About me:

Detlef has been passionate about chickens since early childhood, first as a keeper, then as a young breeder – at just 13 years old, he was already a member of the Velten Small Animal Breeders Association, Section 65. Today, Detlef manages the highly demanding Marans specialty breeding program and is the inventor of the very popular, patented Marans specialty feed. This specialty feed is ideal for chicks, roosters, and hens, regardless of the breed you keep for laying.

I grew up in Velten, now part of the Oberhavel district. Thanks to my parents, I was fortunate enough to get to know various chicken breeds, which were kept in different color varieties for meat and eggs, and I was curious about their egg production and the number of chicks they produced. At 13, I had my first flock of bantam chickens – not a purebred, but a crossbreed of several breeds that laid few eggs. Having my own chicken coop was, of course, the foundation for proper husbandry, ensuring plenty of chicks, eggs, and good egg production. But which breed should I choose?

It soon became clear that the elegant silver-colored bantam Italian chickens and white Muscovy ducks quickly found their way into the henhouse. I joined the Velten local association, section 65, where many chicken breeds were raised, and began breeding these beautiful breeds myself.

I was fortunate to have many mentors, which more than pays off today, but around 1980 it wasn't common to have such a hobby in that age group!

I learned a great deal about breeding purebred poultry, keeping them, and chicken breeds – from eggs and chicks to roosters, hens, laying performance, breeds, and even chicken coops – and was very active in this area, even as a teenager. Yes, Marans weren't even a dream back then.

During this unforgettable time, I met many experienced breeders, "old masters," such as Gustav Tölg and Karl Stange from Velten, who each had a top-notch chicken coop to show off, and very good judges like Horst Marks, Bodo Fahr, and Günter Westphal, who taught me a great deal about keeping chickens, how to build a chicken coop yourself, which chickens lay the best eggs, and which color varieties are good to breed to start with.

1989 was not only a momentous year in Germany, but I also had to completely give up my poultry farming for professional reasons until 1995. This was very difficult for me!

But fate gave me a second chance in Wiesenaue to start again with chicken breeding, albeit under completely different circumstances, and I decided on the bantam Welsumer breed. They come in various color varieties and are quite easy to keep. And again, I opted for Muscovy ducks, whose eggs are quite large, the ducks are broody, and they lay many eggs. They also come in many color varieties; I chose white again.

In 2004, black-copper bantam Marans were added, followed a few years later by barred Marans, a very rare breed in the EU. Then, in 2008, black-copper Marans arrived directly from the French breeding center. This is where true Marans have been bred since 1953 in various color varieties, including barred and, of course, black-copper, with a strong emphasis on producing extra dark reddish-brown eggs that lay a large number of them. A fiery Maran rooster has always been the foundation of the breeding program.
My life partner, together with the judge Friedhelm Berger, was the one who initially set the ball rolling with the Marans from France, at least as an idea.

In 2000, I was elected as the first district chairman in the OPR district, which had 12 local associations and approximately 300 members. One year later, I was elected as the state youth leader for Berlin-Brandenburg for a two-year term and therefore gladly handed over the position of first district chairman to my successor in 2002.

In 2003, I was elected First District Chairman of the Welsumer and Dwarf Welsumer Breeders Association of Berlin-Brandenburg, and therefore did not stand for re-election as State Youth Leader. I held the District Chairmanship of the German Welsumer and Dwarf Welsumer Breeders Association very successfully until 2010. Our Dwarf Welsumer line had excellent egg production; the hens were very industrious, which is what this breed is known for.

I became a member of the Marans Club Germany in 2007, and just one year later I joined the board as First Secretary. Completely unexpectedly, in 2009 I was elected Chairman of the Marans Club Germany by a very large majority. This was quite a bombshell, as the club had never before been led by someone from the former East Germany.

During this time, I established excellent contacts in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, entirely selflessly, because for ten years very little significant progress had been made in Germany in this regard, across Europe! Even today, in 2024, no new colors of these chickens have been recognized in Germany – truly pathetic! Have you often heard of Marans? What is a Maran? These wonderful chickens are often mistakenly called Marans; the correct term is Marans! The breed "Maran" doesn't actually exist.

Through private efforts, new ideas and the ability to implement them, the number of members doubled within 2 years, reciprocal visits took place and the success continued in my own breeding program, as well as in breeding programs that obtained breeding material from me.

I initiated egg shows again after a long time, for example in Schneverdingen, Aschersleben and at the national show in Leipzig, coinciding with the recognition process for Maran(s) chickens in black-silver color in 2010 under extremely severe weather conditions in Germany; when the animals were delivered at the beginning of December 2010, we had an outside temperature of -13 degrees Celsius and wind force 10.

Unfortunately, the breeders from France and Belgium were unable to provide eggs or a rooster and hen for incubation, so I was entirely on my own. With the assistance of a member of the MCD, who received additional eggs and young animals from me, the recognition of black-silver was achieved at lightning speed (in the first year, otherwise on average from 3-8 years).

In April 2011, I became national champion for Germany with my black-copper Marans chickens at the 1st International Hatching Egg Competition in La Guiche, France, and was also the best exhibitor of hatching eggs several times in the club in 2010/2011. I was also able to help many breeders in Germany and in many European countries with their breeding programs!

In the summer of 2011, the views of the MCD board and myself diverged significantly from those of all other major European Marans clubs. Ultimately, I repeatedly refused to support the "remaining board" for their blatant violation of the club's bylaws and, in September 2011, did not stand for re-election. I even resigned from the German club on December 31, 2011, while simultaneously joining the French club, the breed's country of origin.

I was one of the driving forces behind the club's website; in 2011, it attracted almost 23,000 visitors, and today, in August 2023, we are delighted to have received over 180,000 visitors from as far away as the USA and Japan! A special "Marans Premium Feed," developed specifically for our Marans and Bantam Marans chickens, was launched in 2010 with my support and in close collaboration with Basu Heimtierspezialitäten GmbH in Bad Sulza. Try this feed; your beloved chickens will thank you for it.

My own website has now been online for almost 12 years. To further promote understanding and a European perspective towards Belgium and France, I even learned French, a language that isn't exactly easy for German speakers. And I'm delighted if you, like me, have or would like to develop a great interest in or enthusiasm for Marans or Bantam Marans.

I will gladly help you, as I have done for many, many breeders, with your "true French" rabbits, because the difference to purely German breeding is more than clear.

Finally, this page poses the question: do I need to be a member of the German Marans club or similar organizations, or of any Facebook groups, to be, for example, a very good breeder of Marans or Dwarf Marans, Bresse Gaul, Barbezieux or Araucana, Runner Ducks and Sandjak, or to become a European, German, state, or district champion? Well, only everyone can answer that for themselves; I've made my decision and I'm looking forward to the future.

At this point, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Elke Bonanaty, because without my wife I would be unable to travel to France, Belgium, or even to Austria for the Sandžak breed! A breeder is simply nothing without his considerate, understanding, and very loving wife/partner. A big thank you to you, dear Elke; by the way, you have a real fondness for the bantam Marans chicken breed, especially the barred variety.