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  1. erinnyes

    Is there a safe way to "encourage" a hen to molt?

    Hi! :) I have asked this question because I am concerned my favorite hen will go another year without molting. Last year she never molted and laid eggs right through winter without a break. The reason I am concerned is because her back is nearly feather bare thanks to my rooster, and she's...
  2. erinnyes

    Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

    Thank you!! :) That is very helpful! I had been wondering why the second boy looked a little lighter-colored than his brother, it is in fact possible that there could be a little wheaten in his line somewhere. Roo 1's light colored feet are a mystery to me, but at least in person they are not so...
  3. erinnyes

    Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

    Hello! :) I was wondering if I could please have my young cockerels critiqued? I have two I kept from a very large batch and as I am still relatively new to breed standards of perfection, could someone more experienced please take a look and point out their flaws for me? It will help me improve...
  4. erinnyes

    Help! Chicks attacked by hen! *WARNING GRAPHIC PICS*

    I have several two day old chicks that one of my hens attacked. The hen was broody, and has accepted "grafted" chicks before. I offered them to her tonight and she seemed to settle. I left her alone for only one hour, and when I came back, it was a mess. All but one of the chicks were out from...
  5. erinnyes

    Bad Marans egg color - What would YOU do?

    I need advice! I am a Marans breeder and have been raising chickens for about 2 years now. Recently, I purchased some hatching eggs from an Ebay auction from a seller who claimed her Marans were Davis/Greenfire silver birchen Marans. In the Ebay ad, she claimed that her birchens were laying eggs...
  6. erinnyes

    Maran Assortment coming soon...Newbie needs help

    Hmmm... I have never ordered from Gabbard farms, but it sounds like many people feel pretty strongly about them. One reviewer said that the eggs they got weren't even fertile, which is a pretty bad deal. :/ If it were me, I'd cancel and prevent the risk of a pretty big investment, but if you...
  7. erinnyes

    Rotten egg exploded on chicks! Help?

    Hi again! Checked the chicks this morning, and they seem to be doing alright. They are, for the most part, fluffed out and alert-seeming. Some have "sticky spots" where the fluff is slicked down where the rotten egg goop got on them. Their eyes are clear and there is no discharge from their...
  8. erinnyes

    Maran Assortment coming soon...Newbie needs help

    In my experience, still air incubators can be great when dealing with room dryness. :) Fan powered incubators tend to dry out the eggs a little more. Did your incubator come with an egg turner? If not, be sure to turn the eggs once daily. Mark them with a pencil on one side if you need help...
  9. erinnyes

    Rotten egg exploded on chicks! Help?

    I will be doing that tomorrow. When I found them it was getting dark, and I was afraid the chicks could get chilled overnight if wet, or the mom herself. :( I am hesitant to bring them indoors because of the stink, but also because I don't want to upset the hen too much and have her abandon the...
  10. erinnyes

    Maran Assortment coming soon...Newbie needs help

    Hi! :) I'm still sort of a newbie myself, but I'll help if I can! Are you using an incubator for hatching, and if so, have you tested it to be sure it holds it's temperature when it fluctuates? Basically just turn it on, get it to the desired temperature (I use 37.5 C for my marans eggs), and...
  11. erinnyes

    Rotten egg exploded on chicks! Help?

    My broody had 8 eggs she was sitting on, and one was apparently bad. :( I must have missed it when I checked! Today is her hatch day and she had 3 chicks already hatched when the egg apparently got cracked or exploded. I came into the coop and smelled the awful smell! The chicks all have it on...
  12. erinnyes

    Need advice on how to humanely euthanize chick - Help please?

    Phoenix301, thank you so much for your detailed information! It was really helpful and I have a clear idea how to proceed with either method now. I will probably use the CO2 on the chick, but the "broom handle" method for adult chickens sounds foolproof and should I ever have to do this for an...
  13. erinnyes

    Need advice on how to humanely euthanize chick - Help please?

    Well, it's been several weeks, and the chick has not improved. I was not able to fix it's leg, nor did the issue resolve itself with vitamins. Right now I am looking at the awful option of culling it. Unfortunately, the chick can't walk well, and as it grows I think it's only going to have more...
  14. erinnyes

    Need advice on how to humanely euthanize chick - Help please?

    Bumping, anyone have thoughts on this? Or need pics?
  15. erinnyes

    Need advice on how to humanely euthanize chick - Help please?

    Hi! I'll see if I can describe this properly... I can take pictures if needed but my camera is old and it is hard to upload them! Basically, I have a chick with a serious leg issue. It seems like one of it's legs is "frozen" in a retracted position. As in, the one leg always looks as though...
  16. erinnyes

    Penned breeding vs free range?

    From my understanding, crossing strains of different colors has it's bonuses and faults in Marans. The only example specifically I know of is that BC's can get a "mossy" type feather issue when crossed with wheaten. However, I know breeders in the past have crossed lines and strains in order to...
  17. erinnyes

    Penned breeding vs free range?

    Well, I should clarify, the breed isn't mixed-bred, just the color. The only stock I have are Marans so whatever hatches will definitely be a Marans, it's only the variety I can't predict. But you all do bring up valid points, and it sounds like if I want to progress as a good breeder and know...
  18. erinnyes

    Penned breeding vs free range?

    Hi! I was hoping to get some opinions on this? I have a free range flock of Marans in different colors (mainly wheaten and BC). All of my stock have come from great breeders and good lines, none are hatchery or poor quality birds. Right now I have several hens and two roosters, one wheaten and...
  19. erinnyes

    Help an incubator-newbie troubleshoot?

    Hi! :) Well, as the title implies, I've been using broodies, but recently got an incubator as a Christmas gift and figured I would give that a try. The incubator is a brand new Brinsea Octagon 20 Advance with autoturner. I set 8 marans eggs my own girls laid in it to "test" it, after the eggs...
  20. erinnyes

    Urgent help needed! Injured hen, no clue what happened or what's wrong

    Thank you for the advice! :) Ginger is doing better today, but she's still not okay. Unfortunately although she seems more alert now, she is still not eating. I can't get her to eat any of her normal feed, and I even offered her cracked corn (her favorite) and she didn't eat any. I'm thinking...
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