Today there are a huge number of different breeds of chickens, each of which has its own unique characteristics.
Against the background of all other breeds, the maran can be called one of the most original and specific, since these chickens lay eggs of an unusual brown color... But the value of the breed lies not only in the unusual color of the eggs.
Origin
This breed was bred by French breeders in 1985. However, they were able to appreciate the unsurpassed qualities of the Maran only in 1914, when the creators presented their new breed at the La Rochelle exhibition.
Since then, these chickens have spread throughout the world, they are willingly bred by poultry farmers around the world.
The name of the breed comes from the name of the city in which it was bred - Maran.
The location of this city is the western part of France. The terrain here is mostly marshy, and due to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean in the west of France it is rather cold.
That's why these chickens are well adapted to adverse weather conditions. And it is precisely because of this quality that the breed is popular not only in France, but throughout Europe.
Description
Experienced poultry farmers easily distinguish the maran from other breeds. First of all, looking at these chickens, one cannot fail to notice their proud, important gait.
Besides, birds have a very spectacular appearance: catchy colors and unusual plumage, quite close to the body. In sunny weather, the feathers shine and shimmer with bright colors, which makes the chickens even more beautiful.
Distinctive features of Maran chickens
- Large sizes.
- Elongated shape torso.
- Small head.
- Hanging to the side scallop with six teeth.
- Reddish orange eyes.
- Earrings are large enough in males.
- Small tailthat hangs down at a 45 degree angle.
In addition, chickens of this breed can be recognized by their strong, well-developed light legs with 4 clearly separated toes.
Feet, as a rule, do not have a strong plumage, but on the thumbs there is a small amount of fluff. Sometimes the outer parts of the thighs are also covered with plumage.
Another distinctive feature is the down collar that adorns the neck of the males.
Conditions of detention
Maran chickens are distinguished by a calm character, so they almost never have conflicts with other poultry.
However, despite their calm and peaceful disposition, they are quite mobile, therefore they should be kept in a spacious and free aviary. The best option for a maran is walking.
It should be borne in mind that layers that are in the open air for a long time will carry much better.
Despite their unpretentiousness and resistance to disease, these birds do not like high humidity, which means that the chicken coop must be dry. For this, it is recommended to ventilate the room as often as possible, and, if necessary, provide it with heating or install a fan.
Also, marans need high-quality light mode: for full growth, development and good laying of eggs in winter, they need to provide lighting for 10-11 hours a day.
This breed is very well bred not only in industrial farms, but also in private farmsteads.
Characteristics
Maran belongs to the meat-and-meat breed of chickens. Moreover, both the eggs and the birds themselves are quite large.
- The weight of an adult female is approximately 2.5-3.2 kg.
- An adult rooster - 3.3-4 kg.
- Weight of a young female - from 2 kg.
- One year old rooster - from 3 kg.
- The mass of one egg is 80 g
- An egg from a young hen weighs approximately 65-70 g.
With high-quality care and compliance with the conditions for the correct keeping of chickens, one layer gives up to 150 eggs per year.
If we talk about such a breed as the dwarf maran, then the characteristics will be as follows:
- Rooster weight - 1.1-1.2 kg.
- Chicken weight - up to 1 kg.
- Egg mass is about 40 g
Feeding chickens
Laying hens. The main diet of maran consists of the same food as other chicken breeds eat. In order for the birds to gain weight well and carry a sufficient number of eggs, it is necessary to provide them with a complete and balanced feeding.
Important: laying hens in no case should be either underfeeding or overfeeding, since in the first and second cases, improper feeding leads to a decrease in egg production.
That is why experienced poultry farmers always carefully calculate the feed intake for their pets.
One laying hen should eat about 75 g of compound feed during the day, if she eats only compound feed. In this case, feeding should be divided in half.
Except dry food it is also necessary to give various greens and vegetables.
For example, green grass, finely chopped cabbage, turnips, rutabagas. The laying chicken must receive such feeding. It must be given three to four times a day. It is the quantity and quality of fresh greens that the chicken eats that is responsible for how bright the egg yolk will be.
You can buy the compound feed ready-made, or you can prepare it yourself. Standard compound feed consists of the following components:
- 12% wheat grains.
- 45% corn.
- 7% meal sunflower.
- 7% barley.
- 8% peas.
- 4-5% feed yeast, fish, meat and bone and grass meal.
- 7% seashells, limestone, chalk.
- 0,3% salt.
For the food to be well absorbed, it is recommended to give the bird fine pebbles and quartz sand.
The main part of the diet of chickens (about 70%) should be carbohydrate feed, and the rest is protein.
Nutritional value of standard compound feed:
- Proteins — 15-18%.
- Fats — 3-5%.
- Dietary fiber — 4-6%.
Young chickens that are still growing but have already begun to lay eggs need to be provided with a more nutritious diet.
Ready-made feed already contains the additives necessary for poultry, but they may not be enough. Since calcium is a very important element for the formation of a strong egg shell, chickens are recommended to be fed with calcium supplements.
So, calcium is contained in crushed chalk, large shell rock, bone meal, crushed eggshells.
Sometimes calcium supplements are mixed with the main feed, and sometimes given separately. You can add any amount of calcium-containing additives to the feeder, since the bird itself determines how much it needs.
Chick feeding
To ensure the maximum balance of nutrients required for the chicks, they must be fed according to a specific schedule.
- The first three days of life - chopped boiled eggs and cottage cheese every 2 hours.
- 3-6 day - carefully chopped millet or corn grits are added to the eggs.
- From the 6th day a grated shell or shellfish is introduced. Chickens should be fed 5-6 times.
