Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[heath_elisha]

My husband fried up some marans eggs for breakfast for the first time this morning. He had not cooked with them yet and was very surprised at how much thicker the shell was compared to our other breeds. He likes them

especially the darker egg we just started getting. Problem is that he wont part with the birds I want to! lol I always tell him that I will replace them with better versions!

 

[Debbi]

My husband fried up some marans eggs for breakfast for the first time this morning. He had not cooked with them yet and was very surprised at how much thicker the shell was compared to our other breeds. He likes them

especially the darker egg we just started getting. Problem is that he wont part with the birds I want to! lol I always tell him that I will replace them with better versions!

Just tell him that his birds are soooo special, that he needs to build them their own coop and run! They may not look so special then.

My girls are slowly starting to pick up again. Out of 6 layers, three have started again! C'mon slackers!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Egg colour. Full stop.

 

[math ace]

OHHHHHH I JUST HAD A GREAT IDEA TO ADD BEEFY PULLETS TO MY MARANS

OH I AM EXCITED........ DON'T ask you will not like it but it will work! YEAH YEAH YEAH

Are you going to built that trap nest for Lisa????????????

Yes... I am still waiting to see that trap nest. If not, I will have to figure out something... I am pen space short right now and only want to hatch from 2 of the females in the pen. In the old days, I would just let everyone free range for the day except the roo and the hens I wanted to collect eggs from.

However, I have a naughty coop of teenage chicks that won't stay in their free range areas. The wild things fly up on the coop tops, then walk across the tops to the other side of the yard, and hop down into another free range area. The pullets start this misbehavior and before long the cockerels follow. I ma going to need to clip their wings, but I just haven't had time. . . Uggh... Kids, Dad, and other responsibilities are just killing me! Any ways, I have to be careful letting the one group free range because the other group is crashing their party! AMERAUCANA's are some serious NAUGHTY birds!

 

[math ace]

Donna, yes, bought the material for the trap nests yesterday. I built one two times already so didn't like and put them in the burn pile. It will take a little time as I want to take it apart and make knocked down pictures with measurements.

I am glad you are being so careful with this project. You know I will need it all spelled out to me... ONE step at a time!

BURN PILE... I've spent most of the day splitting wood with my husband. I am so OVER IT! We were sweating! It is HOT and we are splitting wood. The temps are going to be in the 70's all this next week. . . . IF it gets cold again, I will be ready!

 

[pinkchick]

Kim,  I finally got a decent pic, well for me anyway, of Bad Charlotte. She and Olivia will be 2 years on March 12, 2013. She had none of this lacing before she finally molted out! Me thinks I am seeing a hint of copper tinge in her hackles, so maybe with her next molt some will come it? She is kind of in an awkward pose, but trying to get any pic of her is nearly impossible! At least the zoom feature on this camera works well! I have my doubts as to using her as a breeder, I'm not fond of her comb and dark eyes, but I may try to hatch a few just to see what pops out. She is a Gnarles x GFF BCM girl, sooooooo....At least she lays a very distinctive egg, so I will know what is hers!

[IMG]http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/5/51/900x900px-LL-51fff1a0_chooks013.jpeg[/IMG]

Hi Debbi!
I have been slowly trying to catch up on the thread and came back around to this post. She is a lovely girl, be careful when using her. I recently made a big mistake and found that I mis-marked a hen that came from that same cross and kept her when I didn't want to. Glad that I single test mated this last batch of eggs......she was culled immediately as she produced my very first webbed toed chick. Now after carefully going back over my records I am VERY sure that I have removed all GFF bloodlines. Wish I had been more careful previously. Live and learn I guess.
Oh how she reminds me of the same girl I just culled and she also reminds me of that Bad Betty, dark face and all.

I do like her edging very much.

 

[pinkchick]

Egg colour. Full stop. 

You would LOVE LOVE LOVE my bestfriends Wheaten egg color. I will see if she has any good ones today while I am visiting and snap some photos.

 

[gilavina]

Heading out to work in a few, but just wanted to say mornin' to everyone.

Fog's so thick this morning I can't even see the pens. Also dispatched the second possum for this fall last night. That makes two in about 3 days. I sure hope its not an indication of how its gonna go.

 

[Debbi]

Good morning!

Sitting here on the 3rd of December, with the front and back doors open; it's 62*! Looks like it will be warm pretty much all week, then the bottom falls out next Monday, when they are calling for snow and cold! No shocker, it does happen every year, but I am enjoying the warm while I can!

Kim, Yes, Charlotte and Olivia both have dark eyes, and the dark face. I already got the one chick, Kiwi, from Olivia, same dark face and the deformed coxcyx (sp?) tail bone with the down pointing tail. So, both will probably just be layers here too. I believe they were both out of the GFF hens. Like you said, live and learn. So then that will leave me with 5 possible breeding hens, once the blue girl Gabby, and Wheatie Pie grow up. Then to get more Wheaten eggs and possibly an older roo for Wheatie, so I don't have to wait forever for the eggs to grow out. I'd be interested in seeing your friend's Wheaten eggs, and birds too! Here I go again....

 

[pinkchick]

Now a few pages or more ago Don wanted to see some long backed, wide beefy breasted girls.

This is my beloved Darryl. I plan on testing that dark dark male that I recently posted with her.
I have kept her from day one because of her long back, wide shoulders and big breast. Plus she has a nice wide open inverted "V" tail. Great feathered shanks and outer toes. She has an ok comb and good leg color. The only thing I don't care for on her is her dark eye. Oh and she lays a nice round egg, is a great broody and fabulous mother.

She was very busy scratching in the leaves when I caught this photo so please excuse her if she looks alittle aloof.

Still trying to find the photo of her open tail.