Wheaten and Blue wheaten Marans Discussion Thread

[sewandgrow]

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Congratulations..........What is that adorable blue that your friend hatched????

 

[sewandgrow]

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Yes, I have your number Randy and I don't need anything in a cup. I was living in San Francisco in the 60's. I check the birds pretty well, but I won't be doing any of the things you mentioned.

Memo to self: Write Randy's name in my Red Book.

Walt

You two guys are too funny!!!!!

 

[sewandgrow]

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A judge does not have to judge a mean bird, but what can a Silky do to ya? I get bit all the time, but if it is a 8lb bird that wants to kill me I might not take it out. It depends on what breed it is. A Marans is not going to be very fast, so I just put my hand on the top of the cage and when he looks up he is out of the cage before he knows what is going on. I usually know when a bird is going to be a problem....also know when an exhibitor is going to be a problem.....that's why you are in my Red book.

I think you would like going to a show, even if you don't show anything. It is a good place to meet nice people that share the same hobby. They also don't look down on leftover hippies.

Walt

So true Randy about going to a show............. I went to my first show in Stockton recently & had a blast................. You know right off the get go that everyone there is there because they like chickens (Poultry of some sort). So no matter who you visit with it is a great exchange of information.........................AND, OHhhhhhhhhhhh the eye candy you will see.........LOL

 

[Happy Chooks]

Cheryl...........tell those babies to hurry up and grow up!!!!! I want some wheaten marans!

 

[cherylcohen]

I know I know, Just tried to candle the eggs...they are so darn dark it's nearly impossible...lock down tomorrow. The three pullets I have from fitz are only 9 weeks....argh grow faster babies!!

I have the two little cockerals that I'm not keeping - 7 weeks, if you need another roo!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

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You ABSOLUTELY sure they are roos? Just sayin........

 

[cherylcohen]

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You ABSOLUTELY sure they are roos? Just sayin........

FOR SURE, wheaten marans can be feather sexed

 

[snowbird]

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Those are from 'pure blues' as in BBS Marans lol. I got them from peachick here on byc. She posted some pics a few weeks back on the Marans thread somewhere (huge thread)with pics of her birds and the egg color she is getting now. Her egg color is about the same as what my girls from her are laying..so pretty consistant through the generations. I think she is doing a good job. My blue coppers usually lay a little darker than these.

Flgarden, this came up on the main thread, and we discussed it for a few pages. Her blue marans are not from BBS lines. From what we could determine they are Blue Coppers with all the copper covered up. She says on her egg sale: "I developed my blue line from coppers and not cuckoo, so egg color is great. It's taken a few generations but my roosters are now free of any coppering in hackles.... " She said she started with a Blue Copper rooster to a solid black hen. But she did not say that the hen was not BCM. Given the dark egg color, I'm guessing it was a BCM with no copper, which is pretty common. So she bred in extra melanizers to eventually completely cover the mahogany areas of the Blue Copper. This has been done in other breeds as well, the Black leghorn is also Birchen based.

So what this means is that your Blue Marans will probably have more melanizers than your average E based BBS. They will also likely carry Mahogany, which you don't want in your Wheatens. Even if you get wheatens from your F1 crosses, they may still carry extra melanizers and mahogany that you don't want in Wheaten. As it took Peachick a few generations to breed in the extra melanizers, it will probably take a few generations to breed them out.

I think this is the kind of thing that Don was worried about, with Blue Wheatens carrying extra genes from the cross that created them. Projects like yours (bluexwheaten) are intriguing to me too, but sometimes you find things in the mix that you didn't know you had.

Village C. yes that is what I tried to get accross but the egg sellers ignored what I was trying to say. I have basically tried to say what is genetically possible has nothing to do with the type of fowl that will result. Lots of success to you in your hobby, Don

 

[berkeleysprings]

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[cherylcohen]

Hatching!! 5 out so far, 5 more pipped!