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

[4kidZ]

I was just going to say that!! They are flighty and get nutty when I just pass by the brooder. But, once I stick my hand in, they just want me to scratch their chest and belly! So funny. I think they are just exceedingly safe. Once they know I'm not going to eat them, they chill.
Kelly Cratty's line here, too (from Angi). I got 7 of them and they are a bit over a week old and HUGE!!

~4kidZ

 

[drom]

Quote:
Do you have a little pen or enclosure that you can hang out with them in? If you do, get in side of it with your birdies and sit on the ground or lay on your side and put a plate of food right in front or next to you. Don't try to pick them up just hang out with them and let them cruise around. Do this for a few days and they should start crawling all over you and perching on your arms and legs and feet. Then you might try to start picking them up.

I did that with mine and my pullets are exceptionally calm when I pick them up. Even a couple of my roosters are. They will wiggle if they don't want to be picked up, but they never panic or get aggressive and scared.

 

[Duckett5]

Quote:
Yes I am going to send all of the clean legged ones to "Freezer Camp". No mixing is going on here. My wife is kinda partial to the Wheaton one so I will probably let it stay but not reproduce.

I will post some pics as soon as I get a chance to get out to the coop while it's still light out. I have been leaving for work in the morning while it's dark, and getting home at night in the dark. Probably get the pics on new years day.

John in Idaho

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
Yes I am going to send all of the clean legged ones to "Freezer Camp". No mixing is going on here. My wife is kinda partial to the Wheaton one so I will probably let it stay but not reproduce.

I will post some pics as soon as I get a chance to get out to the coop while it's still light out. I have been leaving for work in the morning while it's dark, and getting home at night in the dark. Probably get the pics on new years day.

John in Idaho

Can't wait to see pictures they sound nice! I am trying to post new pictures of my Marans girls.

Henry

 

[alpinefarm]

Well, I get it, then. If the Wheaten presence affects the color of the BC then, off course, BC breeders will want to lessen/eliminate it. And Wheaten breeders can proceed independently.

Thank you for clearing that up!

Now I'm interested to find out what is known about the Gold Salmon "Sport" color, which I find very beautiful.

Quote:
What you say is *basically* true -- but the situation is a little different in poultry than in dogs.

The way I see it, there are two major differences to be factored in:

1. In poultry, there are no pedigrees. A bird must LOOK like its breed and PRODUCE like its breed -- you can't "prove" it's breed with papers. Therefore, poultry breeders can be quite sensitive about consistency and "sports" and such.

And different colors are often treated as different breeds. In fact, in many breeds the different colors were CREATED from different breeds -- so consistency in color is more important in poultry than in dogs.

2. Poultry color genetics -- and effects -- are more complicated in birds than in dogs. In birds, recessive genes often causes muddying or bleeding through of colors. For instance, imagine that your red/white basenji had black hairs scattered around his face, or on his white chest, or some such. You wouldn't much appreciate it. Similarly, the wheaten trait is SAID to (I don't know if it's true) cause minor changes in colors on a black copper bird.

In addition, because of these added complications, wheaten birds popping out of a black copper flock would not be birds that had been *selected* for wheaten. They could easily have various genetic modifiers that have already been bred out of "real" wheatens, so they would e likely to not be very GOOD wheatens.

All that said -- wheatens originally APPEARED in black coppers, and were bred out of the black coppers. So there's nothing really terrible about it -- it just adds complications!

 

[Solsken Farm]

These poor neglected chicks. This is the first time I have shot photos of them. No cubby cheeks or fuzzy butt baby pics of these angels. Dang holidays. Bad me....

Blue wheaten/wheaten Ameraucanas (I snuck in my special needs splash Marans pullet and a few Copper Black Marans since this is a Marans thread

)

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
Beautiful Wheaten and blue wheaten is my favorite color in birds and I really would like to get a few Marans girls in that color but. Those are beautiful birds and will make a great flock of adults looks like you have at least 4 girls! I may be getting a few more blue wheaten girls to add to my flock for more blue eggs because my EE died and my other two mixed girls.

Henry

 

[Solsken Farm]

Oh Henry, I am so sorry your EE died.

I hope I have more than 4 girls, as I hatched 16 babies. I am thinking I have about 10 girls and 6 boys.

Blue Wheaten is my favorite color too! I also love Lemon Blue, but have never seen one in person. Lemon Blue D'Uccles are about the prettiest.

Stop by Maine on your way to Canada and I will give you an EE.

 

[4kidZ]

Quote:
Henry,
What happened to your EE and mixed?
I woke up to my only copper roo (blue copper) very sick this morning. Well, I can't really say sick, cuz I can't tell what is wrong. He is listless, won't move, eat, drink, feels cold, breathing & heart rate normal. No goop in eyes, nose, or throat....just won't keep eyes open and falls over.

What is up?

~4kidZ

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
I just saw 4 girls in one picture sorry LOL nice hatch thats allot of birds. Should be a great breeding flock who are the eggs from?