Mixing Marans with other Marans. What do you get? Photos please :)

[cowman1970]

My potential breeding strategy for 2014. I would like others input and photos please. My stock originates from those breeders working on improvement and none came from the barnyard/sale barn. I have 7 varieties yet I can only separate 4 of the varieties.

I keep my Blue/Blue Coppers, Black/Black Coppers, and the Splash variety together because I know what to expect when I hatch my eggs. 1/50 end up a recessive Ermine, Wheaten, and Cuckoo.

I'm thinking about keeping Splash and/or Blue with Wheaten this Spring but I'm not sure what to expect. Maybe I will keep the Splash/Blues together instead.

A Black/Black Copper x Wheaten cross makes a very pretty hen.

I'm keeping Black/Black Coppers with Silver Birchen. They will be Black/Black Coppers with the Silver gene since the golden gene is dominant.

I have one White Marans rooster. What do I do with him?

I also have 8 first generation Partridge Marans. What should I do with them?

I'm keeping my Silver/Golden Salmon Marans to themselves.

 

[sourland]

What are your goals?

 

[cowman1970]

My intention is to keep the appropriate varieties together to avoid any barnyard mixes.

 

[donrae]

Then it sounds like you need more pens or less varieties. Don't be afraid to narrow your focus on just a few varieties, and cull cull cull.

 

[3riverschick]

My potential breeding strategy for 2014. I would like others input and photos please. My stock originates from those breeders working on improvement and none came from the barnyard/sale barn. I have 7 varieties yet I can only separate 4 of the varieties.

I keep my Blue/Blue Coppers, Black/Black Coppers, and the Splash variety together because I know what to expect when I hatch my eggs. 1/50 end up a recessive Ermine, Wheaten, and Cuckoo.

I'm thinking about keeping Splash and/or Blue with Wheaten this Spring but I'm not sure what to expect. Maybe I will keep the Splash/Blues together instead.

A Black/Black Copper x Wheaten cross makes a very pretty hen. It may be pretty but this cross is the bane of the BCM breeder's world. The BCM world has spent the better part of 10 years trying to breed the Wheaten gene out of the BCM gene pool. Don't expect BCM folk to be happy about this cross.

I'm keeping Black/Black Coppers with Silver Birchen. They will be Black/Black Coppers with the Silver gene since the golden gene is dominant. Which locus's are you crossing? . ER, EE, or not? That can make a difference in how you set up your subsequent breeding program.

I have one White Marans rooster. What do I do with him? They are a rarer variety. Find someone with quality White Marans hens and give him to them in return for a given number of eggs or chicks.

I also have 8 first generation Partridge Marans. What should I do with them? If they are eb based and not e+ based, get rid of them. The eb gene does not exist in the Marans gene pool. eb is Brown. e+ is wildtype. You can tell by the chick down. eb chicks have brown helmet. e+ chicks have a dorsal head stripe ( clearly defined).

I'm keeping my Silver/Golden Salmon Marans to themselves. Ah, my fav colors. Golden salmon is very rare. Here you are looking to produce a proper hen. Males can hide unwanted genes in their plumage but the hen always tells the truth about her genetics in her plumage. Handle the gold/silver cross properly and you can be producing pure Golden Salmon in 3 generations, provided your silver and golden salmon are pure-breeding. Your goal here is to produce a pure breeding Golden or Silver Salmon female. She is the keystone to a successful breeding program.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[cowman1970]

I find that quite a few people don't mind the barnyard mixes of Marans as long as the eggs are dark. I had people come from all over to buy chicks last year and that was never a concern.

 

[nicalandia]

I'm keeping Black/Black Coppers with Silver Birchen. They will be Black/Black Coppers with the Silver gene since the golden gene is dominant.

First, the gold sex linked gene is not dominant, Silver is dominant, and dont mix them this will create a mess, unless you have a single Birchen male and want Birchen pullet but only has Black Copper hens, this cross(Brichen male vs Black Copper hens) will produce Birchen pullets.... but Golden(S/s+) Birchen males which look like birchen but with a lemon/yellow hackle and saddle instead of silver

I also have 8 first generation Partridge Marans. What should I do with them?

keep them by themselves, no other breed/color is compatible with them, if crossed with BCM the cross will produce BCM looking birds, the closest you can come to their phenotype is the Wheaten Marans, but while the males look similar, the females look way different. so keep them separate

I have one White Marans rooster. What do I do with him?

are they recessive white? or dominant white?

I'm keeping my Silver/Golden Salmon Marans to themselves.

Thats only good if you are culling the male chicks, as all of the females will be either Silver or Gold

 

[Alo]

If you breed a Black Copper Marans to a silver Cuckcoo Marans you get sex linked chicks, right?

If you mix a Golden Cuckoo Marans with a Birchen Marans, or any other Marans; will you get sex linked chicks?