerel is fabulous! GREAT job!!

The APA Nationals were great - not very many Marans shown, but the ones that were looked quite nice! I was super happy to see folks out there showing them!!
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