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

[Lotsapaints]

Interesting colors...as long as they have size I'm happy they really do dress out nice and most of the ones I've gotten have some size. I'm trying to keep the size in them as I think they are a great dual purpose breed I love their profile and the way my roos treat their hens. I'm just not going to focus on the BCs I'm going with my Cuckoos I've been able to get pretty nice stock big robust birds and I can sex them right away. I used to go to Norco often I showed my horses at the GSPA shows...I don't get that way often now

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Debbi - here's the entire proposed standard that was submitted (the first color to be approved will be Black Copper, and it's anticipated that will be followed by Wheaten and Cuckoo):

Proposed APA Standard
Standard of the Marans

Disqualifications:
Yellow on shanks or toes. White ear lobes. Feathers on middle or inner toes.

Standard Weights (approved 6/11/10)
Cock….…..8 lbs Hen……6 1/2 lbs
Cockerel….7lbs Pullet…..5 1/2 lbs

Shape—Male (approved 6/11/10)

COMB: Single, moderately large, straight, upright, evenly serrated with five points; the blade not touching the neck.
BEAK: Long, stout and well curved.
FACE: Smooth, skin fine and soft in texture.
EYES: Large and prominent.
WATTLES: Medium in size, oval, skin fine in texture.
EAR-LOBES: Average in size, long.
HEAD: Moderate in size, slightly flattened on top, and long.
NECK: Moderately long and full, arched. Hackle abundant, flowing well over the shoulders.
BACK: Wide at the shoulders, long, flat, slightly tilted to the rear. Slightly more inclined than that of the female.
Saddle feathers -- abundant, saddle large and slightly raised.
TAIL: Full, rather short, carried at an angle of 45 degrees above horizontal.
Main tail feathers -- broad and overlapping, shorter than average.
Sickles -- shorter than average.
WINGS: Short, held close to the body, carriage nearly horizontal.
Primaries and secondaries: broad and overlapping in natural order when wing is folded.
BREAST: Strong, broad, and full. Well rounded when viewed from both the front and side.
BODY AND FLUFF: Body -- deep, long and broad, especially through the shoulders which are carried high. Overall, rectangular in shape.
Fluff -- medium in length.
LEGS and TOES: Legs set well apart and straight when viewed from the front.
Lower thighs -- strong and well feathered.
Shanks -- medium length, stout, and straight; lightly feathered down the outer sides.
Toes -- four long and well-separated toes on each foot. Outer toes lightly feathered, middle toes free from feathers.
PLUMAGE: Moderately tight and smooth textured.

Shape—Female

COMB: Single, moderately large, straight, upright, evenly serrated with five points. When in production Marans females commonly exhibit a lopped comb which shall not be penalized on an otherwise good specimen.
BEAK: Long, stout and well curved.
FACE: Smooth, skin fine and soft in texture.
EYES: Large and prominent.
WATTLES: Medium in size, oval.
HEAD: Moderately large in size, slightly flattened on top.
NECK: Of medium length, broad and well balanced, moderately close feathered.
TAIL: Full, rather short, and moderately spread.
WINGS: Short, held close to the body, carriage nearly horizontal.
BREAST: Strong, broad, and full, well rounded when viewed from both the front and side.
BACK: Wide at the shoulders, long, flat, slightly tilted to the rear. Slightly less inclined that that of the male.
BODY AND FLUFF: Body deep, long and broad, especially through the shoulders and carried high. Overall rectangular in shape. Fluff medium in length.
LEGS and TOES: Legs set well apart, straight when viewed from the front. Shanks-moderately long and smooth. Toes-four, well spread and straight and of medium length.
PLUMAGE: Moderately tight and smooth textured.

 

[lildinkem]

I talked to a new found 70 plus year ole friend. He told me he was at the APA meeting in IL. And that their main concern for the Marans is the inconsistancy of the breeders.
What ever that means.

 

[Mamaperreca]

Ok. I have a question that has probably already been answered but I will ask anyway.

So I was reading about sex linking. I have a beautiful BC Maran who I hoped was a girl but he is crowing so definitely a boy. Looks like he is going to be pretty correct in the standard as well. SO I am keeping him. In regards to the sex linking, if I cross him to a cuckoo maran (barred) female will I get Black Sex linked Marans? Will the boys be barred and the females black? In theory I think yes, but will I be able to tell at hatch? I got my BC Maran at about 5 weeks and he was mostly feathered. So I am wondering what the babies would look like and if I would be able to tell sex.

Oh and I should say that by doing this cross my only goal is to tell sex and keep the dark colored egg feature. I would be mostly doing it for my own benefit and just sell a few extra girls to my friends. Roos would probably end up dinner.

 

[Wynette]

There has to be at least (I believe) 2 of each sex shown (2 cockerels, 2 pullets, 2 cocks, 2 hens) - I may be wrong on this as I don't show. But, I know at the show that they were hoping to be approved at, all the specimens looked too different from each other for the APA to consider them to be breeding true. That's common with breeds fairly new to the U.S. No one that I've spoken to (large breeder folks) feels like there's anything to worry about; it'll just take a bit more time. There's a lot in this thread and a posted letter from the secretary of the APA on this. I THINK that letter is in this thread.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
You've got it girl! The girls will be black and the boys barred, but they will only have one copy of the barring gene and be colored like that of a cuckoo hen, white barring on a black feather, unlike a cuckoo male that has 2 copies of the gene which would be colored oppositely and be black barring on a white feather, cuckoo mothers can only pass the barring gene onto their male offspring. I'm not sure if they (the males) would still be born with a white spot on the head for sex linking or not. Hoping someone who works with the cuckoo variety comes along to help out and correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Lotsapaints]

yep spot on the head as they don't look barred at first

 

[haTHOR]

geebs told me to hold out a bit of hope that this one of my 5 FCBMs just might be a pullet. i guess s/he has had a few birds that had similar characteristics and were great hens.

at 9.5 weeks...a few things make me think roo--big comb/wattles compared to the 2 "obvious" hens, and the size--bigger than my "obvious" roos! big legs/feet too. but the comb/wattles are less than my "obvious" males, and no pointy saddle feathers. and something just says pullet to me when i am watching her. basically i just can't make up my mind yet!

the other question is, if it's a roo, would you consider keeping it over the two other roos (which are smaller, and have a ridiculous amount of feathering and comb points).

fyi these are out of jeane birds, a couple generations removed.

for comparison...one of my obvious hens

the obvious roos

 

[pinkchick]

hathor~

I want to say roo for some reason but I'm gonna just stay on the fence with this one until it is a little older.

 

[haTHOR]

it's odd...it has the look in its eye of a roo--like it wants to jump on something...the "fierceness". maybe? but it moves like a lady and lays with the ladies all the time. and it never fights with the two roos who fight all the time. sigh.