Description and characteristics of the Maran chicken breed, subtleties of keeping

Chickens of the Maran breed are common not only in Russia, but also throughout 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 artificially bred colors.

History of breeding

The Maran breed is chickens with feathered feet. They were first presented at a French exhibition in 1914. 15 years later, a livestock farming community was organized to breed Marans. In 1934, the breed spread and was exhibited in England, where they were called Minors.

True, the presence of feathers on the paws turned out to be unsuitable for the English; individuals with clean paws were selected for breeding. After some time, their own Marans club was organized in England.

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

Breeding other colors took a long time. The new colors of the birds produced did not meet the generally accepted standards of the Marans. However, over time, it was possible to breed chickens with a non-standard plumage color.

Description of the characteristics of Maran chickens

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

Appearance of birds

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

Birds have a long neck, strong and curved, covered with fluffy feathers that smoothly flow onto the shoulders.The rooster is 1 kg larger than the female. Externally, the chicken does not look large, although it has good weight.

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

The chicken's legs are large, the metatarsals are pink, medium in size, and have gray or white claws at the ends. There are small feathers between the pluses.

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

Productivity

The breed has average egg production. On average, hens lay about 140 eggs per year. This value may vary. This number of eggs is obtained by following 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, with 2 yolks inside.

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 distinguished by a calm character, pliable and non-conflicting. They easily go into the arms of the owner and get along with other breeds and species.

Advantages

Birds of the Maran breed have many advantages. These include:

• average egg production;
• large individuals can be grown for meat;
• unpretentious care;
• the ability to keep in an open chicken coop and cages;
• special color of eggs;
• variety of colors.

Flaws

This breed has virtually no disadvantages. However, several still note:

• the inability to obtain identical chicks when crossing;
• thick shells in eggs, which the chicks cannot always break through when hatching;
• not very high egg production.

Varieties

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

White

White birds have snow-white feathers. This coloring 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 white Maran's metatarsus is pink, which is a distinctive feature of the subspecies.

Wheat

Males are similar to the 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 have a more characteristic wheaten color. Their breast is made of wheat, and there is a red border at the ends of the feathers. The rest of the body is light brown.

Black-copper

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

Silver-cuckoo

Both male and female are variegated black and white. However, roosters are lighter than hens. There are a small number of feathers with a brown color. The red comb looks quite impressive. This type of Marans can be crossed with black hens. The offspring will show black roosters, and black and white speckled females.

Colombian color

The chicken is white with a small splash of black feathers in the neck area. The edges of the plumage are wavy. The tail is fluffy and black. A feature of the Colombian type is the waviness of the plumage.

Lavender

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

Salmon

The rooster is bright salmon color. The tail is dark brown, and there are red feathers on the back and wings. The lower legs are covered with brown plumage. Females are similarly colored, but have a less bright shade.

Black

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

Black-tailed

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

Tips for keeping the breed

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

What should a chicken coop be like?

The chicken coop must be insulated for the winter. Chickens easily survive low temperatures down to 5 °C. However, adjusting indoor heating helps maintain year-round egg production. It is also necessary to create conditions for roosting. Form nests for laying hens. Allocate space for drinking bowls and feeders.

Temperature, lighting, humidity

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

Important! High humidity promotes the development of diseases in chickens.

Preparing the yard

The walking yard is fenced off so that the chickens cannot go far. The walking area is changed periodically, so it is rational to use a portable fence.

There should be a canopy where the yard should be so that the birds have a place 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 fluid and feed is constant. Birds should not starve. However, with intensive weight gain, it is recommended to put individuals on a protein diet.

Maintenance in winter

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

What to feed the birds?

For chickens and adult chickens, the diet is slightly different.

Chicks

In the first 1.5 months, the chicks feed separately from the adult chickens. They are given:

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

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

Adult chickens

Adult chickens are fed with store-bought feed or prepared independently. Includes:

• wheat grains;
• corn;
• meal;
• barley;
• peas;
• feed yeast;
• crushed shells;
• salt.

The diet also contains greens: nettles, alfalfa, cabbage leaves, clover, chopped grass.

How to breed the breed?

For breeding chickens, young males and 5-6 females are selected. They are left alone to mate. The brightest colored eggs are selected for incubation.

Incubation

Incubation lasts 21 days. Each day has its own temperature regime. The dense shell ensures the safety of the chicks until hatching. Also, such a dense shell requires regular ventilation. Sometimes it is difficult for chicks to break through the shell, so they need help.

Raising young animals

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

Diseases and methods of combating them

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

Hydrocele of the abdominal cavity

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

Ascariasis, heterokidosis

When helminthiasis occurs, anthelmintic drugs are mixed into the birds' feed. They also carry out complete disinfection of the premises and feeders. When infected with nematodes, the chicken becomes lethargic and does not gain weight well.

Scabies

Scabies mites penetrate the chicken's feet, causing itching and discomfort. The disease is contagious, so it is necessary to carry out treatment as quickly as possible. To do this, the bird's paws are soaked for 15 minutes in a soap solution.

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

Down-eaters

These are insects that feed on dead particles of the epithelium and also penetrate into the feathers. The location of the parasite is the neck and cloaca. Affected feathers are removed and burned. A box with wood ash and sand is installed in the chicken coop.

Where to buy and at what price?

Eggs and young Maran chickens are purchased in 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 chicks cost 300 rubles.