The Wheaten Marans Chickens is a unique breed in the world of chickens. There are many kinds of chickens, which makes people who keep chickens interested in raising other types of chickens.
You should think about getting Wheaten Maran Chickens if you want a breed that can lay beautiful brown eggs and make tasty meat.
This type of Chicken is very resistant to diseases and doesn’t need a lot of complicated care. This means that both people who are just starting to raise chickens and people who do it for a living can have a great time.
History of Wheaten Marans Chickens
French people near the Marans and La Rochelle regions created the Marans breed in the
early 1900s.
People think Maran chickens are a mix of different chicken types, like the Coocoo de Malines, the Plymouth Rock, and others. However, it’s more likely that Croat Langshan’s and
Brahmas were used.
To begin, breeders were more interested in how many dark brown eggs a chicken laid than how it looked, so new kinds of chickens came into being.
One of them is the “French Maran,” which is a chicken with furry legs. It’s sometimes just “Marans” or “English Marans” to refer to other types of chickens that don’t have feathered legs.
People who raise chickens have become very interested in French Marans, even though English Marans used to be more popular. The American Poultry Association (APA) has set standards for French Marans, meaning only these birds can be shown at poultry shows.
Appearance Of Wheaten Marans Chickens
Besides Wheaten Maran chickens, the Marans breed has eight other colors: Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Black-tailed Buff, Birchen, Black, Black Copper, Columbian, and White Marans.
There are a lot of big, strong Wheaten Maran chickens. The combs on their heads are simple and straight. On top of that, their earlobes are red, and their wattles are about average.
Heifer male. The golden feathers on Maran chickens are beautiful. At the moment, Maran chicken hens have wheat feathers around their necks with small black spots.
Female Wheaten Maran Chickens The breasts and legs of Maran chickens are a little more wheaten in colour. Another thing about them is that their tails have black tips.
Folding wheaten Maran chickens wings makes unique v-shaped patterns. Pearls make up their legs and beaks.
Temperament
The Wheaten Maran is known for being a calm and friendly breed of Chicken. This chicken breed gets along well with people and with other chicken breeds. Because of this, some people keep them as pets or mix them with other chicken types to make a mixed flock.
Also, because Wheaten Maran chickens are pretty busy, they would do better if they could roam freely. Also, if you keep them in the coop for a long time, they can get lazy and run too fast, so it’s best to let them roam as much as possible.
Some people are afraid that if they let their Wheaten Marans roam free, the chickens will leave their homes. Wheaten Marans chickens can actually fly short lengths and times because their wings are short and close to their bodies. Because of that, you don’t need to worry about that.
Egg Production of Wheaten Marans Chickens
Not entirely. To be more specific, raising Wheaten Maran chickens for your family’s needs is fine, but it doesn’t make a lot of money if you want to trade them.
Wheaten Maran are a breed of Chicken that can do more than one thing, so they only lay a little eggs every year. A maximum of 200 eggs from Wheaten Maran chickens. Many people who keep chickens only get about 170 eggs a year.
Also, Wheaten Maran chickens take a long time to grow up. They start leaving eggs when they are 35 weeks old. Because of this, Wheaten Maran doesn’t make the best covers. Also, it’s interesting to note that Wheaten Maran chickens eggs will be lighter by that time. Your chickens’ eggs will get lighter over time if they start out very dark brown.
Wheaten Maran hens lay the darkest eggs for the first six months they lay them. After that, the eggs get lighter over time. Even though the colour will fade over time, the egg is still very dark compared to eggs from other chickens.
This knowledge is important for people who want to take beautiful coloured eggs to place on display.
Is the Wheaten Marans Chickens Good for Meat?
Of course, meat from Wheaten Maran chickens tastes good. The amount of meat they give you is about average, and it tastes great.
Common issues of the Chicken
Wheaten Maran chickens are very resistant to getting sick because they are strong and can handle all kinds of weather.
However, you can’t be sure that they will never get sick. Parasites like worms, lice, mites, and others can still give Wheaten Maran chickens some health problems. This is the reason why steps must always be taken to avoid getting sicknesses in the first place.
Wheaten Maran’s cocks also tend to have big heads, and they can get frostbite very easily when it’s very cold outside. The best thing you can do to keep your chickens safe in the winter is to put heaters in their coops.
Environment Requirements
Wheaten Maran chickens need the same things as other chicken breeds: a clean and healthy living place, fresh water sources, enough food, and so on.
They will get better, though, if you take better care of them. If you want to give your Wheaten Maran chickens the best place to live, here is some detailed and important information you should keep in mind:
Coop
We already said that Wheaten Maran do great as free-range chickens. They like to move around and range. Chicks of the breed Wheaten Marans can walk around all day to scratch and find food.
Even though letting them roam freely would be better, they need to be kept safe at night in cozy coops to keep predators away.
Because Wheaten Maran chickens are pretty big, they need coops that are pretty big too. The best chicken coops should have waterproof roofs, droppings boards, big nesting boxes put in dark, comfortable places, and other things.
For the most part, you should build their coops to be as free of pests as possible. Bugs like mites and lice can get into chicken coops through small holes and feed on the chickens’ blood at night.
People who bite Wheaten Maran chickens for a long time can really end up dying. Some plastic chicken coop units with inside areas are perfect for lice and mites to live in, so you should consider this before buying any chicken coop furniture.
If you keep them in a pen for a long time, make sure you only lock them up at night. If they live there all day, they will get lazy and run faster.
Feeding Of Wheaten Marans Chickens
Like the diets of other chicken types, the diets of Wheaten Marans contain the right amount of carbs, protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Big brown eggs, on the other hand, need better food and trace mineral additives. Wheaten Maran hens need a higher calcium level before they lay eggs so that they can make eggshells that are stronger and help them lay eggs.
If they need calcium, oyster shells or limestone grit are two of the best things you can give them.
Caring for newborn Maran chicks
Baby chicks always need extra care and attention than adult chickens. Chicks that have just hatched get enough nutrition from the egg yolk to last at least 48 hours, so you don’t need to put them in brooders and feed them right away.
When they first hatch, baby chicks would rather be asleep. This is the right way to dry them; putting them in the incubators for 12 hours will strengthen them. You should keep an eye on them and change the coop’s temperature to fit their needs.
If all of your baby chicks get together, the temperature might drop, so you’ll need to turn up the heat. If your chicks lie on the ground and grab the air, on the other hand, you need to cool down the coop.
Vaccination
Even though everyone knows that Wheaten Marans chickens are very resistant to illness, it is still important to have some ways to keep them from getting sick. It is, without question, one of the best ways to save them from getting sick.
Getting all of the needed vaccinations can help keep Wheaten Maran chickens healthy and stop parasites from showing up.
Before you vaccinate your birds, ask your local poultry vet how to do it right and look at some important information, like the types of vaccines and when they expire, to ensure they are safe.
Summary
We just learned some basic and important facts about Wheaten Marans chickens. Now, let’s go over a few important points again.
Beginning with the fact that Wheaten Maran are dual-purpose types, which means they can produce both meat and eggs. Wheaten Marans can provide high-quality meat sources, even though they only lay a modest number of eggs each year (about 200).
You’ll have to be patient because they take a long time to grow. They also won’t be as cheap as other game birds.
Next, you should know some important things about Wheaten Maran chickens’ living situations, food, and how to care for them if you want to take good care of them.
Especially what you need to do with Wheaten Maran chicks that have just hatched. There are pros and cons to raising Wheaten Marans chickens, so make sure you know everything before making a decision.
Before you make the right choice, read this piece carefully.