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THE DIFFERENT VARIETIES
OF THE MARANS

  Marans of the Wheat variety



THE OFFICIAL VARIETIES OF THE CURRENT STANDARD

Silver-cuckoo Variety
Golden-cuckoo Variety
Black Variety
Brown-red Variety
Birchen Variety
Wheaten Variety
Black-tailed buff Variety
White Variety
Columbian Variety
Golden-blue Varietys

The Bantam's Marans


OTHER VARIETIES NOT APPROVED YET

Silver-blue Variety
Splash Variety
Golden-salmon and Silver-salmon Variety

 

WHY DOES THERE EXIST AS MANY VARIETIES OF MARANS?

 

This question of the large variety of the colours at Marans can undoubtedly arise. It is a relatively singular specificity in the medium of the many pure existing poultry races.

Explanations:

1 a genetic richness obtained by the many crossings...

The situation of Marans as for the number of its varieties concerns consecutive circumstances to the birth then with the improvement the race and that one can explain more easily today by the two following theses, which are fundamental and irreversible in the constitution of the Marans race:

- the original local hens underwent crossings with English Combatants of this time, which still raised several colours as well as others but in a latent state; with most probably knowknowing of: Black-coppered, Wheat, Deer with tail black and Salmon-gilded.

- the Marandaises hens were the object of many crossings with the various Asian races, very à.la.mode then, which brought other genes such as emplumement of the tarses, the "extra-russet-red" egg current, other colours of plumages, directly or at the latent state in the stocks used.

The problems of the standards, of the colours of plumages, the various genetic varieties remained very a long time broken down of precise and qualified studies on behalf of the Marans-Club of France at one time of which the faithful description of the events is retransmitted to us with a number of precise details in the files since 1929 and until 1966.

The defenders of Marans of then, were not saved by the undulations and awkwardnesses which prevailed, de.toutes.parts, during first half of the century as regards genetic selections.

Thus, the defect of competences in genetics of the colours of plumage, the faults of crossings or other mistakes appear rather clearly established between the lines in the invaluable documents preserved by the MCF and they explain naturally why several original varieties were then ignored and not of least: true Wheat, Deer with black tail, White dirty and Blue etc.

The fact is there today that:

Marans was born from many crossings, that it follows the existence of a well established race from there and increasingly required at the national and international level and who is genetically declined, since its origins , in many mathematically "and genetically irrecusable varieties" (Black-coppered, Black-silver plated, Froment, Fauve with black tail, Blue-coppered, Salmon-gilded...). In the field of logic, it is thus prohibited to us to prefer such colour or to condemn forever in an unspecified manner such other colour that the irremediable laws of the genetics then imposed us.

 

Thus and on this assumption, it would still be advisable very logically to concede, for example, with the colour of White plumage "dirty" or "splash" all the recognition of a true variety of genetically stable color. Indeed, let us recall that the existence of the blue varieties of our domestic poultries, colour hétérozygote par excellence, proves perfectly unrealizable in the absence of the dirty Blanc variety, which, used only is homozygote and pure at 100%!

The only tare which one can allot to the "dirty White", it is that it is aesthetically rejected and even refused in all the races in which it is naturally reproduced whereas on the scientific plan and strictly genetics, it never could and could never be rejected.

 

2 an eternal tendency of the men to be different...

We must as admit as the stockbreeders have, at all times, sought to make conspicuous itself while endeavouring to work certain less current varieties or out of the modes, such certain colours spread before the war then forsaken afterwards.

This quite human inclination is always of topicality. It contributes to a certain survival of the rare varieties.

It also appears that certain villages were emphasized by the choice of certain colours more than of others of Marans; as practised formerly by certain ethnos groups, which still encouraged the diversification of the varieties and not their reduction.

The ignorance of the stockbreeders of then to break up the mysterious varieties called "red-deer-salmon-partridge" for example prevented never the safeguarding of the Fauves stocks and Wheat... latent and however drowned in this will fatras that nature preserved...

Thereafter and since research is followed within the MCF, the pure stocks of Wheat and Deer with Black Tail are separately worked as it should be and their progress is fast, the terms "red" and "partridges" are challenged, "salmon" is reserved for the two types of Faverolles.

We notice finally, at this stage and by this fact, that progress in the selection of Black-coppered Marans seems conclusive because they result from a progressive genetic purification of certain defects from Black-coppered, namely in particular:

- the elimination of the impurities deer in Black-coppered
- the elimination of the too black subjects
- the setting with the variation of the subjects Black-silver plated, Wheat, Fawn-coloured etc... with the profit of other pure selections with regard to them.

There in other words, it is advisable still to impregnate undeniable fact that, in a certain manner, "it is Marans it even which imposed its laws to us".



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