Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[kacklinkelly]

LOL, my avatar is actually my 2nd son...he's 5. Believe it or not, the boy in my avatar is my most serious child. He is just really no nonsense, don't bother me, very little tolerance for annoyances. He's the only one of my kiddos for whom tickling cannot rid the grump monster. The others...no matter how upset, or angry, or whatever...a tickle here, a tickler there, a silly face aimed their way...pulls them right out of it. But Mason-man? Stoic. But he has this side to him that is absolutely goofy. And he's been making the goofiest faces since he was an infant. We have an entire album nicknamed "The Mason-Face Album", LOL! Case in point:





He wasn't always such a serious kid. He was a happy, laid back, easy baby. He had three separate seizure events as a toddler and, although his neurologist thinks his personality change is unrelated...well....I know what I know. My boy was his regular old self the morning of the 2nd seizure. He seized that evening, and he's not quite been the same since. He has been doing better in the last few months, though. And he's not had a seizure since August 2010. They were apparently fever related each time.

Anyways, lol. Digging up those photos meant a walk down memory lane! Back to chickens!

I find this to be just the friendliest thread I've read! Thanks for sharing the family photos. I sometimes get lost on purpose on some of my trips down memory lane

Our children are now 31 and almost 26. Our grandson is 6 and the light of our lives. It's true what they say about enjoying your grandchildren more than your own. I never
thought that would be possible but it's true for us. Enjoy them while they are little. The time goes super fast! Best to all of you for healthy and happy little ones!!

 

[ozexpat]

I find this to be just the friendliest thread I've read! Thanks for sharing the family photos. I sometimes get lost on purpose on some of my trips down memory lane

Our children are now 31 and almost 26. Our grandson is 6 and the light of our lives. It's true what they say about enjoying your grandchildren more than your own. I never
thought that would be possible but it's true for us. Enjoy them while they are little. The time goes super fast! Best to all of you for healthy and happy little ones!!

this thread is about a life adventure and the things that happen on the way.

imagine how boring it would be without the side and back stories that give us purpose

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Quick question. What's the difference between a cuckoo maran and a black copper maran? Our mennonite neighbor was over to see if he could help us genderify our 2 1/2 week old chicks (we'll see how good he is...lol), and I mentioned how I'd love to have a black copper maran and he said our Englisch neighbor has cuckoo marans and they are very similar.

 

[Phage]

Black copper MArans usually lay much darker eggs than the average cuckoo MArans.

 

[ozexpat]

Day 26 is close to over.........

The 1st Turkey egg has pipped externally!!

Come on Peafowl!!

 

[maryhysong]

Quick question. What's the difference between a cuckoo maran and a black copper maran? Our mennonite neighbor was over to see if he could help us genderify our 2 1/2 week old chicks (we'll see how good he is...lol), and I mentioned how I'd love to have a black copper maran and he said our Englisch neighbor has cuckoo marans and they are very similar.

They should have the same body type and be the same size. cuckoos look a little bit like barred rocks, while the BCM remind me of Welsummers with their color pattern. Cuckoos are averaging a lighter colored egg at the moment than the BCM. There are some BCM around that lay wickedly dark eggs. http://www.maranschickenclubusa.com/

 

[Sweetpea3829]

So basically, if the whole reason I want BCM is for the dark color egg, I'd do better to stick with BCM than with the Cuckoo Maran?

 

[ozexpat]

So basically, if the whole reason I want BCM is for the dark color egg, I'd do better to stick with BCM than with the Cuckoo Maran?

the darker the egg, the harder the buggers are to hatch though. especially shipped so do your best to source locally.

 

[maryhysong]

So basically, if the whole reason I want BCM is for the dark color egg, I'd do better to stick with BCM than with the Cuckoo Maran?

In general yes. You also need to understand that Marans are all works in progress and there will be a lot of variation even in the same hatch from the same parents. If you are only after dark eggs it doesn't really matter, just find someone with the darkest possible close to you. If you are also interested in breeding to the SOP then that is a different story; in that case look for a dedicated breeder, learn what the SOP says they should look like and look over the parent stock before purchasing. Having culled 8 out 12 boys by the time they were 6 mo old and I will probably cull 2 more before I am done, let me just say that nobody has perfect birds, but some are breeding better than others.

 

[ozexpat]

In general yes. You also need to understand that Marans are all works in progress and there will be a lot of variation even in the same hatch from the same parents. If you are only after dark eggs it doesn't really matter, just find someone with the darkest possible close to you. If you are also interested in breeding to the SOP then that is a different story; in that case look for a dedicated breeder, learn what the SOP says they should look like and look over the parent stock before purchasing. Having culled 8 out 12 boys by the time they were 6 mo old and I will probably cull 2 more before I am done, let me just say that nobody has perfect birds, but some are breeding better than others.

at this stage I want dark eggs. I am going to try cuckoos this coming trip as I have a reliable local source. I am also trying Wellsummers for darker speckled eggs. Some of my mutts I originally hatched from OGM are came from blue tinted eggs - it will be interesting to see if any were hens and what they produce.

I am culling all but 4 roosters this trip. I will keep the RLBW roos, the BCM roo and a Black Australorp roo. All the mutts will be sold as "genuine imported american roosters" or turned into chicken strips.

I have instructed Bernie to put the eggs from Fr Sat Sun in the bator today and then Th Fr Sat next week. We will have candling lessons.