I got lucky on that pair. I traded a local woman for a pair of my silkies. The hen was a beautiful lemon, and she easily goes broody. Her first chick didn't make it, but she hatched five a few months later. Two roos look just like the daddy, and of three hens, one was lemon and two were black. Visually, these are my favorites, and my favorite all around general purpose birds would be the Marans
I have become very utilitarian over the years and my favorite chickens are Black Sex Links (Australorps for standard breeds), but I love the chocolate eggs of the Marans. I think they are the prettiest eggs in the chicken world.
I haven't been around this site long enough to know if this is the proper place to post this, but since I started hatching from my own flocks, I have learned that there are always too many roosters. They are hard to even give away. I've never used my chickens for anything other than eggs, but those little maran roos are so plump...
The recommended ratio of roosters to hens is 1 rooster for every 10 hens. By all means enjoy eating any extra Maran roos you get. They taste great.
I have 7-10 hens for all of my roosters. I have always been able to sell or give away the extras that hatched under a broody hen, but with the new incubator I am going to have many more chicks than I ever have. I have a couple of maran roosters that are 6 weeks old, so I'm thinking sometime in February or March I am going to try my first. I'm going to start with one to see how it goes, then go from there. Everyone tells me that the difference with home raised chickens is the same as the difference between garden vegetables and store bought vegetables. My wife said she is all for it, as long as all she sees is the finished product
Thank you. I don't know how much insight and knowledge I have. All I know is what has worked for me. I'm pretty versed in predator proofing, though. You learn from your mistakes...
I have 7-10 hens for all of my roosters. I have always been able to sell or give away the extras that hatched under a broody hen, but with the new incubator I am going to have many more chicks than I ever have. I have a couple of maran roosters that are 6 weeks old, so I'm thinking sometime in February or March I am going to try my first. I'm going to start with one to see how it goes, then go from there. Everyone tells me that the difference with home raised chickens is the same as the difference between garden vegetables and store bought vegetables. My wife said she is all for it, as long as all she sees is the finished product
)
You might be surprised by how few people actually learn from their mistakes. I try to learn from other people's mistakes, that is even harder.