- From the 10th day the number of feedings is reduced to four.
- From day 14 - plant food (for example, you can give nettles, alfalfa, carrots, clover).
Also, chickens should be given water with a weak solution of manganese every 4-7 days.
Maran chickens are distinguished by the same unpretentious maintenance as adult birds. For the first week of life, they should be in a brooder (temperature 30 degrees), and after 7 days they can be released outside for 2-3 hours.
When chicks are 2-3 weeks old, they can already stay in the chicken coop all day. But at night they need to be taken to a warm room.
From 30 days of age, the nutrition and lifestyle of grown chickens becomes the same as that of adults.
Varieties: copper-black, wheat, cuckoo and others
Although all maran chickens lay brown eggs, there are several varieties of this breed with different color options.
Copper black. It is considered the most common color option for the Maran breed. The rooster has a black breast with multiple reddish blotches. His back and neck are reddish-red, and the tail feathers are painted bluish-black.
The female is completely black. There are small reddish spots on her breast, and a red necklace on her neck. A hen of a copper-black maran is noticeably paler than a bright rooster.
Wheat. The feathers on the head and neck of the rooster are colored bright golden, the breast is black. The feathers along the contour are painted red-brown, and the tail feathers are black. The chicken is almost entirely golden-reddish, and its head and neck are slightly darker - light brown. Feathers on the belly and breast are colored beige.
Cuckoo. There are two types of cuckoo coloring:
- Golden cuckoo - a clear cuckoo pattern is more pronounced on females.
- Silver cuckoo - feathers of chickens are colored silvery-white. In this case, the roosters have a clearer and more vivid pattern.
Black-tailed. Almost the entire body of birds has a reddish color with a golden tint. The tail is black, colored with small brown spots.
The black. Maran chickens of this variety are almost completely black. Moreover, they do not have any color blotches.
White. The birds are completely white.
Colombian. Quite a beautiful and unusual color: the chicken in this case is completely white, and its neck is decorated with a black necklace.
Silver black... This color is very similar to the color of black-copper chickens, but the feathers in this case are colored silver-black.
Dwarf maran. Such birds differ from ordinary marans in their miniature size. At the same time, they also lay eggs much smaller in comparison with ordinary ones.
Breeding
This breed is bred just like any other. You can put eggs under the hen, or hatch the chicks in the incubator.
It should be borne in mind that experienced poultry farmers consider eggs of intense dark color most suitable for producing the best and healthiest chicks. This is due to the widespread opinion that when helminths enter the egg, its shell loses its color and becomes light brown or even yellow.
To achieve dark brown eggs from all chickens in the hen house, it is necessary to select the darkest eggs for hatching every year. Females that lay eggs of insufficiently intense color are best used for meat.
Since the eggshells of the representatives of this breed are quite hard and durable, when hatching chicks, care must be taken to ensure that weak chicks that did not manage to break through the shell and get out do not die.
For this, it is recommended to maintain the humidity in the room with eggs at 75%. In addition, it is advisable to monitor the hatching process of chickens in order to help the weakest hatch from eggs, if necessary, by carefully breaking the shell around the place of biting.
Diseases and treatment
The most common chicken diseases include:
Dropsy of the abdominal cavity.
- The reasons: impaired water-salt metabolism, impaired functioning of the kidneys, heart, liver.
- Symptoms: The abdomen is enlarged, the abdominal cavity is tense. Heavy, tense gait, lethargy.
- Treatment: Elimination of the main causes, piercing the abdomen with a syringe and pumping out the liquid. Treatment with diuretics (horsetail, bearberry).
Ascariasis, heterokidosis.
Birds affected by worms are treated with piperazine, phenothiazine, and hygromycin. The preparations are mixed with feed in the doses indicated in the instructions. It is necessary to regularly clean the premises, wash the feeders and drinkers with boiling water.
Room disinfection with drugs such as xylonaphtha solution, fluorochlorophenol, caustic soda or ash solution. Regular cleaning of the chicken coop from droppings is necessary.
Scabies
The disease is contagious, so sick birds quickly infect healthy ones. If untreated, chickens can suffer from scabies for years.
The disease is treated quite easily: it is necessary to hold the paws of the affected chicken in warm soapy water for 30 minutes, and then lubricate them with a solution of creolin.
Pooferoids
Chickens are attacked by wingless insects, food for which are cut off skin particles and growing feathers. As a rule, these pests can be found on a sick chicken in the area of the cloaca and under the wings.
As a treatment, as well as prevention, a box with a mixture of fine sand and wood ash is installed in the hen house. Affected down and feathers of chickens are burned.
Advantages
- Maran meat and eggs are different excellent taste.
- This breed divorces well in any adverse weather conditions.
- Maran chickens have good immunity and disease resistance.
- Eggs from chickens differ from other breeds in an unusual way brown.
- Eggs and carcasses of birds have rather large size.
- Thanks to their thick and durable shell, eggs almost never helminths do not penetrate.
Disadvantages
Perhaps the only drawback of maran chickens can be called the difficulties that sometimes arise in chickens hatching from an egg due to a thick shell.
Maran is considered one of the best chicken breeds. Reviews about them are always only positive.
So, most poultry farmers, in addition to the positive qualities listed above, note that the roosters of this breed are distinguished by good activity, which has a beneficial effect on fertilization.
With proper care and following all the recommendations for breeding and grooming, your pets will delight you with excellent performance indicators. Both the chickens themselves and their eggs of an unusual chocolate color will become a real highlight in your farm.
Video review of this breed
We invite you to watch a video review of this breed with a description and owner's review.