Wheaten and Blue wheaten Marans Discussion Thread

[snowbird]

Debbi, you could always breed that nice Wheaten pullet to the wannabe male and get a bunch of mutts. Have you contacted the people with the good male a while back about getting a wheaten male.

 

[Debbi]

No I haven't Don. There will be no hatching or new additions here until spring, so I have a few months yet.

 

[Daloorashens]

The pics are very helpful, I love them! Randy, how old are your pullets on average when they start laying?

 

[berkeleysprings]

7-8 months to reach pol. some of the hens with light coloring pictured are 6+ years old

 

[berkeleysprings]

I ment to say 5+ years

 

[Bangarang64]

They look great! I think your fellas are gonna do you proud as well.

 

[Daloorashens]

Ok, good info..... how well are those hens laying at 5+ years??

 

[snowbird]

Would like to make a suggestion to everyone. Randy, is doing everything right with keeping the older wheaten females in his flock. In any of the breeds I have ever worked with I would never cull a female just because of age. If we keep records on these breeder birds we have an idea of what they will produce. Will say that in most breeds I have had after the first couple of years I have not used the young female. I like for the fowl to go through at least one winter here in Michigan. If I do not have liveability then I do not want to breed them forward.

These are just my thoughts and what has always worked for me. Believe me when I have not tested enough chicks I have bred more junk than anyone else. When experimenting and you have made a mistake just cull and move forward. Good luck to all working with this breed. Do your test matings and trust your own judgement when making decisions . We all make mistakes.

 

[berkeleysprings]

they lay Just like a new pullet. i have had one girl with inpacted crop i never get eggs from ever. iv tried everything to help her . shes been like this for years but they all stop laying for 2½ months in winter

 

[berkeleysprings]

my trouble is i had no experance with chickens unntill 7 years so when people talk about tail set in that kind of stuff. I don't know what is good or bad I just know what I like . I got eggs from bev Davis and buddy henery many years ago and I've kept a closeed flock ever since. I hatch a lot of chicks but I only keep 12 Birds and a few roo. . in 6 years iv added 6 birds. . i only keep whwaten
color. there is so so much i dont know. i just go with what i like. if I could only get the one white feather in the wing ( visible when extended) to disappear I'd be a happy camper