How to peak a Marans?

[Chickenheadmate]

I've got a 1 year old roo that must be dinner Asap, his flock and I, have had enough of his aggressiveness.
They forage and he eats the layers hens feed along with what he takes from my dogs kibble.
How should i feed him and for how long if I want to eat him soon?

 

[aart]

I've got a 1 year old roo that must be dinner Asap, his flock and I, have had enough of his aggressiveness.
They forage and he eats the layers hens feed along with what he takes from my dogs kibble.
How should i feed him and for how long if I want to eat him soon?

For Asap, I wouldn't bother.
Make sure you rest the cleaned carcass for 3-4 days before cooking or freezing.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Will feeding a special diet, for a week or a little over, do anything?
I actually won't have time this week since I work all week.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

Don't know if I'll have anytime next week either, actually. Short handed until we get a replacement for an co-worker that got let go

 

[Parront]

I've got a 1 year old roo that must be dinner Asap, his flock and I, have had enough of his aggressiveness.
They forage and he eats the layers hens feed along with what he takes from my dogs kibble.
How should i feed him and for how long if I want to eat him soon?

The old time answer would be to cage him separately and feed him plenty. If you have room for a dog kennel size cage with his own feeder and water, jail him away from the hens and he will do nothing but eat until you get the time to do the deed. Don't deprive him, give him "meat bird finisher" feed just like you would a Cornish-X, along with some greens if you have them. The close confinement is no less space than broilers get ~ 2 sq feet per bird is way more than the industrial chickens at the store get. Less exercise = more weight gain, for a couple of weeks it can't hurt to try it, and that would keep him from harassing the hens.

 

[Chickenheadmate]

that would keep him from harassing the hens.

Hens and me both.

 

[mandelyn]

At a year old, you'll want to definitely have him rest in the fridge for 4 days to loosen things up and he may be best in the crockpot for pulled chicken. Don't worry about a specialized diet, just remember to pull him off of feed 24 hours before the deed. Still give him water but you want the crop empty.

Last night after work I talk a walk-about with my husband and we pulled 11 dud cockerels. With breeding comes culling, as there are certain traits you don't want to continue to see in a line if you can help it and you don't want to send them on to someone else. In 2 of them I didn't like how they stood, 1 could have been a penguin. 1 had a funny feel to his keel bone. Another was too lean in the pelvis. 2 had become cronies to the leader rooster and he was letting them get away with bullying. 2 weren't going to get any bigger and the other 2 were much too passive and getting color leakage. Most of them had wonky combs, some with middle toe feathers in the Marans and other odds and ends.

The rooster is the most important part of the equation. The hens matter too, but a cull hen will also lay eggs and with the right rooster she may outdo herself in progeny. If she has a short back you want her with a long back roo. If she has a high tail, you want her with a low tail rooster. Balancing out traits and then sorting the offspring for the look you want to see. All while keeping the vigor and health intact.

The Marans are the only type we have where I attempt to follow the SOP, since the Black Silver is in contention for recognition. The rest of the flock is personal preference since a standard doesn't exist for them.

I'm pretty happy with my project birds, I have plans for this guy! The sun yellowed out his silver but the Bresse hens won't care when he goes in for an outcross. The daughters from that will let me know what egg color gene he carries and hopefully the boys get more breast meat. Technically he's an Olive Egger but I need to find out what he inherited by crossing him to a light colored layer. After a lot of my roosters lost their comb tips last winter I've been working on improved winter hardiness with a Walnut comb.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I only have one Maran (white from Meyer Hatchery). She's beautiful and I love the eggs, but she's a skittish bully. She picks on my docile orpingtons . She also steals food and never jumps on my lap for snuggles. She's aloof like my Cream Legbar, but the legbar isn't mean like she is.
Is this the norm for marans or am I unlucky?

 

[Mosey2003]

@LizzzyJo it's really just a crapshoot with hatchery birds. You'll get a lot more aggressive ones.

It's Marans, with the s, by the way Even just one, the breed name is French.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Also - her name is Squeaks because even as a chick she never shut the F*#$% up!