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

[Germaine_11.20]

Oh nice eggs!

 

[silvergatefarms]

Does anyone know who might have some birds or hatching eggs from Bev Davis's Wheaton Marans line. I just love hers and her list is full right now.

 

[drom]

Quote:
You can try Berkeleysprings

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=20346

 

[Zgoatlady]

Byrdj
Thank you for the help, so now I will put them in a coop of their own and see what the eggs look like. I have them with BC and so dont really know how dark there eggs are. I do know the rooster came from about a 5-6 egg.

 

[americana-chick]

Quote:
Where these from your wheatens?

I noticed one of their eggs says BC on them.

VERY nice eggs chicken stalker!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Kathy~
I have a Marans roo that was completely black until he reached about 5-6 mos. old, I was ready to give up on him, then his copper started to come in.....then just as I thought that he was going to be a big beautiful Black Copper.......turns out he is not a true Black but a very dark blue with very dark copper, his copper is way too dark for a breeding pen. His only saving grace is that he is a lover, he is HUGE and he came from an AWESOME dark egg. I have used him over some of my incorrectly colored BCM hens from the laying flock to see what their offspring will look like and what kind of egg they will lay. He does throw some beautiful blue babies though. I can't wait to see how they feather out. Now at 10 mos old he is the king of the layer flock.
Moral of the story is that they can take a while for the copper to come in, sometimes it can take almost a year for them to color up completely as they mature.

 

[berkeleysprings]

Quote:
i might have 6 or 7 in a few weeks , they could be a mix of two breeders

 

[chicken stalker]

Quote:
Where these from your wheatens?

I noticed one of their eggs says BC on them.

VERY nice eggs chicken stalker!

They aren't my eggs, they belong to Nivtup. I wish they were mine.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Zgoat~
Drom asked if your Bl- Copper hens lay a nice dark egg.....if they do:
I would use the Bl-Copper roo over those Bl-Copper hens in a test to see what they will throw and watch a few of them grow and feather out.....keep the best looking ones and wait for them to lay so that you can gauge egg color. If they lay a nice egg just like their moms or darker then I would keep them and make one of two decisions depending on body type and feather color. If the girls from that cross lay a nice egg and have feathered out with out any unwanted traits....ie... clean legs,type, poor feather color or pattern, I would keep them for breeding and try another generation. I would cull the girls that do not meet what you are looking for to the laying flock or sell them as layers and put excess cockerals that do not measure up in the freezer or sell them.
Just because a bird doesn't have feathered shanks does not mean that I will not use them in my breeding program (I have one a Blue Copper hen) if they meet all other qualities that I am looking for in a Marans, I will use them and breed away from what I do not want.
Once you have established who lays which egg and if you are happy with the color of it.....I would toss them back in with the BCM hens and that roo for the sake of saving space. Just mark the Bl-Copper hens eggs as you collect them and toss in 'bator for some fun. Just be sure to mark these babies as they hatch so you know who is who, then sit back and have fun watching them for 6 mos.
Feathered shanks if one of the easiet traits to breed back in to your flock.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
She's a pretty girl. What lines do your BCMs come from Pink Chick?

Thanks Drom

All of my birds are of Davis lines with the exception of 1 boy whose lineage is unknown. I keep him because he is a nice bird and came from an AWESOME egg! He does not have feathered shanks and his is not true black...very dark blue and his copper is waaaayyyyy too dark. I use him with my Marans hens or pullets from the laying flock that are not as correct as they should be to see what happens and if he can lend his good qualities....especially his body type, size and of course not forgetting that egg he came from.