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

[haTHOR]

ok, so it's not a breed-wide thing. this is good to know.

 

[Wynette]

I always feel like it has an awful lot to do with how much time you spend with them as chicks & juveniles; I don't spend a ton of time with them. Enough to teach them that a metal feed pan means "treats" and to eat from my hand - makes it easier to catch them as adults. I don't spend much more time that that with them, as I truly don't have much more time than that!

 

[Lotsapaints]

haTHOR I've hatched out some that I thought were flighty and after the teenage stage they have become pretty nice I have one pullet who acts like a Dellie she pulls my laces and just likes to follow me around and I have no plans on making pets out of mine...unless they want to be. I really love my Cuckoo Roo he is quite the gentleman with his ladies singing the egg song when they go in the nest box calling them for goodies and putting them to bed at night and he's just started as he's 21 weeks and all the eggs I've used are fertile and I never see him be mean to his girls either just a little neck pinching when he was first starting...

 

[havi]

Couple of questions..


1) I currently use a MagLite flashlight to candle my eggs. It doesnt really work that well with my marans eggs though. So I need to buy one that does. What does everyone else use on their marans eggs that you can actually see something in the egg? I would prefer something $50 or under. But dont mind paying a little more for a great flashlight.


2) The birds I have are Wade Jeane's line. The person I bought eggs from, all her birds had feathered legs. Well I only had two birds hatch with feathers on their legs. And the only rooster that survived(hawk got the other one) has way to much red on his chest. The hen with the most amount of feathers on her legs also has almost no copper color in her. Do you think these two would be good for trying to get feathered legs back into my flock? I know nothing about genetics. Whats a good site for a newbie? And thats written in English so that I can understand it. lol

Here are some pictures of my flock. These were taken back on April 5th when they first started to molt. Please let me know what you think. I would like to know the good and the bad. For the most part, is this a good flock to start breeding with? Their eggs are nice and dark as well. I turned the eggs on side a little b/c you get a better idea of the color. Cause the eggs always seem to be the darkest on the very tip of them.


Flash was acting up:

This is without the flash:

Hen with no copper:

Closer up of hen:

The light colored egg is from my EE:

WITH flash:

Without:

 

[aussieheelr]

I like your rooster's comb but he's not feather shanked like the hen below him and he has way too much rust on his chest than the proposed standard had noted. But good eye color and back length looks good too. That amount of color is what worries me the most, hens look pretty good.
Then again I KNOW there are more experanced people out there than I.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
It really depends on what your goal is. Do you just want dark eggs, and are happy with the egg color you have? Then go ahead.

Do you want to breed toward the (proposed) standard of perfection? Your rooster has a squirrel's tail, and as you said ...... way to much color on the chest (should be 10% or less, I have been told).

I wouldn't use him, but that's just me. Actually, I have had several that looked just like that (some looked much much worse)! I culled them all, and just keep trying! I have had about 25 BCMarans roosters (ummm, maybe even more). I have kept only one. He is a roo I hatched from one of Wynette's bonus eggs that she sent me when I bought Jersey Giant eggs from her. I hatched 3 BCMs from her. 2 pullets and a roo. He is really a great guy. We will likely always keep him around here because we all love him!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
It really depends on what your goal is. Do you just want dark eggs, and are happy with the egg color you have? Then go ahead.

Do you want to breed toward the (proposed) standard of perfection? Your rooster has a squirrel's tail, and as you said ...... way to much color on the chest (should be 10% or less, I have been told).

I wouldn't use him, but that's just me. Actually, I have had several that looked just like that (some looked much much worse)! I culled them all, and just keep trying! I have had about 25 BCMarans roosters (ummm, maybe even more). I have kept only one. He is a roo I hatched from one of Wynette's bonus eggs that she sent me when I bought Jersey Giant eggs from her. I hatched 3 BCMs from her. 2 pullets and a roo. He is really a great guy. We will likely always keep him around here because we all love him!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/31282_july_10_2010_pic_050.jpg

Kathy~

I thought you only hatched out ugly boys???????

He is a keeper!


Havi~

He does have a nice comb, good eye color and I do like his stance, but I would not use him for breeding either. TOO much red. But honestly what he looks like does not matter if you are only going to breed for egg color like Kathy stated above.

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh yes .... he is a keeper! I have purchased lots and lots of eggs and culled every single rooster. This guy came from a bonus egg! Isn't that funny... We are very happy with him!

 

[berkeleysprings]

i always skip the candeling , no reason to open the xmass present before its time and the eggs never explode , i use the wait and see method of candeling others here use the brunsi light thing

Quote:

 

[Debbi]

Ok, I posted some pics 5 days ago, showing my chicks. No one responded. I realize they don't look like the BCMs they were supposed to be, but would really like some clues here as to what they may be. The pics are on page 814. As of today, and I can't believe how they have changed so much in 5 days!, there are now patches of what appears to be blue/white barring on the 3rd & 4th chicks in the old pics. The fourth chick I call Fuglee, is obviously a cockeral, as in the last few days he has developed quite a comb. No one be shy about a response, I didn't breed them, just hatched them! Not going to hurt my feelings at all LOL. Is there any chance these could be Splash or even a Birchen gene coming through? How strange they are, and I can't wait to find out WHAT they are! I will be seeking better representatives of the breed and color come late fall. KathyinMO, your boy is gorgeous!! Wynette sure did right by you there!! Extra eggs, I should be so lucky!

My coop builder should be here tomorrow to help me get supplies and get this thing going. Let's hope the weather cools down and the storms hold off.