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

[amazondoc]

Quote:
THis is actually a more complicated question than it may seem on the surface.

"Real" black is based on the allele (version) of the patterning gene, E -- known as extended black.
Black copper is based on the allele E(R) -- known as birchen.

HOWEVER -- if you take a black copper bird and add more melanizing genes, you can get a pure black bird -- and, in some breeds, people show these birds as black. Further, if you take an E bird and *remove* melanizers, you can get a bird that has a visible pattern on it instead of being solid black.

Are you confused yet?? I personally find chicken color genetics to be very very interesting -- but also very confusing!

 

[onthespot]

I bailed on my straight blues because of the barring. I couldn't stand the look of it. I still have blues, but they are copper blues from Bev Davis flock and so far NO BARRING. I'd rather try to breed out copper than barring. I'm not going to do either at the present.

 

[evonne]

kathy, i have NO CLUE on marans, becasue i'm new enoguh that i just got hatchery stock cuckoos.. lol.. but some of the coloring on the hackles of those is more creel?? my little roo that we think is a sexlink has creel patterning like that, could it be that the person you got
them from had a cuckoo get in with some of his others??

and correct me if i am wrong, because i am not good with the genetics, and i don't want to start another discuasion that will get the mods using bold letters, but doesn't a lot of the issues such as mossiness come from keeping multiple color types together?? i see ssoo many people do it that i'm assuming i'm wrong... i see a lot of i have X roo in with my X Y and Z hens.....
or is it okay to keep certain color families together??

 

[drom]

Quote:
Well, yes. There are a few you can pen together, Amazondoc listed those and some you should absolutely NEVER pen together. Such as Black and Black Copper or Wheaten and Black Copper.
All the rules for the Marans varieties are at the link I posed. It's very informative for those of us who don't have years of experience breeding poultry and don't yet understand the genetics. They lay down some very plain rules for breeding Marans and tell you everything you need to avoid.

 

[evonne]

awsome.. i'll go back and find the link and read it over.. i think i'm sticking with the cuckoos, i have them, and i really just want fun eggs... i will however breed out as much of the bad as i can as i go along though so the information will be helpful...

 

[kathyinmo]

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I was told these came from Bev Davis stock.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I was told these came from Bev Davis stock.

Don't believe everything you are told.

My splash birchen with barring is definitely NOT from Bev's bloodlines. I know Bev is aware of the problem, and I doubt she'd breed birds with it.

 

[geebs]

Well put! Let's be careful not to defame her accidentally.. She is doing a wonderful job... Maybe someone crossed a bev bird.. that is more likely the possibility... She has had a closed flock for a long time.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
That is quite likely the case! I have found the seller in error on other things since my purchase of these birds. Don't get me wrong ... I am not accusing anyone of anything here.

Oh, do NOT even think I would defame Bev Davis. No, no, no! Firstly, I am so new to the poultry field, I would have no right to do such a thing. Secondly, I am not that kind of person. If I am not satisfied, I just move on. I do not have the need to slander. Opinions are fine, slander is not, IMO.

 

[drom]

Quote:
Here ya go, it's an English translation, so you have to read some of the sections a few times to gather the meaning. But it is a great reference for variety information.

http://marans-club.perso.neuf.fr/varieang.htm#varietes