International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Red Banks]

Wow that's pretty bad. Poor thing.. is she big enough to process? If she is in that bad of shape, I would probably cull her. Make a nice pot of soup with her.

A man wants to teach me how to do this but..... I don't mind handling them when they are dead. I just don't think I could kill one.

I am going to post pictures. I went out and spent a few minutes watching her. She will be okay.... but here is the rub. She is the best looking pullet in the bunch. L - O - N - G
straight topline, beautiful all around. She was with the flock and following right along. She will probably end up being a sweetheart.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

that what I m talking about . Jambo organic incubator/hatcher and mom .
how many eggs can you stick under her ?
are they good mother s ?

chooks man

Honestly, I've really never allowed my turkeys to sit, especially not this early in the season when I have numerous orders for turkey eggs and poults. Typically, I've heard that turkeys make good mothers. Mine have not proven themselves. I tried giving a hen chicken eggs last spring and they were all slowly broken and eaten. I've given one hen a couple cockerel chicks to raise and she wasn't very protective. So, maybe my girls are broken, but I don't allow them to brood.

 

[KF0002]

A man wants to teach me how to do this but..... I don't mind handling them when they are dead. I just don't think I could kill one.

I am going to post pictures. I went out and spent a few minutes watching her. She will be okay.... but here is the rub. She is the best looking pullet in the bunch. L - O - N - G
straight topline, beautiful all around. She was with the flock and following right along. She will probably end up being a sweetheart.

If she is getting around okay maybe move her to a separate layer flock if you don't want to eat her, to keep you from accidentally saving eggs from her to set. Its a shame she has the nicest topline in the bunch.. that's the way it goes. It's probably best not to breed her though. Marans are a heavier breed and they need good strong legs at their base to support their weight.

Definitely let the man show you his methods so you can learn. My neighbor helps me butcher my birds because she is better at it than I am. You can also check out the broomstick method of dispatching chickens, I think there might be a video on youtube. Basically you just hold the chicken upside down by the legs and rest its breast on the ground. Put a broomstick down over the bird's neck and step on the broomstick with your foot. Lift the chicken up by its legs and pull. It's fast and I imagine fairly painless as it breaks the bird's neck very quickly. You can then hang the bird after it has finished flopping, cut its head off and bleed it out. Wow this sounds very graphic when I put it in writing, but you get used to it. I don't like to kill the chickens either, so my husband does it. I only kill chickens in emergencies when my husband isn't around and one is suffering. My husband is a bit more old school in his techniques. The old wringing of the neck method still works for him just fine.

 

[Hensndoes]

If she is getting around okay maybe move her to a separate layer flock if you don't want to eat her, to keep you from accidentally saving eggs from her to set. Its a shame she has the nicest topline in the bunch.. that's the way it goes. It's probably best not to breed her though. Marans are a heavier breed and they need good strong legs at their base to support their weight.

Definitely let the man show you his methods so you can learn. My neighbor helps me butcher my birds because she is better at it than I am. You can also check out the broomstick method of dispatching chickens, I think there might be a video on youtube. Basically you just hold the chicken upside down by the legs and rest its breast on the ground. Put a broomstick down over the bird's neck and step on the broomstick with your foot. Lift the chicken up by its legs and pull. It's fast and I imagine fairly painless as it breaks the bird's neck very quickly. You can then hang the bird after it has finished flopping, cut its head off and bleed it out. Wow this sounds very graphic when I put it in writing, but you get used to it. I don't like to kill the chickens either, so my husband does it. I only kill chickens in emergencies when my husband isn't around and one is suffering. My husband is a bit more old school in his techniques. The old wringing of the neck method still works for him just fine.

Man that sounds harsh. I've been giving chickens to my hairdresser. (Newby and they had names). She tells me about it and how smooth and easy it is. Not sure how they do it but she has told me they don't flop. She will NOT do a turkey though. Says they fight and can sh!t all over you "cuz you have to hug that turkey. You hug it so tight. you hug that turkey" I may have to apprentice this year and see What her trick is. She swears if they fight it toughens the meat.

