Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

When we got our clean-legged Cuckoo Marans in 2012 she was a mated bird as her missing back feathers indicated the tell-tale matings. So her 1st 5 eggs we thought may be fertile & gave them to a neighbor's broody. 3 eggs hatched & a couple of them grew out Cuckoo males w/feathered legs ~ a clean-legged Cuckoo momma that had feather-legged Cuckoo offspring? Our Cuckoo Marans hen layed dark brown eggs which were pretty but never the deep chocolate one expects from a Marans. If she got anywhere near a #3 on the Marans egg chart it was rare ~ they were mostly #2 & rarely #3. For those #2 & #3 Cuckoo eggs we could've got Welsummers instead w/ terra cotta speckled eggs & a better temperament than a Cuckoo Marans. But that's just me thinking back again...

Marans egg chart
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Welsummer hens look like Light Brown Leghorns but Wellies have the unique speckled terra cotta eggs

I'm sorry you did not have a good experience with your Marans. I have loved every single one of mine. I wonder if could be a "Cuckoo" thing?

I have only had Black Copper Marans. Lovely hens and wonderful stunning roosters. My dad is a hard one to impress and my boys definitely impressed him. He tells everyone for such large roosters he has never met more calm and gentle boys.

In my original 6 Marans I ended up with 4 boys and 2 girls. I kept my favorite boy Drumstick and both girls. Holly who is my last original marans who was the french type and her sister Daisy who was the brittish type with clean legs. Temperaments were the same but egg color was vastly different. Holly and her offspring have all laid darker solid colored eggs. Daisy and her offspring lay the heavily speckled eggs. Daisy's line had the best hackle markings of the hens. They still are not perfect but I wanted feathered legs and good hackle markings with those heavily speckled eggs. I finally got that in Daisy's great-granddaughter Lilly. I swear Lilly is Daisy reincarnated with feathered legs. She is as big as Daisy was, lays gorgeous eggs and like Daisy her eggs are rare. Oh she is laying all right, she just likes to hide them most of the time. I am really tempted to throw her in with the silkie breeding pen this year to break that egg hiding habit she has.

Lilly's egg

 

[Sylvester017]

When I was younger my aunt gave me a journal bound in ostrich leather! I wish I still had it, the texture was really cool. I used it as my pokemon field journal Used to pretend I was a pokemon researcher and make sketches and notes of what I "found".


It's cold today, brrr. The past few days have been pretty nice, lows in the 30s and highs in the mid 40s to low 50s. Now today it's currently 20 with a feels like of 14, and a high of 27. Poor girls got a taste of the great outdoors for a couple days but now they're shut in the run again and you'd think they're being tortured in there with how they jump and kick at the walls and screech to be let out

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My containment wall is all melted!!

I tried to get chickie pics for tax but they REFUSE to sit still for even a second...

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I have to collect so many leaves for their run once the snow is melted in the woods. They really do break down really quickly with the chickens scratching around.

Your poor babies are going stir-crazy Our hens holler if DH doesn't let them out at dawn. TG we don't have snow but rain is forecast tomorrow.

 

[Marie2020]

They are thriving in your careThat Tabby body pattern looks like an ocelot or some crossed breed. The last few years breeders have been crossing domestic cats w/ smaller wild cat species. Oliver is a sweet gorgeous black cat. I love black cats & black Silkies

I'm desperately trying to find a safe refuge for the kitten. He safe near me and oliver but i can't guarantee that he's safe on this road or near the people that abandoned him.

They neglect their large dogs. They are never walked. One escaped and jumped me and my old dog at the end of his life.

They are despised by their neighbours for what they have done to their animals.. it so sad.

Little kittie has been sleeping in Olivers kennel at night. So at least I know he's safe for now. Poor Oliver always has the raw deal.

 

[Sylvester017]

I'm sorry you did not have a good experience with your Marans. I have loved every single one of mine. I wonder if could be a "Cuckoo" thing?

I have only had Black Copper Marans. Lovely hens and wonderful stunning roosters. My dad is a hard one to impress and my boys definitely impressed him. He tells everyone for such large roosters he has never met more calm and gentle boys.

In my original 6 Marans I ended up with 4 boys and 2 girls. I kept my favorite boy Drumstick and both girls. Holly who is my last original marans who was the french type and her sister Daisy who was the brittish type with clean legs. Temperaments were the same but egg color was vastly different. Holly and her offspring have all laid darker solid colored eggs. Daisy and her offspring lay the heavily speckled eggs. Daisy's line had the best hackle markings of the hens. They still are not perfect but I wanted feathered legs and good hackle markings with those heavily speckled eggs. I finally got that in Daisy's great-granddaughter Lilly. I swear Lilly is Daisy reincarnated with feathered legs. She is as big as Daisy was, lays gorgeous eggs and like Daisy her eggs are rare. Oh she is laying all right, she just likes to hide them most of the time. I am really tempted to throw her in with the silkie breeding pen this year to break that egg hiding habit she has.

