Marans Thread for Posting Pics of Your Eggs, Chicks and Chickens

[drom]

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Aren't they just the cutest creatures Tina? I didn't want any roosters at all. All I wanted was a a few pullets. And by the luck of the draw, I ended up with 3 roosters and I just love um!

 

[drom]

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Yes, well you know, they are very beautiful eggs! I think there are a bunch of people out there who think this is very easy. But I think the reality of it is that the breeders who are working on egg color but also working on meeting the standard, know a lot about poultry genetics, are breeding very good birds from good lines, and still end up having to breed a lot of birds and cull a lot of birds to end up with something really exceptional.

Your wheatens are really pretty. I'll bet your rooster is going to be gorgeous. I love the wheatens.

Actually, I just noticed, the color egg you say you usually get from your BCs looks darker to me than what they hatched from. And, looks like a 4?
I have no expectation of what my BC hen's eggs will look like. I am hoping they will be reasonably dark and would love them to be a good size, but I am not counting on it. Fortunately, I am just having so much fun with the birds, I will be happy probably with whatever they lay.

 

[tfpets]

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I love my roosters too, except Snowball...Roosters are beautiful too! Mine get along really well so far, except Snowball....In January, when I started building my flock again, and found BYC, my new favoritist place, yes, favoritist. Thats what my son says! Anyhow, I was looking for a Rooster and got one for free, Snowball.....What a poo! But I put up with him, it's like a game now.

Your little roos are so manly though! Talk about prominent Wattles! He has such nice features, you must be so proud.

I cant wait to see your eggs either! Can you imagine this spring? All of us with these Black coppers about to lay then? What a blast! Counting the months!

 

[Oblio13]

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That's about right.

When they first started laying, I was getting 3's and 4's. Then they darkened up a bit and I got an occasional 6. Now I'm getting fairly consistent 4's. I also get an occasional egg that's just tinted, and very rough-textured.

 

[tfpets]

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Dont you think that even though they are barely considered marans (that old less than a 4 isnt even a marans concept)..they are still beautiful eggs?? I see one of my marans eggs, when Im reaching in the nest hoping for a nice dark egg, and out comes say 3.5 (hahah no such thing probably) but welllll, it's still so pretty...I'm still happier to see that pretty egg than to see a plain ol white hen egg!
My initial reason, and how I found out about Marans, was the beautiful egg color. I like the whole color scale, and the birds. Now, understanding more about the breed, I plan in the future to be more specific about the breed standard and egg color, combined, including my breeding stock (my future flock, the root of which I plan to be Bev Davis's stock)...I love the birds I have too, but like you, I see eggs in the color scale that go up and down and could not show, and birds that are too off standard.
But, dont you love the pretty eggs still? When you see a 6 or a tinted egg with speckles, you know their capable, just "off" right now! Keep em going! Happy egg laying!

 

[Oblio13]

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LOL, I'm actually disappointed when I gather white eggs from nesting boxes now. There's just something so much more satisfying about brown eggs - even though they're never dark enough. They could probably come out black and I wouldn't be satisfied.

My birds came from Bev, nice lady. Supposedly Wheaten eggs aren't as dark as Black Copper, but I sure like the color of their feathers and eyes. Hopefully I'll be able to make a first-hand report on their egg color very soon.

 

[tfpets]

I have heard Wheaten do not lay as dark an egg as Black Coppers. I have also heard Bev Davis has some of the best stock in the states, no matter what the variety, color of the bird! I am getting a mix of her eggs, maybe even Wheaten, yours are so pretty! But not the Black Coppers. I already have black coppers, and while not from her premium lines, they are from decent stock. They are still growing, and I will not know for a while if the birds themselves meet any kind of standard, and then I will need to see if the hens lay any kind of decent eggs? Its back to the drawing board as far as breeding them if they dont, but I'll keep them for pretty eggs, or keep giving away their pretty eggs!

Heres an egg shipping update!

Ashers eggs so far:

I will ship as many as I have by Monday morning!!

Next up if you want them for shipping:

I have to go look!

 

[siz8003]

3rd egg down. what # do you think it is on the scale?

 

[tfpets]

Hmmm, its so hard without putting it right up to the scale - and they dont run in halves, which isnt fair? I still think at least a four towards a half, with a terra cotta color range?

Its the end of the laying season right now over here, I dont think ANY of us are going to get eggs that are going to look good on the color scale right now, except for the sheltered, best bred marans in the country?

Today I even got two eggs that look like they have two colors, and are rough textured...really odd.

Sometimes theyre dark, sometimes theyre light, consistency is something the best breeders are certainly aiming for.

 

[hcammack]

mine are usually between a 4 and 5 from my cuckoo's

Henry