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

[kathyinmo]

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Good point, evonne. Maybe we should coin the phrase, "Halloween Egger," for the ones that don't make the cut?

Or, "Memorial Egger?" Let's see, what other holiday ... hmmm, Easter is already taken ...

 

[Germaine_11.20]

But Evonne it is so fun and a great way to go to sleep. Instead of counting sheep I get to plan breedings. Before I know it I am off to chicken land...

 

[drom]

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No, absolutely never are they called Black Marans. Black Marans come from a different genetic family and have a different genotype.

This is a topic that the MCF spends some time explaining on their variety page for the Black Copper Marans. They state that the balance of copper and black in an "ideal level of distribution" is a work of maintenance. A lot of breeders will tell you that a Rooster with good solid red shoulder markings, reddish colored ear tuffs and some copper markings on the breast (but no red or brown markings on the wing bar or triangle) will have a good influence on black-hackeled hens. I don't think the black-hackeled hens are a big deal at all personally. I wouldn't ever take one to a show, but I think they are pretty common in people's breeding pens. That's just my opinion. I don't think anyone gets lots of cookie-cutter perfectly marked hen hackles.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I could just hug you right now! I have alot of work to do on mine but the girls have nice shapes and...they are my girls. Now I can go tell them tomorrow to hold their beaks up high!!

 

[kathyinmo]

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As long as they produce good Marans eggs, and don't become Halloween Eggers, or Memorial Eggers!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

You laughin at me???

I am thrilled to finally understand some of these things. It is hard to get all the info because the thread turns over so fast.
Oh my...the silkie egg just peeped. I'm gonna be a mama again soon.

 

[kathyinmo]

Good golly, woman ... how many breeds you got goin'? Buckeyes, Silkies, Delawares, Sussex, Marans, ...... ????? You must have 20 breeding pens a goin' ????

edited because I forgot the Sussex

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Shhhhhhh but silkies are so cute!

 

[drom]

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I really think it is only a big deal if you are marketing or selling birds that don't meet the standard. I think the breed associations and the experienced breeders feel the need to put these messages out to educate the public and to protect people from fraudulent and/or ignorant sellers.

But in terms of the reality of working on egg color in breeding programs, people will say all the time that they had great egg color and then introduced some new stock and the resulting offspring lost the good egg color. These people continue to use the stock and select for the best egg color and say they have gotten their good egg color back in the 2nd and 3rd generations. So, genes for dark egg color are complex.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

If the Roo is the main player in dark egg color and the roo is the one who is most difficult to get to type, what alot of work. Color, ear tufts, leg color, toe feathering, eye color, not too much red... and the dark egg. If it wasn't such a challenge it might get overwhelming.

But when you see one of those beautiful almost perfect birds you really appreciate all the effort that person has put into achieving it.