Maran chickens: description and characteristics of the breed, varieties, rules of keeping

Chickens of the Maran breed are common not only in Russia, but also in Europe. They are grown for industrial purposes and on their own farms. These chickens have a special egg color - dark brown. People call them "Easter eggs". The breed has a variety of artificial colors.

History of Breeding

The Maran breed is chickens with plumage on their paws. They were first presented at a French exhibition in 1914. After 15 years, a livestock breeding community was organized for breeding Marans. In 1934, the breed spread and got to an exhibition in England, where they were called Minors.

True, for the British, the presence of plumage on the paws was not suitable, individuals with clean paws were selected for breeding. After some time in England they organized their own Maran club.

Later the breed spread to America, where they also created clubs. The Americans argued with the British and still accepted the French vision of the breed with feathers on the metatarsus. The founder of all colors of chickens was black and copper. Based on the Marans, the Americans developed a popular bird species called the Araucana Minorca.

It took a long time to develop other colors. The new colors of the bird at the exit did not meet the generally accepted Maran standards. However, over time, it turned out to breed chickens with a non-standard plumage color.

Description of characteristics of Maran chickens

Characteristics of chickens include the appearance of male and female, productivity, character in relation to other chickens.

Appearance of birds

The crest on the head is small, bright red, which touches the back of the head. The head itself is small, medium in size. Chickens have a curved powerful beak. The color of the front of the head is red, the eyes are small, orange-red.

Birds have a long neck, strong with a bend, covered with fluffy feathers that smoothly pass to the shoulders. The rooster is larger than the female by 1 kg. Outwardly, the chicken does not look large, although it has a good weight.

The sternum is wide, with developed muscle mass. The fluffy tail is small in size, the slope is 45 °, this is a distinctive feature of the breed.

Chicken drumsticks are large, metatarsals are pink, medium in size, with gray or white claws at the ends. There are small feathers between pluses.

Important! The lower part of the metatarsus is always white, regardless of the color of the Maran.

Productivity

The breed has an average egg production. On average, laying hens lay about 140 eggs per year. This value may vary. Such a number of eggs is obtained subject to all the rules for caring for birds and keeping them in favorable conditions. One egg weighs 65 g, in rare cases, chickens lay 100 g of eggs, inside of which there are 2 yolks.

Maran meat has a pleasant taste due to its white color. Males have an average weight of about 4 kg, and females 3.5 kg. This is a good indicator for raising chickens for meat.

Character

Birds are calm, pliable and non-conflict. They easily go to the hands of the owner, take root with other breeds and species.

Dignity

Maran birds have many advantages. These include:

medium egg production;
large individuals, allow growing for meat;
unpretentious care;
possibility to keep in an open coop and cages;
special egg color;
variety of colors.

Flaws

This breed has almost no flaws. However, a few do note:

impossibility to get the same chicks when crossing;
thick shells in eggs, which chicks cannot always break through when hatching;
not very high egg production.

Varieties

Maran chickens have a huge range of colors. The founder of almost all subspecies is the black-copper type.

White

White birds have pure white feathers. This coloration is inherited by a recessive gene, so the presence of feathers or shades of a different color indicates that the chicken is not purebred. The metatarsus of the white Maran is pink, which is a distinctive feature of the subspecies.

Wheat

Males look like a black and copper breed. They have a black body and a brown-red color on the head and back. However, the distribution of copper color is wider than that of the founders. Females, on the other hand, have a more characteristic wheat color. Their breast is wheaten, there is a border of a red hue at the ends of the feathers. The rest of the body is light brown.

Black Copper

Two-color chickens. In females, copper coloration is more pronounced. The whole body is black, except for the neck and back. The brighter the copper color, the purebred they are considered. All other parameters of chickens meet the standards.

Cuckoo Silver

Both the male and the female are variegated black and white. However, roosters are lighter than hens. There is a small number of feathers with a brown color. The red comb looks pretty impressive. This type of maran can be crossed with black hens.Black roosters will appear in the offspring, and black-and-white speckled females.

Colombian

Chicken has a white color with a small patch of black feathers in the neck. The plumage is wavy along the edges. The tail is fluffy, black. A feature of the Colombian type is the waviness of the plumage.

Lavender

This type of coloring has several variations. It may take on a reddish tint. The head of the roosters is snow-white in color, which smoothly turns into gray towards the bottom of the body. The female, on the contrary, has a gray head, and the bottom of the body is almost white. The color transition is smooth and has no clear boundaries.

