Birchen Marans Thread

[TheCosmos]

My wife always sys that the ones with white dots on the outside of the eyes are cockerels. Off course that is how I end up with my best cockerels having names like Lacy and Ginger.

Have you listened for trills? I also heard that some people can tell the Pullets from the cockersl that way. The vocal trillers being the boys. Hmmm...I hate the period when you have to sit around and guess what they are.

Yes I heard some of them do that! Don't know which ones though.. It just comes from the general area. LOL

 

[pinkchick]

Do you ever ship eggs pinkchick? I got my first batch of eggs via mail today. They all arrived safely and I am very pleased with the dark color. This is kind of an experiment for me and shipped eggs so I didn't get many. ALSO, Week 1 photoshoot for the "blue birchens" complete with colored leg bands. I have my own opinion of which ones are pullets and cockerels at this point so I would love to hear your opinion too!!!! I will keep my opinion to myself until I hear others. Red Yellow Brown Green Blue Orange (my fav) Purple

I'll give guessing their genders a go but you've got to promise me that you will repost at 3 weeks of age so I can see if I was right. Yellow - cockerel Brown- cockerel ......... not 100% sure on this Green- pullet Blue - pullet Orange- pullet DEFINITELY Purple- cockerel I breed my Coppers for the faster feathering females and slower feathering males, it's a very nice way to accurately sex them at approx. 3 days old. I have been breeding them this way for almost 5 years and have great luck with it. I do sell hatching eggs when I have them and have filled my waiting lists. Recently, over the last year due to the price of feed, I downsized my flocks of over 150 large fowl to 4 males and 6 females and that includes both varieties of Marans, Birchen and Copper. If and when the Birchens ever start laying I will only be working on borrowing blue from my coppers to make the Blue Birchen. I will only have some eggs from my coppers available this year and that will be way later this year. The Birchens are new little project for me so I think that I will be holding on to their eggs for a while or until I reach a point in my project that I feel confident in letting them go.

 

[pinkchick]

Oh.....was going to say that all of these chicks really have great markings. They have nice amounts of white on and around the face and on the body.

Watch the blue banded chick and possibly that el hugo that is banded red.........I bet these birds grow out to be a little darker or melanized or perhaps show very little silver. Just a hunch and will be interesting to see what they really do mature out to.

 

[TheCosmos]

I'll give guessing their genders a go but you've got to promise me that you will repost at 3 weeks of age so I can see if I was right.

Yellow - cockerel
Brown- cockerel ......... not 100% sure on this
Green- pullet
Blue - pullet
Orange- pullet DEFINITELY
Purple- cockerel
I breed my Coppers for the faster feathering females and slower feathering males, it's a very nice way to accurately sex them at approx. 3 days old. I have been breeding them this way for almost 5 years and have great luck with it.
I do sell hatching eggs when I have them and have filled my waiting lists. Recently, over the last year due to the price of feed, I downsized my flocks of over 150 large fowl to 4 males and 6 females and that includes both varieties of Marans, Birchen and Copper. If and when the Birchens ever start laying I will only be working on borrowing blue from my coppers to make the Blue Birchen. I will only have some eggs from my coppers available this year and that will be way later this year.
The Birchens are new little project for me so I think that I will be holding on to their eggs for a while or until I reach a point in my project that I feel confident in letting them go.

Yes, I absolutely promise to post pictures again in a couple of weeks. Might even post new ones next week if I have time. LOL.

Anyone else want to guess?

Here is Pinkchicks vs (Mine)
Yellow - cockerel (pullet)
Brown- cockerel ......... not 100% sure on this (pullet)
Green- pullet (cockerel)
Blue - pullet (cockerel)
Orange- pullet DEFINITELY (pullet)
Purple- cockerel (pullet)
Red - ?? (cockerel)

I find it absolutely hilarious that we guessed opposites on everything except Orange! This is a good indication that I have NO IDEA what I'm looking at. LOL

Yeah, Red Boy (I am almost 100% sure he is a boy but watch me be wrong), is huge. So noted that Red & Blue may be off color.

If/when you ever decide to part with any of your birchen eggs, PLEASE let me know!!!

 

[TheCosmos]

My rooster is a hornball. I put 3 blue copper pullets in his pen (he currently has 2 blue and 4 splash hens) and he immediately jumped them, then strutted around like he was something. Then he proceeded to jump 2 of the other hens. I swear. Well, at least I know he's doing his job!! lol

What is the proper ratio of roostern?? How many hens can a rooster cover?

 

[GaryDean26]

Once after moving 20 hours away to a new state (and having to leave my chickens behind) I got eggs from a neighbor's laying flocks in the new location to start over. He said that he didn't think that the fertility would be very good because he had 35 hens and only one cockerels. Well...we had 6 out of the 7 eggs hatch.

So..those boys can be very efficient when they need to be.

Typically about 8 hens for rooster is the recommendation for the heavier breeds and 15 hens per rooster for the lighter breeds.

If you have 9 Marans with you rooster that should be just fine.

 

[TheCosmos]

Excellent, thank you!

 

[TheCosmos]

Hey pinkchick!!!

2 Weeks Old..

Birchen roo x splash hen

Still not 100% sure if they are cockerels/pullets.. LOL

Yellow



Blue


Orange


Brown


Green


Purple


Red

 

[pinkchick]

LOL! I missed one of them the last time huh? Sorry 'bout that.

I'll catch it this go round.

 

[pinkchick]

Hey pinkchick!!! 2 Weeks Old.. Birchen roo x splash hen Still not 100% sure if they are cockerels/pullets.. LOL Yellow Blue Orange Brown Green Purple Red

I'm having a tough time with a couple of them..but here goes. Yellow- Cockerel ??? Brown- Pullet Green- Pullet Blue- Cockerel Orange- Pullet Purple- Pullet Red- Cockerel It's early, I haven't had coffee yet. Red and Blue look like definitely cockerels to me.....I am now hesitant on the yellow banded one, body looks like a cockerel but head lookish pullet-ishy. P.S. Don't ever tell them they were standing on the stove for their pictures.