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

[drom]

Here's the ideal tail angle according to the French site:

THE SHAPE OF THE TAIL

Good Marans (cocks and hens) should always have a short tail, tilted 45° compared to a horizontal line, but is still acceptable until 60° maximum. It is the 45° slope which is required in the standard.
Beyond 60°, the tail then appears much too vertical and the back is very often too short, and the bird then lacks the minimum mass necessary for a good Marans.

To describe good tails in the Marans it is advisable to join together two essential characteristics, which are:

- main tail feathers well closed and shorter than average.

- sickles shorter than average.

 

[geebs]

Here is another example of poultry faults.... (any breed)

 

[lildinkem]

DROM thank you for the post of tail angle. Many folks don't know what a 45 degree looks like. I didn't till now.
thank you

 

[amazondoc]

And note, in that second diagram, that the angle of the tail is NOT measured by the angle of the **sickle** feathers (the curved feathers at the front). You measure the tail angle by the angle of the MAIN tail feathers (the straight feathers).

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Squirrel tail isn't actually a fault in every breed....

 

[drom]

Quote:
That is sooo very important, because as a Rooster matures and the sickle feathers come in, it really makes the tail look more upright than it actually is. However, I get confused because in one of the APA diagrams, the angle line is shown at the top of the sickle feathers (like this diagram from the French site) and not at the angle of the tail feathers underneath which really makes a big difference.

 

[drom]

Quote:
It really is hard to visualize a 45 degree angle when you are looking at your birds, isn't it? But I think the MCF verbiage on the tail and sickle feathers being shorter than average is really helpful. Marans tails in general just shouldn't be as flamboyant and large looking as some breeds.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:

geebs wrote:
about the copper on the head... It has been my experience that the copper on the head indicates future mossiness and also too much red in a roo... The upside... If it is a hen they are known to lay the nices eggs!!!
kathyinmo wrote:
I don't get it geebs. What does the color of a feather have to do with the color (or shade) of an egg? I haven't heard that one before.

Hey, ya know what that made me think of ....
There could be 2 markets for Marans... 1 for the mossy ones that have the darkest eggs (bred only for egg color, right), and 1 for the Marans with the best of everything (show and breeder quality). Maybe the hatcheries will market the mossy one, huh?​

 

[lildinkem]

Kathy I think your right. Most folks like the Marans for the Dark eggs to sell and eat. They do not raise them to show. The others care for the conformation. And I guess that is the way it is now. lolol
I choose conformation first then work on the egg color.

 

[tgcole]

Got our darkest egg so far from a young Wheaten pullet!

Greg