Marans???

[celticfarmer]

Anyone here eaten one of their marans?

Now I'm not asking this because I plan on doing it soon. However I am going to buckle down and focus on one breed and I will probably start in late winter here so the little buggers will be big enough to go outside when it gets nice out up here.

I really like the Marans eggs but I also like to have birds that get big enough to put on the table.

What are your thoughts?

 

[bigredfeather]

Marans are nice meaty birds. They are heavier than they look. Skin is nice and white, and the meat is very tasty. You can achieve a nice sized bird(3-5 pounds) in 18-22 weeks, depending on sex. They are a good DP breed IMHO.

 

[Tala]

I'll second that, they get really big. At least my Davis line birds do. The girls lay whopper sized eggs too, and I like that, but you can't keep ALL the roosters - so yeah, good dual purpose breed IMO. The only thing is though, if you are trying to select a breeding roo, everyone says to wait till they are around 6 months old before culling....by then they're gonna be a little older than we usually like to process them at.

But if you aren't trying to select a new breeder roo, then I guess that wouldn't be a problem

 

[celticfarmer]

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I would have to start at the beginning so I think I will probably end up with some less than idea older roos, but I've got a crock pot that works wonders for the older boys.

 

[marquisella]

I processed a few at 6 months,but I didnt' know about letting them rest for 3 days before freezing,so that probably was the reason we couldn't chew them! LOL

 

[Keara]

I processed two BCM roos at about 16wks. Good sized birds, easy to pluck, tasty! I like these birds as they are calm. They are a good dual bird!

 

[nivtup]

They are good eating birds.

Taste like chicken.

Good size, good qty of meat.

I have three that are nearing freezer camp now.


Good luck

 

[celticfarmer]

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That's a relief, I was afraid that since they are a french breed they would taste like snails.

 

[mamaof2]

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[mstricer]

I'm also narrowing down to Marans also. I've never had a problem as far as roo's being mean and they are friendly birds and go broodie. The meat is alittle darker, but very tasty.