My Chickens.

[Cidermaker]

The main breed that I keep are large utlity Light Sussex. I also keep Welsummers.

Last year, a friend gave me what he described as a trio of black Marans. I've bred quite a few of them this year and although they are very nice birds, I don't think that Maran is the only breed in their make up. I'm getting some beautiful plum coloured eggs from them rather than the typical brown ones.

Here are a few pictures of this years pullets.

This is one of my LS pullets, they are still my firm favourites. This is typical of the pullets that my birds are producing.









Here are some of the Marans.















I've reared eight pullets in total and this is the only one thats showing any colour other than black. Quite attractive though.









The parents of these pullets have absolutely out laid any of my Welsummers. Here are the eggs that I think have come from the Maran pullets. All I have to do now, is to keep their future offspring black in colour and try to get them to lay darker eggs. Simples.

[frias]

They all look stunning to me. I have one Welsummer and I think any breed would outlay her. Last winter she took 7 months off. Too post to push!

[kathyd]

They're lovely . I have 2 black maran crosses (although it's anybody's guess what they were crossed with ), and they look like your's. One is all black and the other more like the one of your's with copper in her breast. They lay lovely big dark brown eggs, and are very reliable layers. Well one is, the other one's been permanently broody all summer! She makes a great mum though, which is useful to know!

[Scarlet]

They look lovely! I also keep Sussex (which are reliable layers) and marans the 'french'' type with the feathered legs, I would agree you have maran crosses, it very rare to see jet black legs even on a black maran.
Kathy, mine also lay lovely dark eggs, but they go broody at the drop of a hat and they stop laying at the slightest bit of cold!

[Cidermaker]

Here are some more pictures of pullets that I've bred this year. I hope that you find them to be of interest. A friend sent me the eggs that this bird came from. She's a Cream legbar crossed with a Maran and she should hopefully lay some unusual coloured eggs.









I call this bird a welsex. She's as a result of crossing a Welsummer cock onto a Light Sussex hen. The chicks are sex linked, which means that you can sex them as soon as they're hatched. All the brown chicks from the mating are female and the males white.









A mixed flock. I've bred 25 pullets this year.

[lettucegrow!]

Lovely photos of your impressive hens. The light sussex is my sisters favourite but I really like the darker Marans. Beautiful.

[RichmondHens]

Lovely pics Cidermaker, all the hens look really happy and healthy. Great to see them kept on grass too. I've bred a sort of "Welsex" in the past, but with a Buff Sussex cock onto Welsummer hen. Although they weren't autosexing the pullets turned out very much like yours but with a bit more partridge showing through. Very good dual purpose birds though, for both meat and eggs.

I also love the pic of your maran cross with the copper flecked breast - she looks like she has lava glowing beneath the outer feathers!

[RichmondHens]

They all look stunning to me. I have one Welsummer and I think any breed would outlay her. Last winter she took 7 months off. Too post to push!

Oh those Welsummers, they are sooo lazy, but the egg quality (just about) makes up for it. I whittled my Welsummer flock down to 4 hens (from 10) at the end of last year, and then a few months ago somehow acquired an unwanted Welsummer cock from a friend so am planning to start breeding them again next season.

[petal]

Fabulous pictures- so refreshing to see healthy pictures of bright eyed pullets with glossy feathers and space to move around in.