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

[pinkchick]

To keep or not to keep?
I'm looking for opinions to help me decide who goes varsity and who sits on the bench. This is a preliminary try-out and final try-outs will be in 4 mos when they have grown up more

They are 4 mos old now.
Black Copper

Splash

Blue Copper

Sorry about this last boys photo, he is sort of an _ _ _ and keeps his distance. I am not to fond of him because of his personality, so he's on the bench list for now. He will have to work very hard to make the team, if not, off to camp. IMO he has too much color. Will try to get a better photo of him soon. He's a Black Copper

Thanks in advance!

 

[evonne]

what color is that white one considered?? he's very cool... i know nothing about breed standars and just keep them for fun and for egg colors...

 

[pinkchick]

He is a Splash or more specifically a Copper Splash or Splash Copper.

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Quote:
Well, congratulations! How old is she? Exciting, isn't it? ! ! !

Thank you! Now, Miss Scarlet is about 8 months old. The weather has been wacky lately which may have thrown her off a bit. I was actually expecting eggs a few months ago!

Needless to say, this was a big surprise.

She was nesting this morning and had been on and off this afternoon. She gave me the stink-eye and booted me out after a few minutes when I first found her.

At least she knows where the eggs go. But I feel pretty bad. These eggs are very large and she still has some growing to do still-I think.

And thank you, Berkeleysprings, I really hope the color darkens. Though as it is, I can tell hers apart from everyone else's.

 

[onthespot]

Too bad the last one is a turd. I like him the best. The first one is too dark. The splash doesn't have enough red coloring.

The blue one is my second favorite, but I see some coppering way down on his breast. I would test cross him on a wheaten if you could to see if he is carrying wheaten before I set him loose on your flock.

 

[Byrdj]

The only fault I see with the first one is that his eyes are too dark. Can't see his shank feathering. I wouldn't worry about his lack of copper. More will come in as he gets older. I had one that was almost completely black until he was 5 months old and he turned out beautiful.

Can't comment much on #2 because I'm not that familier with Splash Marans.

I wouldn't worry about the copper color in the breast of #3. The French standard allows for some flecks of copper in their breast. But it looks like he has no shank feathering.

From what I can see in #4, he would be one of my least favorite. He has too much straw or gold in his neck. And personally, part of my enjoyment of having chickens is having ones that are friendly, but that's just me.

 

[drom]

Pullets

 

[Byrdj]

Good looking pullets! The only thing I would work on is trying to get more copper coloration in their neck. Minor problem compared to having mossiness (brown stipling) in their breast which is sometimes caused by having wheaton genes in the BC pool.

 

[cpartist]

Quote:
Drom, These pullets look beautiful...they have a fullness and solidness that I really like. I have one Blue Copper that is "buxom" like that at only 17 weeks, my Black Copper pullets seem much less filled out than she was at their
age (they are 11 weeks)...I'm hoping they bulk up a bit. The cockerels that were hatched with them are really solid hulks. If the BC pullets don't fill out the way I like, I may just breed the Blue Copper with the best Black Copper Roo and put the other pullets in the laying pen. I know the Blue's eyes are too dark, but the boy I have in mind for her has what I understand to be the correct pumpkin coloring. She has light leg feathering and his is heavy, so I think they'd be a good match. I took these pictures of her today....her comb has really gotten larger and redder this last week or two...could she be close to laying at only 17 weeks old?

 

[drom]

Oh I just love the Blue Coppers. Isn't she pretty. 17 weeks would be pretty early and particularly at this time of year. I had a clutch last year that hatched in July and the pullets waited until late January to lay! I guess they were just waiting for the days to get longer. On the other hand, I have seen posts here where people said their BCM hens first started laying at 4 1/2 months, so you never know.