Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Debbi]

Lisa,

Of course you realize, that each of the boys will all have at least ONE thing you can't live without, right?

Bring on the pics, many eyes (and opinions) lighten the load.

 

[Sphinx]

I love the leg feathering on that cockerel. I think it's really cute.

 

[flgardengirl]

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What does IKR mean ? ?

I was wondering too. Maybe; "I know, right?" ???

Yep. Sorry I text way too much and it carries over LOL!

 

[Bravo]

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My Marans boys are BIG but lanky at 12 weeks. We thought about doing it then but it just didn't seem worth the effort for such little meat. I've got everyone on meat bird food but they are still on the skinny side 3 weeks later. How do you get yours meaty enough to make it worth processing?

I don't think they are big enough to harvest until about 20 weeks. If the meat is tougher at that point, then there is the crockpot for barbeque or the boiling on the stove top for chicken tacos or chicken and dumplings.

20 weeks sounds better and I am sure I can find lots of yummy recipes--even smoking the whole chicken sounds really good. I just vaccinated everyone for Fowl Pox so there is a 21 day withdrawal period so they are safe for at least another 3 weeks

Lisa, you would be proud. I was out waterboarding my roosters with the garden hose today. I have 1 obnoxious EE roo that harasses my hens and has the ugliest, scratchiest wanna-be crow and when he starts in he gets the rest going. This morning I got him dead on with the hose. After he was more worried about drying himself off than crowing and all was quiet.

We'll pass over the fact that I live in a big city that prohibits roosters--the caveat is the city code prohibits roosters OVER 4 months old. Since none of mine are that old I'm A-OK but still have to make sure I stay within the noise ordinances. Times like this go to show you exactly how effective egg bribes are for neighbors

 

[math ace]

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Seriously Bravo,

If that chicken didn't come with a birth certificate - - -who would know the difference between 5 and 4 months ? ? ?

 

[math ace]

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My boys ( 3 out of the 4 ) are very quiet as long as I am standing with water hose in hand! As soon as I start walking away - - cooooock a ddoooooooodoe

comes out in 4 point harmony! I have the one crazy dummy who just stays wet all day - - he just doesn't get it! THAT is THUNDER!

The next roo is going to be named LIGHTENING - - - as least if it takes after its name sake it will be seen but NOT HEARD !

 

[Lotsapaints]

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My Marans boys are BIG but lanky at 12 weeks. We thought about doing it then but it just didn't seem worth the effort for such little meat. I've got everyone on meat bird food but they are still on the skinny side 3 weeks later. How do you get yours meaty enough to make it worth processing?

I don't think they are big enough to harvest until about 20 weeks. If the meat is tougher at that point, then there is the crockpot for barbeque or the boiling on the stove top for chicken tacos or chicken and dumplings.

I feed mine turkey starter then go to game bird grower mine are pigs because they hang out with the Delawares....There is a name for how I process them can't remember it 3lbs is a nice live weight I sometimes skin them mostly though they are scalded and plucked and I cut them in half cutting out the backbone so the neck and innards are all connected if I let all mine get 20 weeks old well lets say I love my neighbors and my keepers make enough noise. They are very tender you don't need to age them and they don't take up much space in the freezer and you can hatch more.....we've been eating them once a week soon now that it's warmer I'll be BBQing them twice a week. I do let some get bigger for frying and roasting but the smaller ones will never get as big as the big ones so why waste feed on them. I do my first cull at 8 weeks based on size and obvious DQ's I know people who start processing them then. I wait a month they seem worth it at 12 weeks to me. When they get over 22 weeks they are easy to sell so if they've made the cut for that long and then have white feathers etc the ethnic market is the place for them they are worth a bag and 1/2 feed or that's what I sell them for anyways.

 

[Sphinx]

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If you are able to be this particular, I'd love to see your older chicks. You should post more pictures. hint hint hint I would also like to see pictures of the ones that didn't make the 12 week cut with illustrations about WHY they got to go to freezer camp.

 

[susannemw]

Thank you all for your input. My DH is worried that we will somehow have too many birds once we get to some magical number ... I know - never too many, especially if you're not a vegetarian.

 

[Lotsapaints]

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If you are able to be this particular, I'd love to see your older chicks. You should post more pictures. hint hint hint I would also like to see pictures of the ones that didn't make the 12 week cut with illustrations about WHY they got to go to freezer camp.

I haven't had the chance to hatch out Marans like that yet...but I did Delaware/New Hampshire cross easy to pick out short backs, split wings, curled toes and the obvious small ones and I weighed them for 4 weeks it is true that the big ones stay big since I wasn't saving any roosters it was interesting that my favorite one was narrow and @ 15 weeks the largest one processed was 4.5 smallest 2.8 (this was cleaned and ready to eat) my pullet I was saving died for no apparent reason the other 3 are nice bigger than the New Hampshire hens so next time I do this cross I'll use my best rooster over my breeder quality hens as I used hatchery New Hampshires for my experiment with my back up rooster. Everywhere I read it gives you the one in ten rule for keepers and one story has it that a farmer paid a judge to grade his stock and out of 200 found 2 hens good enough to be used to upgrade his flock....since he was selling eggs he used the 2 good ones with his new rooster and in 5 years had a quality flock. The hard part is hatching enough to get those good ones, first though I'm trying to learn how to pick them...I'm sure in 5 years I'll have better stock than what I have now because I'm learning how to choose them.