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

[cpartist]

"In my opinion, there is a tendency to overproduce stock, that is, to hatch too many eggs and subsequently surplus too much haphazardly selected stock.
The disciplined poultier limits her or his selective breeding to only a tiny handful of pairs and only hatches a half dozen eggs from each."

This is the first time I've heard this, Resolution, and it is so heartening. I've always heard that you should hatch a gazillion chicks to work from, choosing just the best. If you don't plan to show and just like the challenge of producing a healthy bird as close to standards as possible-but don't have the time and space to do lots of test hatchings, and only want a small flock of six or eight birds...is it possible to buy hatching eggs from a breeder whose birds you admire, keep the best few from this hatch, set only the darkest eggs once or twice a year...choose the best of the hatch to breed...and end up with a small flock of good looking, dark laying BCM's?

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
I think, ultimately you could do that. That is, AFTER the breed has enough, "good," stock in circulation. Until that happens, it is still gonna take a gazillion hatchlings to get to it.

Another thought ... be prepared to pay the price. A breeder, to get to the point of having all of his/her stock producing that high quality, will most likely have to go through many culls to get there. THAT is expensive!

Just my humble, inexperienced opinion!

 

[geebs]

I personally think they can charge whatever they want. I will pay it.. It was a LOT of work. I only bought from the best breeders out there to start... It was an investment really... and of that I have VERY LITTLE to choose from.... But they are worth it. It is much easier to buy from someone who has had a closed flock and is using breeding techniques you like...the cost per egg is a bargain!!! When you look at what the cost is for 7 generations down for you to get that egg....hmmm smoking hot deal. I look at it like a got a really good shortcut.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

Well if you are like me, I only have BC roo and hen and one blue copper hen. So I have to hatch everything I can just to get a few more birds in my flock. My culls will be dinner or put into a laying for breakfast only flock.

And while I am new to Marans, I have contact with the breeder whom I purchased my bird from. She has been extremely easy to work with and is willing to offer her advice and knowledge.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Correct me if I am wrong everyone, but I believe it is actually a dominant gene which dilutes black. And it probably means that the breeder has the Blue and Black Copper birds in the same pen.I actually don't know doodley about blue so I should probably stay

Drom is correct, there was a blue bird running around in that pen somewhere...

..........see Drom you do know blue doodley!

gvntofly~ If you don't like that little blue fuzz butt... just send it over to me!

But darn it, I think you will love it, blues are gorgeous!

 

[geebs]

WOWOW

What a nice website

I sure enjoyed myself... Nice birds.. nice horses.. nice everything... I am going to have to go look at it again...


I have a particular line I am starting with just two birds... just like you... They are very hard to come by so unless by some miracle I get more... it is all I have.. I will have to hatch all I can just to make sure I don't lose the bloodstock!! Good luck with yours!!!

P.S. I particularly loved your "rainbow bridge" page.. with Jerry and Amber... So sweet...

 

[Resolution]

Selective breeding is part and parcel to the stewardship of a cultural heritage breeds, especially like the Marans. The rule of the breed from the first has been to Only hatch the darkest eggs and keep the flock size small enough to know with complete certainty not just which pair or flock the oef came from but precisely which egg each chick hatched from.
This is as important to keeping the water container clean and the manure picked up. Its not just a tradition of the humble rural farmers of marshy mudflats of Western France, it is followed religiously by just about every Marans breeder throughout Europe. Secondly, the diet of the Marans, all whole grains, supplemented with animal fat and fish protein, this is not followed very often here in the US either. I think that perhaps, our uniquely American spirit to be incredibly enterprising fails us here. I don't want to sound like Eeyore but all the same, remind poultiers that patience and dedication are just two bricks in the foundation when it comes to stewardship of these important cultural heritage breeds.
The rush to get these birds through the process to be accepted so that they can be exhibited for competition seems to be missing the most integral attribute of the breed.
In France and Brittany, eggs laid by perfect Marans that are not a specific darkness are not allowed to be sold or even labeled as Marans eggs. They could be as dark as any Wellsumer and still not be dark enough to be defined as Marans eggs and these eggs are produced from the same hens that do produce very dark russet eggs. In other words, a hundred hens are laying eggs and these are being collected daily and hand sorted into different batches. Each of the crates of eggs has a different rating and only the very darkest eggs get the five stars and the palest of these exceedingly dark eggs only receive a single or double star. The rest of the eggs are packaged and sold as fresh oef nothing else. There will be no mention of the breed from which they came. What is more, all of these egg being hand sorted are not even fertilized. They are only for consumption.

 

[geebs]

Well the eggs were very dark so I will expect that of this pair of course... if they aren't then I guess the project is over before it is started.

My hope is to discover some more of the same... until then... I work with what I got. Maybe they will be a breakfast/dinner pair... who knows... I get it about starting with the dark eggs.. wouldn't have it any other way. I should know any day as they are over 7 months old....Just need longer days.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Resolution, Do the French put much importance on the "type" of Marans also? Do they show and if so, do they have FBC Marans that are "type" and also lay the very dark eggs?
There is the French Marans Club but as I don't speak French I can't tell what their values are.

You are making me re-think my Marans, thank you.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
this is sort of what I am trying to do. Because of where I live none of my flocks can be big. So I kept 5 out of 40 FBCM last year and will only be adding maybe another 2 or 3 this year depending on how they look and egg color.

Same with my Ameraucanas I have 5 and one lays a greenish egg (she will be sold) and I will add only 1-2 more hens to the flock this summer all the rest I hatch will be sold.

My hope is by being realy selective my line will improve enough where later I wont have to hatch that much at all for myself maybe twice a year. Until then though my 5 bators are running constantly.