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

[Germaine_11.20]

Thank you everyone who has been answering my queries. I don't believe I understood the answer to this question so I am posting it again.


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]

Hi Kathyinmo. Yes I have 2 lines of Birchens. One line is Ray Valentines. I have 2 pullets and a cockerel. And the other line is from a local lady Betty Jo Aldrich. I have Bruno, here seen in the pic. And 2 young pullets from that line.


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[ILOVEFRIZZLES]

I am going to go look at about 12 roos for them Jesse line someone please post pic of want at sq roo looks like so I can try to get one close to that. I seen the chart one eye, body, tail should be but can not find it now so if you have it could you email it to me thanks so much

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
Yes, this is correct, at least as far as I have investigated. If you breed a dark egg laying hen, to a roo that came from a lighter egg, you probably will lighten the resulting eggs. Its not that known that the rooster is important in giving dark color as well as the hen.
Actually, your rooster is really half of your breeding program, so making sure that he is from a dark egg is imperative.

That is why, in my opinion, you need to develop a relationship with whomever you decide to get eggs/birds from.

Just today, I was happy to get a really dark, more oval egg from my black copper pen. They haven't been laying due to the cold weather in NY, but with the longer days, it seems to be picking up now. Unfortunately, Im not incubating right now, and will eat that egg....gulp! LOL ( it probably isn't fertile due to the cold anyhow....)

Sue

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
You're just makin' me sad, with that !

 

[marquisella]

Yeah, I don't like eating them either, but I hatched out quite a few this fall, so I don't need to do more until later, and know that fertility is good. Hopefully, early spring, I'll be offering some for sale...but not until then .

Sue

 

[Resolution]

fertility should not be a problem and provided you have setting hens about you can forgo the incubator route. To improve upon fertility this time of year when thhe arguably best eggs are produced, increase the quality of the flock's nutrition- yet another reason to maintain the smallest breeding pools. Add a wild bird seed with generous proportions of nuts to your feed at ~ 25% of their daily ration ( its just for one month); mix a dried cat food at ~ 5-10 % empty a can of cranberry sauce pref low sugar and with the berries onto a treat bowl full of grapenuts or granola. Sprinkle liberally with ground cinnamon. Just do the treat bowl on one day on weekends. Put out suet cakes every few nights an hour or so before they head to bed. If you are not home at that time just put put suet cakes - the spicy ones that squirrels hate are best- every few days. This gives the birds extra animal fat/energy and enables them to better utilize the amino acid balance in their daily ration resulting in egg yolks with optimal nutrition. Superior egg yolks result in superior chicks. Genes are turned on and off like light switches.

 

[Resolution]

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[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
Yes, this is correct, at least as far as I have investigated. If you breed a dark egg laying hen, to a roo that came from a lighter egg, you probably will lighten the resulting eggs. Its not that known that the rooster is important in giving dark color as well as the hen.
Actually, your rooster is really half of your breeding program, so making sure that he is from a dark egg is imperative.

That is why, in my opinion, you need to develop a relationship with whomever you decide to get eggs/birds from.

Just today, I was happy to get a really dark, more oval egg from my black copper pen. They haven't been laying due to the cold weather in NY, but with the longer days, it seems to be picking up now. Unfortunately, Im not incubating right now, and will eat that egg....gulp! LOL ( it probably isn't fertile due to the cold anyhow....)

Sue

Sue, Thank you very much!

I thought I would share a few pictures of my other surprise Marans egg I found today. Of course it was right outside the coop, on the dirt. Why oh why? However I may have never found it in the coop due to the size. I thought it was a piece of rubber or marble at first.

Here is your laugh for the day. At least it is a nicely colored egg.

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

Quote:
are the birchen hens black or is that just a bad pic of the hens???