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

[lildinkem]

I know out of the 40 some Marans I have of all different ages, there is no perfect or near perfect bird I own. This is my first year with my birds. I do have 5 seperate lines to play with. And I agree in the theory of hatching out what you can handle, and culling heavily. Gettin down to four or five premium or best hens and one or two roos from each given line. And move on from there. With all the flaws in my birds, I have to match flawed colored bird to a bird with good color but my have no feathers or other flaws in the hopes of getting closer to the breed standard. It will take me at least 5 years with what I have. And who knows by then I might say it takes me another 5 years. I have other breeds that I raise. It is no race for me. I will better my birds eventually. And I will only raise the Copper Blacks and Birchens. And just focus on those two varieties.

 

[kathyinmo]

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You have Birchens! WOW ... Can you post a picture of them? I think they are so nice looking!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Yes this is going to be a long process. I went and collected eggs today (5 Marans are laying) Well, 2 mystery hens laid on the floor of the coop and were dirty. So I brought them in and washed them off (dog food though)

As I was washing the light brown egg, the color started coming off. I could not believe it! The egg is no darker than a RIR or BR and here the color is coming OFF!

So I have a Marans in there that isn't really a Marans. Sheesh.

So I just realized this and need to know if I am correct-- Just because the egg you are hatching is dark doesn't mean all that much unless it is your own breeding stock.

The hen that lays the dark egg may not have been bred to the Roo that carries the dark egg gene. Therefore the dark egg you receive may not give you a hen that lays dark eggs or a Roo to pass along the dark egg gene.

Is this correct?

How much impact does the hen have on dark egg color, compared to the Roo?

 

[lildinkem]

rustywoman the dark color is only on the outside of the egg. And easily can be scrubbed off. And then yep, you have a RIR egg. lolol

 

[millebantam]

Geebs, I certainly appreciate you taking the time to respond to my question, but my question was "is there any documented proof?" I have all the respect in the world for Bev Davis and what she has contributed to the development of these birds. There should be more breeders that share her integrity and knowledge of the breed, but by just stating that it "works" doesn't really prove anything. Believe me, I'm not nitpicking, and my intentions are sincere. I'm looking for something that shows tangible evidence, rather than one persons opinion before I accept something as fact. If two faulted birds are used in the breeding, what % of the offspring will be improved, and what % show similar faults, or are actually worse? If the pairings produce vast numbers of faulted offspring compared to very few improved birds, then the practice hardly makes sense considering the cost of raising all of those culls to adulthood just to try to improve one or two. It only seems more practical to simply use better birds for breeding and eliminate the faulted ones altogether.
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[Resolution]

I think what I'm trying to impart here is to stop introducing new stock. Work with a closed flock until your closed flock has the best possible egg colour.
This would be true for tinted egg layers as well as dark egg producing breeds. If one is selecting for tail length this would also be the rule- breed for that very specific trait
that distinguishes that subrace from all others. Post catalog hatchery generations of Americans are going to have a real problem with this and this is unfortunate because it leads to that
-the grass is always greener on the other side mentality. Yes, to answer the question regarding exhibition, the French do exhibit their birds and these are competed against one another but the majority of birds exhibited in Marans itself at an agricultural fair I have visited five times now, would not fit any definition of a standard of perfection. They simply produced or were hatched from the very darkest eggs. It is the egg that is in the competition in Marans France- now when one visits Lyon or Brittany, the whole bird is in the competition but the egg shell colour and shape has already been fixed and for generations before superficial characteristics are selected for or against. The trick to enhancing egg colour is to limit genetic diversity not increase it. Small clutches- generally only the first are hatched, and again only of the darkest eggs. One phenotypic trait that consistently bred for in Marans and Poutiou France amongst the true experts of this race of fowl-not incidentally, each colour being considered its own distinct breed- reddish legs or vivid portions of the leg in salmon or pink are consistently chosen over all else because it is from individuals that carry these demes that produce the darkest roundest eggs. The birds with the most reddish legs may not be the actual producer of the most russet egg but it is from two birds with pink or red pigmented portions of the legs that the best shaped eggs will be produced and the more spherical the egg, the more even the distribution of the pigment. So on par, it is from that stock that the best eggs will be produced overall. Strangely, we also saw birds with the slightest crests, especially in the Bordeaux region (where my sister lives). These birds wander about in the vineyards and rural estates and produce the deepest chickory hued eggs- not the darkest but the most vivid and deep in pigment but by and large these birds had the slightest hint of a crest. Most Marans have longer feathers on their heads than other large dual purpose fowl and it may be that some Marans post WWII were infused with the blood of some other (at the time) exceedingly rare French breed that was crested? At any rate, and in any case, the close selection from limited founders is absolutely key to defining and refining your own heirloom strain. We have so much working against us in the USA because the different colour types, again considered their own distinct breeds in France, have been interbred into one composite or another. Disciplined selection picks up from there. As evidenced by any number of eggs photographed on this site, there are a number of poultiers well ahead in the go forth by day mode. The rest are truly at the beginning phases and if one compares this to the creation of Bonsai one has a very long road to follow and there are no short cuts.

A green egg laying Ameraucana is not a cull. The Americauna how do you spell that anyway? is a North American Quechua and they tend to lay a greenish or greyish egg when compared to some other South American breeds.

 

[geebs]

Millebantam... I guess then I don't have the answer... Feel free to document it when you get it figured out if you intend to try it and share it with the rest of us.... I am taking Bev's word on it. I am sure someone out there that is logging their successes has it written down. But for now I all I have is someone's say so... I will take that...

And....it is sound logic.

 

[AHappychick]

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the color will always rub off you still have Marans, that is just the way they lay an egg it is sort of painted on at the end of the egg making process unlike blue or green eggs that are that color through-out but that is because the color comes from the bile and is a different thing all together.

With my Marans I keep the nest boxes as clean as possible and collect often so they dont scratch each others up because they scratch off the color with it.

Dont worry though your Marans are Marans

 

[geebs]

One more note... You have to raise them to adulthood to know what you have anyhow... So since you spent the $$$ anyway and you may be able to improve what you have then... Why not!!!??? If you bird is otherwise perfect (give or take) and all you need is a little more color or a little less... Well then... hmm... Might be worth the "whirl".

 

[geebs]

Rusywoman... don't be so quick to judge a young pullet.. Some of the lines develope late and may lay DARKER into the season... I know that probably goes against everything you have heard... But don't be to quick to cull. I have a line that has to lay a couple dozen eggs before the dark eggs come out... Then they are in the 4-5 range.. They are blue so that is acceptable for blue. I also had on BC that didn't have good color in her eggs for months and then one day she did.