Lilly's egg
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Yes, I strongly believe the European heritage Cuckoo's whether clean or feather-legged are not the same as the Black Copper Marans since both eggs & temperaments are not equal. It was the same difference between our Cuckoo Breda vs. our Blue (BBS) Bredas ~ the Cuckoo Breda was a snot & layed tinted eggs while the smaller sweeter Blue Breda layed white eggs. I've spoken to many Marans owners over the years & the consensus was the same ~ Cuckoo's not so great but Copper's are great.

As a sharp contrast ~ our USA heritage Cuckoo's (Barred Rocks & Dominiques) are fabulous temperament breeds I almost didn't get Dominiques after our bad experience w/ Cuckoo Marans & Cuckoo Breda but Dom owners assured me the Doms were a calm temperament flock breed & they were correct. We loved the 4 Doms we had over the years.

DANA ~ 7-1/2 yrs old

 

[Marie2020]

They are thriving in your careThat Tabby body pattern looks like an ocelot or some crossed breed. The last few years breeders have been crossing domestic cats w/ smaller wild cat species. Oliver is a sweet gorgeous black cat. I love black cats & black Silkies

It's not all gloomy.
My neighbour just told me he's clearing his porch and he's just ordered a cat kennel so one of the cats can have a warm shelter.

My neighbour needs to be careful. He wrecking his hard indifferent image

 

[Sylvester017]

The girls put on a magic show the other day, because it was so beautiful outside! Magrat hosted.

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"Nothing up my pant leg— wait. I'm not wearing pants."

For their first trick, Magrat and her assistant Gytha needed a volunteer from the audience. Sybil happily obliged.

"Now watch, as Sybil walks closer to the camera, Gytha's head will disappear!"
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"It's working..."

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"Behold! The Headless Chicken!"

For the next trick, she needed a few volunteers.

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"Nothing under my wing..."

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"Now lift your leg up Aliss, and when I lift mine, your place will swap with Esme's!"

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"TA-DAAAA!"

Better than David Copperfield's magic act

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I went out and snapped a few pictures.

I love this, silkie girls hard at work. That is Patsy and the black one is Lori. Martina the other partridge with the beard has already laid so that is 3 girls hard at work.

Today's haul so far, Lori has yet to lay she is just making herself comfortable.

Mrs. E is laying, she laid her first egg yesterday and here is todays. I am pleasantly surprised by the size. I was thinking it would be smaller. I know it is Mrs. E's egg because I caught her in the act yesterday and today.

Mrs. E herself, my not so bantam, bantam brahma. She is as big as my big girls. I know I say I want a big brahma, but, just how big are those "big" girls?

Mrs E, Lilly and Holly

Oh how I have missed the swagger of a silkie roo strutting his stuff. Work it Davy.

My main man George.

I'm surrounded by roos, hello Bosa.

Lilly

A tiny terror in the making, Turkey! When I say tiny, I mean tiny.

I wore crocs out today, Bosa was curious but seeing as how there was no shoe string, he did not peck my feet. So, it is a shoe string fetish he has.

He still had to thoroughly inspect them. Look at Georges shadow. I swear he is part parrot. His shadow looks like a cockatoo.

What is it with these silkie boys. They have all fallen head over heels for the too big for them cochin girls.

Sing the song of your people George.

Ooh, could I get 4 silkie eggs today?

Where are you going mom, I must follow every move you make.

 

[Marie2020]

Where’s Marie? You are an imposter! Marie would never say anything like that!

Wanna bet Bro? I just did

 

[Marie2020]

So cute

Have a good night all

 

[featherhead007]

Yes, I strongly believe the European heritage Cuckoo's whether clean or feather-legged are not the same as the Black Copper Marans since both eggs & temperaments are not equal. It was the same difference between our Cuckoo Breda vs. our Blue (BBS) Bredas ~ the Cuckoo Breda was a snot & layed tinted eggs while the smaller sweeter Blue Breda layed white eggs. I've spoken to many Marans owners over the years & the consensus was the same ~ Cuckoo's not so great but Copper's are great.

As a sharp contrast ~ our USA heritage Cuckoo's (Barred Rocks & Dominiques) are fabulous temperament breeds I almost didn't get Dominiques after our bad experience w/ Cuckoo Marans & Cuckoo Breda but Dom owners assured me the Doms were a calm temperament flock breed & they were correct. We loved the 4 Doms we had over the years.

DANA ~ 7-1/2 yrs old
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I believe (with few exceptions) that all Europeans are cuckoo!
Regardless of genetics