 

[Red Banks]

If she is getting around okay maybe move her to a separate layer flock if you don't want to eat her, to keep you from accidentally saving eggs from her to set. Its a shame she has the nicest topline in the bunch.. that's the way it goes. It's probably best not to breed her though. Marans are a heavier breed and they need good strong legs at their base to support their weight.

Definitely let the man show you his methods so you can learn. My neighbor helps me butcher my birds because she is better at it than I am. You can also check out the broomstick method of dispatching chickens, I think there might be a video on youtube. Basically you just hold the chicken upside down by the legs and rest its breast on the ground. Put a broomstick down over the bird's neck and step on the broomstick with your foot. Lift the chicken up by its legs and pull. It's fast and I imagine fairly painless as it breaks the bird's neck very quickly. You can then hang the bird after it has finished flopping, cut its head off and bleed it out. Wow this sounds very graphic when I put it in writing, but you get used to it. I don't like to kill the chickens either, so my husband does it. I only kill chickens in emergencies when my husband isn't around and one is suffering. My husband is a bit more old school in his techniques. The old wringing of the neck method still works for him just fine.

I was reading and thinking, $%^&..... she is every chickens nightmare. Dexter of the chicken world. I do have to learn to do this. I like the broom idea. It almost seems like an accident. I have given away at least 50 cockerels/roosters, that's a lot of Coq au vin! And if nothing else to put them out of their misery when necessary. I have a limping pullet. What a day! I need to stay in the house. I am sure this is just a temporary thing. Jumping off the roost, etc. I moved a coop today so at dark thirty Antonio was walking around with his girls wondering where to go! The hens laid eggs in the moved coop... you think they could figure it out. Two hens were in the nesting boxes when I moved the coop. They just went along for the ride. Chickens!

 

[Red Banks]

If she is getting around okay maybe move her to a separate layer flock if you don't want to eat her, to keep you from accidentally saving eggs from her to set. Its a shame she has the nicest topline in the bunch.. that's the way it goes. It's probably best not to breed her though. Marans are a heavier breed and they need good strong legs at their base to support their weight.

Definitely let the man show you his methods so you can learn. My neighbor helps me butcher my birds because she is better at it than I am. You can also check out the broomstick method of dispatching chickens, I think there might be a video on youtube. Basically you just hold the chicken upside down by the legs and rest its breast on the ground. Put a broomstick down over the bird's neck and step on the broomstick with your foot. Lift the chicken up by its legs and pull. It's fast and I imagine fairly painless as it breaks the bird's neck very quickly. You can then hang the bird after it has finished flopping, cut its head off and bleed it out. Wow this sounds very graphic when I put it in writing, but you get used to it. I don't like to kill the chickens either, so my husband does it. I only kill chickens in emergencies when my husband isn't around and one is suffering. My husband is a bit more old school in his techniques. The old wringing of the neck method still works for him just fine.

Wouldn't dream of breeding her..... I have enough things to deal with!

 

[Red Banks]

 

[KF0002]

Wouldn't dream of breeding her..... I have enough things to deal with!

Hahahahaha! Me too! Everytime I go outside and see all those high tails I swear I just want to pluck them all out. It's making me a little nuts! And the cockerels are all getting on my nerves REALLY bad because they are in that "run the hens down like a bunch of sex crazed maniacs" phase and I am ready to butcher them. Griffin has had it with them too.

And the worst part about today.. I lost a Redbanks pullet! She was just dead in the pen.. now I am down to just the pair in that group.

 

[KF0002]

View attachment 1288855

Beautiful!!! I took an egg pic today too! My little Cream Legbar pullet (I think I will call her Showgirl because of her hair-do) finally started laying. Her little egg is so cute!

 

[KF0002]

Man that sounds harsh. I've been giving chickens to my hairdresser. (Newby and they had names). She tells me about it and how smooth and easy it is. Not sure how they do it but she has told me they don't flop. She will NOT do a turkey though. Says they fight and can sh!t all over you "cuz you have to hug that turkey. You hug it so tight. you hug that turkey" I may have to apprentice this year and see What her trick is. She swears if they fight it toughens the meat.

I swear I laughed so hard at this I nearly split my side!!!