Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[maryhysong]

My first pullet egg from my BCM'S! Finally!

Congrats! I gotta looong way to go, mine are only a week old ;=)

 

[Wynette]

Wynette! What is that in your avatar?????

BA HAHA! It's the nose & "mustache" of a dog I used to have (he's since passed, sadly). He was a Bouvier des Flanders. Here he is a few winters ago:

 

[Wynette]

I've read many discussions about white feather appearing on mature birds, and now one of my Roos is showing a partially white tail feather and a white tip on one wing feather.

Seeing this, I decided to take a close look at the other two, one of which shows no white feathering, but does have white bases on his underfluff on his neck feathers, and some white underfluff on the feathers at the base of his tail.

Is this white underfluff as big of a concern as an entire feather being white ????

Rooster #3 shows no white feathers or underfluff, although he does not have the substance the others have, he's shorter in the back, and he's a bit lighter in color on the neck feathers.

There is a 4th Roo that I thought I would stop using since his waddles have grown quite large in the past 6 weeks,,, ever since he started being a breeding rooster,,, any relationship to that and increased hormone levels ???

Any input / opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Don,,, Wynette,,, anyone ........... ???????

Thanks in advance

Hi, Ray - I'm behind on reading posts, but wanted to mention my opinion on this issue. I would NOT use the males with the white. I would not worry about the size of the waTTles of the 4th cockerel, though you haven't mentioned if he has the white underfeathers or white in his wings/tail. I am not keen on honkin' huge combs or wattles, as I'm in Michigan, and that's just more opportunity for frostbite, but a large comb or wattles is certainly not an SOP issue, unless they are overly (aesthetically) too large.

If you can get some pics, it would help us to give you better feedback. From what you are saying, ASSUMING that #4 doesn't have the white, I would use him...again, assuming he's fine in most other areas and doesn't have any DQ issues. #3 would be my second choice. When you say he does not have "substance" I am gussing you mean he's not as large as the others?

I really do feel that this whole white feather issue is one we all need to work on eliminating. I'm very worried about it.

 

[Wynette]

Hi everyone, I have never posted here but have been reading the thread off and on for a while. I have a question...first I will share my sob story in that I ordered chicks last spring and ended up with five cockerels and one pullet - we lost a few probably all pullets. (I also have a splash pullet that was a throw in). Anyway, a couple of months ago I was thrilled to find my splash pullet laying and found a lovely dark speckled egg. She layed one the next day and then never again. What is up with that? My bcm pullet is laying too and I can't even tell her egg from my barred rocks:-( And this isn't a hatchery bird. Sigh. Is this common? And why would my splash lay two eggs and then stop? Is this common too?
Here is the cockerel I kept. I don't have a pic of the pullet, she is solid black with no copper at all and is HUGE. Should I attempt to breed the two or not bother since her eggs are so light? Should I just order more chicks and try again? I am only interested in pretty eggs at this point...not the SOP. Thanks!

If you're not interested in the SOP "at this point" but MAY be in the future, please do not use this male. He has a multitude of issues. Squirrel tail, hackles too light, short back, legs too light...not trying to be rude, it just concerns me when you say "at this point" - that makes me think that you feel you might be interested in breeding to standard eventually and, if so, why start off with inferior stock?

 

[snowbird]

That too is interesting...I was using a cabinet incubator that I inherited. I will never use it again. The very first hatch I did was in a hovabator - the cheaper one. All the eggs
hatched but two. In the cabinet bator I had a hard time keeping humidity up. Oh well.

Okay...here is my bcm pullet. She is a bcm right? She is the biggest girl I have.




Here she is with a full grown barred rock hen. She is a wide load!

Just so you know this black female might be part Marans but there is something else involved also. Look the comb, looks to be Wyndotte.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Don, I've gone over and over the Black Copper Marans SOP description published by the APA and although I agree that white feathers are a problem, I do not see them listed anywhere as a DQ - on any part of the bird. Can you point me to where I might find that fact?

 

[Wynette]

HI, BARGODDESS!!!

I was wondering about that as well - the birds we all (Barb, Don, and I) saw at Columbus (males anyway) all had white in their tail feathers...I'm unsure if they had them in their wings as I didn't handle any of them (none were mine), but they all placed.

I agree that white feathers - either underhackle OR white wing/tail feathers - are a problem, and I continue to cull at the first sign of it, personally, but a DQ? Nope. Not for white wing or tail feathers.

 

[snowbird]

HI, BARGODDESS!!!

I was wondering about that as well - the birds we all (Barb, Don, and I) saw at Columbus (males anyway) all had white in their tail feathers...I'm unsure if they had them in their wings as I didn't handle any of them (none were mine), but they all placed.

I agree that white feathers - either underhackle OR white wing/tail feathers - are a problem, and I continue to cull at the first sign of it, personally, but a DQ? Nope. Not for white wing or tail feathers.

Barb and Wynette, Last year at either the Washington or the Shawnee shows Walt took that to the FULL Committe and they stated that it was a DQ for white in tail and Wing, white in the tail coverts is a FAULT as is white hackle undercolor. I also at the time asked Walt if the MOAC could ad it to their SOP as being ok to have White feathers and he stated no way would the APA accept that.

Also it is in the APA SOP that the white feather is a DQ. Will look it up in a little bit and let you know where to look. The SOP also says the white in Shank and toe feathers is also a DQ.

You might be better to PM Walt and get an official explanation as I am on the outside looking in just like yourself.

 

[snowbird]

Don, I've gone over and over the Black Copper Marans SOP description published by the APA and although I agree that white feathers are a problem, I do not see them listed anywhere as a DQ - on any part of the bird. Can you point me to where I might find that fact?

Barb, The white feather problem was left out of the SOP for a reason. Some thought if it was not in the SOP it would not make a difference. The first 38 pages are where all this is at and what the SOP states is not very much

 

[snowbird]

I can also tell you that Walt also said the Cuckoo and Blue Copper would not be allowed to have two white feathers like someone in charge of the MOAC has stated many times.

PS, this is the reason I recently said in a post that it would be nice if the MOAC went over the proposed SOP for the White and Black, Cuckoo and blue Copper and make corrections to help people that were working with these varietys.

Dickerson in his Poultry Press Article stated these would be the next Varieties .