Author Topic: Just a few thoughts on breeding Marans to produce dark brown eggs (Read 28915 times)

Bramham Wiltshire Horns · « **Reply #45 on:** November 28, 2016, 01:07:42 pm »

i enjoy showing some my aim is to put the cou cou de rennes into a utility class that way i can breed to standard and still show the bird

Dave C · « **Reply #46 on:** July 28, 2017, 10:31:21 pm »

Is anyone still breeding for coloured eggs, Dark Brown or Blue ?

It would be good to keep this thread going, it has very good information that would be a shame to loose.

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #47 on:** July 29, 2017, 02:03:35 pm »

Kevin at Barrels Farm near Pontrilas keeps a good strain and also might have contact details of others

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #48 on:** July 29, 2017, 02:14:13 pm »

Ps my darkbrowneggs site is still on line with lots of useful info about Marans and my blue-eggs site also :0

Dave C · « **Reply #49 on:** July 29, 2017, 07:21:02 pm »

Hey Sue, it's great to see you on here again

how's things on your travels?

I got some Cuckoos from you about 8 years ago on another site

And some Cream Legbars.

Just hatched some Cuckoo from a guy in Lancashire who shares eggs with Kevin, I've marked the darkest eggs to keep a cockerel to also use on my birds, hoping there a good match.

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #50 on:** July 29, 2017, 08:25:08 pm »

Hi Sadly pretty rubbish for me Have just finished radiotherapy. Last chemo was in Jan and radical hysterectomy inFeb Last few days have been worst ever for me

Can barely sit up

[size=78%]Thanks for thinking of me will post again if up to it x[/size]

Dave C · « **Reply #51 on:** July 29, 2017, 10:53:20 pm »

Hi Sue, so very sad to hear of your condition.

I've thought of your adventures many times while tending to my Marans and wished you were on here offering advice and good banta.

I do hope you have the strength to post in the future as your knowledge is needed for us to continue your good work and continuous improvement of the Marans and their Dark Brown Eggs.

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #52 on:** August 01, 2017, 06:53:40 pm »

English Cuckoo Marans breeders group UK face book Bamford Quality cream legbars scotland uk heba dark eggs eropean lines

Dave C · « **Reply #53 on:** August 02, 2017, 08:55:34 pm »

Are you still breeding Marans VF ?

If so how's your breeding season gone?

I've bought in some eggs this season to add a cockerel to my original birds.
Got them from H. Hargreives, very nice eggs

Marked the darkest eggs / chicks to choose for 2 cockerels to keep back.

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #54 on:** August 11, 2017, 10:57:59 am »

iv got no marrans naw but iv put the cz gene in the last fuew layers that looked good the price was so low that it wasent worth carring on .so i have highbred layers and wont be breeding next 2018 . the season was a disaster i had about 100 just before the fedaration show .i held off becouse of the bird flue then went for it in febuarey i then had about 300 chicks whith no sales of eggs then no sales of birds . in march and into april .so i had loads of stock and no sales to reduce stock . i put 100 hens in thainstone good dark eggs layers sext 12 pound a pen of 5 hens a disaster .Then the legbars not much better 30 pound for 4 hens and 142 pounds selling fees .the next sale at carlile was low the cost of feed was also up .So a disaster all round .SO no breedeing in 2018 and i dont think il carrey on very disapointed whith fees up feed up and electricatey up sad times gone from 52 breeding pens dawn to 2

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #55 on:** August 11, 2017, 11:59:07 am »

That's very bad luck. I would normally have begun test hatches in April and then selling hatching eggs but Hereford Market poultry sales not opening until May made me hold back and reduce numbers. I see from Farmers Guardian that avian flu is rumbling on in Europe so I'm presently working on the assumption it'll be back this Winter and I'm cutting back numbers and aiming to keep only the very best stock of our Laced Wyandottes, Dorkings and Speckled Sussex and Narragansett turkeys through to next year.