I won 6 Black Copper Maran chicks!!!

[RebeccaBoyd]

This past fall me and my mom were discussing about adding more chickens to our flock. One of the breeds we were for sure we wanted was marans. Looking around I managed to find a few different breeders somewhat locally to me. I have been following one of their facebook pages planning on contacting them later this spring for hatching eggs. I don't have a incubator so was planning on waiting on my momma hen to go broody. They did a test hatch to check fertility and had 12 maran chicks that hadn't sold yet. Tuesday they announced they were going to do a contest for 2 chances on winning 6 chicks. Me and mom both agreed we wouldn't win, but it wouldn't hurt to enter anyway. They did the drawing this evening and lo and behold I WON!!!! Right now it looks like Sunday will be the best day to pick them up and I cannot wait. When I get them they will be 20 days old so not super tiny and fragile. Now for the next few weeks I will drive myself crazy hoping for pullets as they are strait run. I know from my own personal luck of hatching off chicks and having 7 survive I've ended up with 5 roosters. Surely my luck HAS to change lol. Also please tell me your experiences with marans. I'm hoping they are a in general friendly breed.

 

[IamRainey]

Lucky you and well deserved I'm sure!

 

[BY Bob]

My Patsy was friendly enough. Not a lap sitter, but she loved to hang around us.

 

[drumstick diva]

Rebecca, your surely deserve pullets by now. Sending great pullet vibes your way.*

* if it works, I may end up a millionaire

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Patsy was beautiful. I don't need a lap chicken, but one that likes to hang out with me would be wonderful. Right now the only friendly one i have is Toothless. Momma hen still doesn't completely like me. The only time i can handle her is when she's broody or raising chicks. Even then touching her you are risking your life as she's evil. That wariness has rubbed off on everything she's raised. I can walk around everyone, and 3 of them will eat out of my hand but try to touch them and they are gone. I will have to brood these new ones myself so hopefully when they are older i can at least pet them. Toothy himself was a bit stand offish before the dog attack and the weeks of tlc. As long as i dont pick him up he's content to sit beside me and let me stroke his back for a minute or two and about once a week will hop in my lap for a few minutes of cuddling.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Thank you Drumstick Diva I will take all the pullet vibes I can get. Technically I would be ok if 1 ended up being a cockerel but the chicks can't know or i'd end up with all boys. When they get here sunday they will be all given girl names and referred to as "she's".

 

[BY Bob]

Patsy was beautiful. I don't need a lap chicken, but one that likes to hang out with me would be wonderful. Right now the only friendly one i have is Toothless. Momma hen still doesn't completely like me. The only time i can handle her is when she's broody or raising chicks. Even then touching her you are risking your life as she's evil. That wariness has rubbed off on everything she's raised. I can walk around everyone, and 3 of them will eat out of my hand but try to touch them and they are gone. I will have to brood these new ones myself so hopefully when they are older i can at least pet them. Toothy himself was a bit stand offish before the dog attack and the weeks of tlc. As long as i dont pick him up he's content to sit beside me and let me stroke his back for a minute or two and about once a week will hop in my lap for a few minutes of cuddling.

I think you will find them friendly enough. Especially as you will have them as chicks. Patsy was a good hen.

 

[NuggetTheChick]

How are your chicks doing? Did they end up being pullets? If you would like to I would love to see some pictures from when they were around 4 weeks because I have a BCM chick myself rn and im hoping its a girl but he shows signs of both genders so im trying to look at as many BCM chicks around his age as possible

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

How are your chicks doing? Did they end up being pullets? If you would like to I would love to see some pictures from when they were around 4 weeks because I have a BCM chick myself rn and im hoping its a girl but he shows signs of both genders so im trying to look at as many BCM chicks around his age as possible

They are doing wonderfully. They are my favorites out of my flock. I did end up with 4 boys out of the 6. Decided on my keeper boy a couple weeks ago and rehomed the other 3. Of all the roosters i've had to rehome in the last year saying goodbye to those 3 was easily the hardest. I went back and found some pictures of them at 4 weeks old for you. The color had not started to come in yet but the boy's were obvious by then due to their combs and wattles were starting to develope.

Holly one of my pullets at 4 weeks, no visible comb.

Daisy my other girl, compared to her brother's at that age still not much comb at all.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

And here they are at 5 weeks, the boys are becoming blatantly obvious.