🐣🐥Black Copper Marans and Whiting True Blues. Lots of videos🎥

[wrathsfarm]

I got to say @wrathsfarm and @Tstraub I couldn’t be happier that the broody Marans has taken in the younger chicks. It’s starting to get dark and I put them all in the brooder and they ate, drank and got under the hen.
I like this way of raising chicks, I’ll just have to make it smoother next time and no staggered hatches. Speaking of …I have 6 more wtb eggs in the incubator due in one week. That will be a good test to see if I can integrate those 6 as easily as these last 2.
If you’re wondering why all the small staggered hatches. This last 6 is from the last eggs of my wtb hen that died a few weeks ago. I had some of her eggs in the wine fridge and went ahead and incubated those with a few from my black WTB.
I won’t hatch anymore eggs until all the marans are laying regularly and I can get some olive egger offspring. Hopefully by that time all the mixed pullets will be laying and I can hatch the best of those eggs too.
You can see in the pics the taped splint on the curled toe chick. I reckon that was caused by being in the egg too long? And getting shrink wrapped? It was peeping for awhile, I should’ve stepped in sooner. I was hesitant due to not knowing the actual day these started incubating.
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Broodys are the best. I wouldn't have done that first Easter hatch if I knew I was going to have 10, but you just don't know til you know.

But really having the 10 wasn't so bad. Space issue of course plays in but it's mostly hands off, open the door and let them go.

I'm not positive but I do think shrinkwrapping plays a part.

@Debbie292d is my go to with these questions. She always has thorough and easy to understand answers.

Super cute babies you got my friend, congrats.

 

[TexasBlues]

Thanks buddy! I want to have a well camouflaged flock that is sustainable and free ranging in the yard. White birds I try to avoid. I’m tickled that all of the chicks have a reddish brown chipmunk pattern. 2 are lighter and the pattern is harder to see. I’m thinking those are barred like the dad and the well defined chipmunk patterns are just like the wild type mom we named “Chipmunk” RIP

 

[wrathsfarm]

Thanks buddy! I want to have a well camouflaged flock that is sustainable and free ranging in the yard. White birds I try to avoid. I’m tickled that all of the chicks have a reddish brown chipmunk pattern. 2 are lighter and the pattern is harder to see. I’m thinking those are barred like the dad and the well defined chipmunk patterns are just like the wild type mom we named “Chipmunk” RIP

Curious to see how they feather out. It's fun learning all this about the Whitings as I had never gave them a look see. I've never liked White or Splash (Big fan of black) until I started seeing the Marans colors, even the Blues were meh to me. They are rapidly growing on me now I have the one White and obsessing over more now...

RIP 'Chipmunk'....Hey... how's your girl doing that got into it with the stray dog? Last I heard she made a full recovery and was doing well.

 

[TexasBlues]

I ended Up re-homing that blue/gray pullet. She recovered from the dog bites, but she became incessantly noisy and squawky. Always sounding nervous and it was wrecking the peace.
Someone with a bunch of chickens and a lot of space was happy to take her. Also her egg color had faded to basically white, so I wanted to cull her from the breeding stock and focus on the best blue egg layers.

 

[TexasBlues]

I also re-homed the black copper Marans cockerel to my father in law out in the country. So I can potentially get him back and use him once he grows up.

 

[TexasBlues]

What would you do with a chicken that hasn’t laid an egg in months… that I can find. I was going to put a hen saddle on her and an air tag to track her but the hen saddle doesn’t fit right and she won’t wear it. Should I just put her in dog crate jail for a few days and see if she is laying at all?

 

[wrathsfarm]

I also re-homed the black copper Marans cockerel to my father in law out in the country. So I can potentially get him back and use him once he grows up.

Man, that's great to hear having your spare BCM boy at arm's length. You planning a pure BCM hatch in the future?

 

[wrathsfarm]

What would you do with a chicken that hasn’t laid an egg in months… that I can find. I was going to put a hen saddle on her and an air tag to track her but the hen saddle doesn’t fit right and she won’t wear it. Should I just put her in dog crate jail for a few days and see if she is laying at all?

You could do that or try this....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[TexasBlues]

I’ll check her vent to see. She started laying as a pullet inside the house for her first week, then I think she found a spot to hide the eggs.
I do like the dark eggs a lot so I’ll try to keep marans around. Now that I have a good broody I could get more BCM eggs from a different line.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Never tried that test and with her already started it may not give you a positive. Locking her in a cage for a few days or a small make shift run of her own during the day would be the sure fire way... It seems I remember all your Marans pullets were laying a nice color.


Shame you got a mystery layer.