Wheaten and Blue wheaten Marans Discussion Thread

[AZBootsie]

Just want to comment on your male. He will be a good yard bird but I would not want to use him in a wheaten breeding program. Notice the black feathers coming in have real bad Shafting coming in also. Shafting is the quill of the feather being the wrong color. Don

Thank you!! This is the stuff I am hoping to learn on this thread.

 

[Chicken Crazy12]

Anyone got a good pic of carnation comb?

 

[AZBootsie]

Anyone got a good pic of carnation comb?

stole this from another thread

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

I think you're gonna freak out when you see my original davis rooster. the first 3 years he look fine nice coloring and that kinda stuff the first 3 years nice legs feather ring who is a decent looking rooster. but the past 2 years he is looking awful he has brown spots like dead looking feathers . he looks horrible now. but he is dady to all my hens except the 3 origonal hens. lol you all will freek whan u see how ugly he turned .i have not posted a pic of him in 2 1/2 years but i will this weekend. to me 5 years is old for a roo

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. In reading this thread and the Ameraucana thread (since both breeds have Wheaten varieties) I've found a lot of comments about "don't cull too soon" on the males because it can take them awhile to reach peak feather condition and coloring. I'm glad you brought up the other end of the spectrum- older birds. Since I've only had my flock for a short time, I don't know what they'll look like at 3 or 4 years of age. What's been your experience in color on the hens? After moulting, do they tend to "hold" their distinct 3-tone color? How old is your oldest hen? I appreciate you sharing your experience.

 

[culler]

A suggestion for all looking to buy Wheaten Marans eggs in the future.

With the wheaten having very good Shank feathering as a rule I would not under any circumstances buy wheaten unless they had feathered legs. Also ask to see a picture showing the head looking for sprigs and Carnation. If seller will not comply with a picture run away. Don

 

[berkeleysprings]

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. In reading this thread and the Ameraucana thread (since both breeds have Wheaten varieties) I've found a lot of comments about "don't cull too soon" on the males because it can take them awhile to reach peak feather condition and coloring. I'm glad you brought up the other end of the spectrum- older birds. Since I've only had my flock for a short time, I don't know what they'll look like at 3 or 4 years of age. What's been your experience in color on the hens? After moulting, do they tend to "hold" their distinct 3-tone color? How old is your oldest hen? I appreciate you sharing your experience.

hens i have are the same age but dont show the years as bad I think part of the problem with the roosters is it's a vitamin deficiency. the guys have to do most of the work no pun intended. hens seem to maintain their color well. old ok be cautious in the heat of the summer when you pick a hen out. direct sunlight on your hens will really fade their collars badly especially their backs. anyway back to the roosters. as they moltz their feathers will turn brownish color but it's funny I don't notice that with the girls is bad maybe because they have brownish color feathers anyway. the best roosters I have seen or about a year and a half to 2 years old it it's all downhill after 3 years the combs on my roosters really get frostbitten in the winter time vas a lien does nothing to help the comb to me that's a myth using bass a lean on the rooster's comb sorry my spelling is so bad I'm a carpender using that text to speech

 

[Debbi]

A suggestion for all looking to buy Wheaten Marans eggs in the future.

With the wheaten having very good Shank feathering as a rule I would not under any circumstances buy wheaten unless they had feathered legs. Also ask to see a picture showing the head looking for sprigs and Carnation. If seller will not comply with a picture run away. Don

I go one farther on places like ebay and other auction sites. If they don't have an enlargement option for the pics, that is the first red flag for me! People I have asked questions to about combs and feathers, have out right lied to me! I always save a copy of their bird in question and bring it to my computer where I can zoom in. The last one I asked about her BCM combs on ebay, denied ever even seeing such a problem in her birds, yet the pics I saved showed three of her roos with Carnations and/or sprigs! Needless to say, after I asked her the question, she deleted the pics from the auction!

There are some out there who are just ignorant to these faults; then there are others who will blatently lie to your face! Buyer beware!!!

 

[culler]

I go one farther on places like ebay and other auction sites. If they don't have an enlargement option for the pics, that is the first red flag for me! People I have asked questions to about combs and feathers, have out right lied to me! I always save a copy of their bird in question and bring it to my computer where I can zoom in. The last one I asked about her BCM combs on ebay, denied ever even seeing such a problem in her birds, yet the pics I saved showed three of her roos with Carnations and/or sprigs! Needless to say, after I asked her the question, she deleted the pics from the auction!

There are some out there who are just ignorant to these faults; then there are others who will blatently lie to your face! Buyer beware!!!

Debbi, I agree entirely, it is up to the buyer to root out the bad egg sellers. Don

 

[sharron]

wish i had known this in this past jan. i bought some blue wheaten eggs to hatch out(ebay) for a rooster, well, had seven hatch out, lost one about a week old, down to six, starting to feather out, two have no feathers on shanks, which i saw when hatched, wouldn't you know a nice looking little roo, some of the other chicks, altho they have the feathered shanks, they have a dip in the wings no feather, i think i saw that way back in this forum about what it is, but needless to say, not real happy that they don't have the full wing fan(don't really know how to describe it) these eggs came from a georgia that i thought was a safe place to buy good eggs, wish i had read this first

A suggestion for all looking to buy Wheaten Marans eggs in the future.

With the wheaten having very good Shank feathering as a rule I would not under any circumstances buy wheaten unless they had feathered legs. Also ask to see a picture showing the head looking for sprigs and Carnation. If seller will not comply with a picture run away. Don

 

[Debbi]

wish i had known this in this past jan. i bought some blue wheaten eggs to hatch out(ebay) for a rooster, well, had seven hatch out, lost one about a week old, down to six, starting to feather out, two have no feathers on shanks, which i saw when hatched, wouldn't you know a nice looking little roo, some of the other chicks, altho they have the feathered shanks, they have a dip in the wings no feather, i think i saw that way back in this forum about what it is, but needless to say, not real happy that they don't have the full wing fan(don't really know how to describe it) these eggs came from a georgia that i thought was a safe place to buy good eggs, wish i had read this first

Sharron,

Don't feel alone, I got taken with a bunch of culls from my first ebay purchase too! My fault, as I had not yet done enough homework, but live and learn! What you are describing in their wings sounds like "Split Wings"?? If you fan out the wing, there is an obvious gap, ie missing feather or feathers. These threads are invaluable for learning tools, that is why we are all here! Thank goodness for folks like Don!!