Salmon

Rooster of bright salmon color. The tail is dark brown, with red feathers on the back and wings. The lower legs are covered with brown plumage. Females are similarly colored, but less brightly colored.

Black

Both sexes of the breed are completely black. Coloring may have an emerald sheen or slightly red. This type of chicken is rare, as it is difficult to obtain black Marans that fully meet generally accepted standards.

Blacktail

Male specimens have a bright copper body and a black tail. Females are completely brown with dark brown tails. All other parameters comply with the standards.

Breed Tips

To ensure the good development of birds, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for growing and keeping.

What should be the chicken coop?

The chicken coop should be insulated for the winter. Chickens easily survive low temperatures up to 5 ° C. However, the establishment of heating in the room helps to maintain year-round egg production. It is also required to create conditions for a perch. Form nests for laying hens.Allocate space for drinkers and feeders.

Temperature, lighting, humidity

Chickens prefer a well-lit place, it is advisable to provide them with a daily walk in the fresh air with full daylight hours. The optimum air temperature is 20-25 °C, and the percentage of humidity is 70-80.

Important! High humidity contributes to the development of diseases in chickens.

Patio preparation

The yard for a walk is fenced off so that the chickens cannot go far. From time to time, the walking place is changed, so it is rational to use a portable fence.

In place of the courtyard, there should be a canopy so that the birds have somewhere to hide during bad weather.

Drinkers and feeders

Drinkers and feeders are installed inside the chicken coop or cage. It is important that the supply of liquid and feed is constant. Birds should not starve. However, with intensive weight gain, it is recommended to put individuals on a protein diet.

Winter maintenance

Maranas endure the winter in a heated barn. To do this, provide constant heating using infrared lamps, a built-in stove or an electric heater. With a sharp decrease in temperature, egg production declines.

What to feed the birds?

Chickens and adult hens have slightly different diets.

Chicks

In the first 1.5 months, chicks eat separately from adult hens. They are given:

cottage cheese;
eggs;
millet;
millet corn;
nettle;
alfalfa.

Chickens are provided with a protein type of food, then adult foods are gradually introduced into the diet.

Adult chickens

Adult chickens are fed with compound feed bought in stores or cooked on their own. Includes:

wheat grains;
corn;
meal;
barley;
peas;
feed yeast;
crushed shells;
s alt.

And also greens are present in the diet: nettle, alfalfa, cabbage leaves, clover, cut grass.

How to breed?

For breeding chickens choose young males and 5-6 females. Leave them alone to mate. The most brightly colored eggs are selected for incubation.

Incubation

The incubation lasts 21 days. Each day has its own temperature regime. The dense shell ensures the safety of the chicks until they hatch. Also, such a density of the shell requires regular ventilation. Sometimes chicks have a hard time breaking through the shell, so they need help.

Raising young animals

The first 2-3 weeks of chicks are kept separately from adult birds. They are fed and given water with manganese to prevent infection. From a week of age, they gradually begin to take out into the street. By the age of 30 days, they are transferred to a common chicken coop.

Diseases and methods of dealing with them

Under adverse conditions, birds are susceptible to infection. When the first signs appear, treatment should be started immediately.

Abdominal dropsy

The causes of the disease are metabolic disorders in the body of the chicken. The internal organs of the bird suffer, it becomes lethargic, the abdomen tenses, the movement of the chicken becomes difficult. For treatment, diuretics are given and the abdomen is pierced with a syringe in order to pump out the fluid.

Ascariasis, heterokidosis

When helminthiases appear, antihelminthic drugs are mixed into the feed for birds. They also carry out a complete disinfection of the premises and feeders. When affected by nematodes, the chicken becomes lethargic and does not gain weight well.

Scabies

Scabies mite penetrates the paws of the chicken, causing itching and discomfort. The disease is contagious, so you need to treat it as soon as possible. To do this, the bird's paws are soaked for 15 minutes in a soapy solution.

Important! For an improved effect, it is recommended to process each individual.

Fluff-eaters

These are insects that feed on dead particles of the epithelium, and also penetrate into the feathers. The place of localization of the parasite is the region of the neck and cloaca. Affected feathers are removed and burned. A box of wood ash and sand is set up in the chicken coop.

Where to buy and at what price?

Eggs and young Maran chicks are purchased from industrial nurseries, and can also be ordered via the Internet. One hatching egg costs 100 Russian rubles. One-week-old chicks cost 200-250 rubles, and two-week-old - 300 rubles.