Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

I agree on culling.

Are you going to the Columbus show, Don?

Wynette, I hope to be there as that is really a good show for everyone to attend. I have a health issue I start treatment after the 24 october, so we shall see.

 

[Wynette]

Don, PM'd you.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I agree on culling.

Are you going to the Columbus show, Don?

When is the Columbus show??

 

[Hens and Roos]

Wynette, I hope to be there as that is really a good show for everyone to attend. I have a health issue I start treatment after the 24 october, so we shall see.

Don hope everything goes well for you

 

[Wynette]

When is the Columbus show??

November 10/11 - here's the link to the show:

http://www.ohionational.org/

 

[Hens and Roos]

November 10/11 - here's the link to the show:

http://www.ohionational.org/

thanks for the link- it looks like it would be neat to go to- unfortuntely that weekend is full for us

 

[maryhysong]

No, she was not.

I have always said and agree with starting with the very best you can find, and preferably, stock rather than hatching eggs. In fact, most old-time breeders will not even sell hatching eggs. Only stock.

The problem is, if the person you got your stock from didn't keep real good records, you are starting from scratch in that regard, so to speak. I still ask, why is this cropping up so many generations later? Is there any way to know, or do you just cull the defects you don't want? That's easy enough for any of us - I'm much more cuious in where it is coming from so that I can learn how to avoid if I see it, BEFORE it appears - know what I mean?

Look forward to your legs post!

I'm not Don, but will chime in a bit here. I used to raise Rex show rabbits and I learned how to breed out faults; since genetics is genetics the same should apply to chickens, although I think chickens have more sex liked things going on than rabbits do, so some of this may differ with chickens. When ever something starts showing up, like that white undercoats, that wasn't there before, it will be because it is a recessive gene and the offspring have to get at least one copy of the gene from each parent in order to express it visibly. Otherwise they are just carriers.

To discover what bloodlines are carriers is fairly easy, but of course a pain to do with chickens because it means trap nesting or penning up as pairs. To discover where a recessive gene is coming from, breed a father to a daughter and a son to his mother. The offspring will be 3/4s of the genetics of the original parent and only 1/4 of the other parent and most all recessives will show up in these matings. This is also a good way to double up on really good genes, if you have an outstanding sire, that has excellent type and throws what you are looking for in your animals, then you can breed him to his daughters, grand daughters, great grand daughters, ect (I once went like this for 6 generations in my Rex before I crossed in another line, strengthening the quality of the fur quite a bit). You can do the same with your female line also, breeding sons and grand sons to the same hen. Of course like Don mentioned you must cull cull cull. When I raised rabbits it was not unusual for me to grow out 100 and only keep one or two, the rest were eaten.

 

[snowbird]

Wynette, Will try and explain my decision to dispose of the White and very light Slate BC Marans males. It is my belief that if you use these in your BC breeding program you will get a very few good colored BC. The real over blended males would also be classified into this category. It is my belief that they are carrying wheaten blood. It is still my belief that the BC need to be double mated to get max use of the genes.

The only color leg on the BC I would ever use again would be the Medium to dark slate.

I think in most BC lines you will find if you have white feathers after the Juve molt the bird will most likely have white or lighter colored legs. I have never had white feathers on a BC male with mid to dark slate legs.

The original BC standard before it was changed just before acceptance was for the Male to have mid to dark slate legs.

 

[maryhysong]

Don could you please elaborate on
"It is still my belief that the BC need to be double mated to get max use of the genes."

Do you mean breeding daughter to father and mother to son? I'm just not familiar with this term, thanks.

 

[gilavina]

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!!

Thanks Wynette.
I'm in the camp that it takes raising a whole lot of chicks each year and culling down to the top 5 to 10% to make headway! Depending on what is in feather, I'll be showing here at the beginning of the month as we have a State Marans meet and egg show. Which by the way, anyone that wants to enter the egg show, just let me know and I'll get you the info!