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

[kathyinmo]

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Well, I sure hope so .... see behind her, the rooster of the same age.

 

[Byrdj]

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Well, I sure hope so .... see behind her, the rooster of the same age.

I hope so too. I'm about 90% sure it is a pullet, but not 100%. I had one that looked like that at the same age and I thought it was a pullet until it started looking like a roo about a month later. Had to change the name from Libby to Levi

IMHO, I prefer the coloration of the one in the first pic over the 2nd.

 

[drom]

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Hello Chickenonthehill,
I don't think your bird here is a Wheaten, I believe he is Black-Tailed Buff. The French web site states that Wheaten stock can carry recessive genes for Black-Tailed Buff. I don't have Wheatens, so I don't how much of this might be occurring over here with Wheaten stock.

But he looks like Black-tailed buff.

This link is very helpful if you would like to learn more about the different varieties and the standard for each.

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

 

[drom]

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Any copper or brown in a hens breast is a DQ in France.

Well, I'm going to have to politely disagree with you on that one

Here is the verbiage in the French Standard for the Brown Red:

The BROWN-RED VARIETY

Hen : Black with red hackle markings but without the typical Birchen breast lacing. Very slight red breast marking is acceptable. Green sheen is not required.

Not sure what amount of markings on the breast you are referring to. But, it's not an official DQ listed in their standard. The only official DQ listed specifically for the Brown-Red hen is this:

Hen : brown spots on the body.

Here's all the official DQs listed in the Standard:


Disqualifying Defects

Lack of size; white or yellow ear-lobes; light-coloured or black eyes; tarsi without feathers, black or yellow; triangular body frame;
horizontal or leaning forward body. Cock weighing less than 3 kg; Hen weighing less than 2.2 kg.

Serious defects

White variety coloured feathers.

Columbian variety: (Light) washed off colours, double edging (white edged with black). Golden highlights.

Silver-cuckoo variety green or fawn feathers. No lighter hackles for the cock. Golden hackles and lancets.

Golden-cuckoo variety white feathers

Wheaten variety Cock : breast spotted with brown or no brown wing bays.

Hen: washed off back colours. Faded colours on the back. Under-coloured smokey.

Brown-red variety Cock : brown wing bay; any other colour than black on the flights; straw- coloured hackles.

Hen : brown spots on the body.

Black variety white or buff coloured feathers.

Black-tailed buff variety : Cock : black spots on the breast, smokey under colour.

Hen : Too light or washed off colours. Irregular plumage.

 

[thechickonthehill]

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Thanks drom, and thanks to everyone for the critiques, they have been extremely helpful. I believe freezer camp will be in this roo's future. I plan to get more Marans eggs in the spring and I'm sure I'll hatch out at least one more cockerel (ha,ha - probably more like several). I only want to keep a really nice Marans roo, so it may take me a bit. I am going to start the search for some eggs now so I can get on someone's list for spring. I'll definitely be studying this thread and the Marans link info to learn more.

 

[onthespot]

Maybe you could offer him for sale or pickup in the BST section... I have heard people from time to time on here asking for that color variety. Seems it is VERY hard to find, and maybe a dedicated breeder would jump at the chance to use him, even if his color is not perfect. They have the rest of their lives to clean up the color and get it more to type.

 

[lildinkem]

I just started to hatch out from my flock of Copper Blacks. And I have that Wheaten gene surfacing in my flock of Thom Dean pure French import lines. Supposedly. In the batch of eggs I bought I had one Cuckoo and the Eagle Eye who from those on this thread carries Wheaten. I had a test hatch of five eggs. And the Eye was daddy. And I have some Wheaten type babies. I guess it doesn't matter where you get you Marans, France England Georgia, they all have these issues. They all have the same problem. I can see it taking decades to clean up this breed.

 

[berkeleysprings]

great looking comb on the parrent stock ,,,, how old 1 year on the wheatens ?
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[nivtup]

Yes the adults are just reaching one year of age.

 

[millebantam]

I'm probably in the minority on this issue, but I'm building my flock in the diametrically opposite direction. I want excellent conformation, color, and type on my birds first. I'll sacrifice a little egg color to have correct birds. All one has to do is look around at different flocks of these things and see how different breeders birds look from each other. The BCM's failure to make APA acceptance was a prime example of how bad the existing pool of these birds are. I have seen many breeder's birds that lay beautiful eggs, yet look long and rangy, and almost look like game chickens with awful BCM color. In my opinion, I think it will be a "tough row to hoe" to try and change a bird that looks more like a Leghorn than a Marans, while trying to maintain those dark eggs. I guess we'll see who was right when the dust settles. I can assure this though, that once these birds are accepted for showing, the breeders who chose to cull by egg color first should not even attempt to show their birds against the breeders who chose to go the other route, at least for a very long time. See you all at the finish line, lol.
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I agree. At this early stage of breed development in the U.S., I think good dark egg lines should be improved and created first. After that has be accomplished and stablized, it's easier to breed to feather coloration.