International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[chickengr]

Yes you can. A hen that is working on laying a clutch of eggs to incubate will lay her last egg of the clutch and remain on the nest to go broody. You can set them immediately after being laid.

If your araucana pullet has been sitting for a few days you cannot put any other eggs with her. The chicks will be at different stages of development and some will hatch a few days earlier than the silkie eggs causing the hen to abandon the unhatched eggs as she takes what chicks she did hatch off the nest. If you want to set the silkie eggs under her you will have to take the araucana's eggs away first.

thanks. she is sitting but I change eggs every day. I don't have araucana roo and I don't want to hatch pullet's eggs. that's why I took silkie's eggs from my friends. I wanted ameraucanas for my olive egger project but unfortunately my friends have easter eggers and they didn't know it. people here sell ameraucanas with single combs

 

[KF0002]

@RedBanks I was setting up my counter in preparation for butchering roosters when I realized it looked like a scene out of the show Dexter.

 

[marchick]

I just realized I only have 18 Marans now! It's so sad! You know since I can't count the 4- 8 week olds or the 12- 1 week olds or the 5 that just hatched. Chicken Math only works for adult Chickens. Oh no 3 are roosters and they don't count either. I only have15 Marans!!!!!

 

[Red Banks]

I just realized I only have 18 Marans now! It's so sad! You know since I can't count the 4- 8 week olds or the 12- 1 week olds or the 5 that just hatched. Chicken Math only works for adult Chickens. Oh no 3 are roosters and they don't count either. I only have15 Marans!!!!!

It's alright..... you will be okay. It won't be long before you are overrun with chickens!

 

[Red Banks]

@RedBanks I was setting up my counter in preparation for butchering roosters when I realized it looked like a scene out of the show Dexter.

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I told you! I wonder what surviving chickens think of the whole thing. I wish I could do it. I have to do something with these roosters! I was talking to a man at TSC and he started talking about processing roosters, he only buys male chicks, I told him I would give him mine if he wanted to process them..... he practically ran out of the store. I think if I was into raising them for meat I wouldn't ever buy a chick, I would just take everyone's extra roosters. No feed bills, no managing the birds, no work except processing.

 

[marchick]

It's alright..... you will be okay. It won't be long before you are overrun with chickens!

I am going through Marans withdrawals! I don't know the last time I was under 40 adult chickens. I do have 5 hens trying to set! Hmm but that would just be more chicks and they wouldn't count. Lol

 

[marchick]

I told you! I wonder what surviving chickens think of the whole thing. I wish I could do it. I have to do something with these roosters! I was talking to a man at TSC and he started talking about processing roosters, he only buys male chicks, I told him I would give him mine if he wanted to process them..... he practically ran out of the store. I think if I was into raising them for meat I wouldn't ever buy a chick, I would just take everyone's extra roosters. No feed bills, no managing the birds, no work except processing.

My friend sells all her roosters to a guy for meat $10 each. They are not Marans though. I don't have any trouble selling my culls since they are from a dark egg line. I get $20 for them. They usually want them to make olive eggers or to darken their hens eggs. I charge that just because the people that buy them for food won't pay $20 for them. I usually don't hatch all that many though. I have 21 Marans chicks and that is all I will hatch this year.

 

[KF0002]

I told you! I wonder what surviving chickens think of the whole thing. I wish I could do it. I have to do something with these roosters! I was talking to a man at TSC and he started talking about processing roosters, he only buys male chicks, I told him I would give him mine if he wanted to process them..... he practically ran out of the store. I think if I was into raising them for meat I wouldn't ever buy a chick, I would just take everyone's extra roosters. No feed bills, no managing the birds, no work except processing.

So did the man want your culls to process? That would be good, you would get rid of your culls and he would get free meat. Win, win! Roosters are plentiful and someone could have very little money in fresh meat if they were willing to go through the trouble of processing them. Around here you can't even hardly give them away so that's why I want to eat my culls. They may as well serve a purpose.

I officially skinned and gutted my first rooster all by myself today. What I took from the experience is that I am definitely NOT going to be skinning anymore chickens. I felt like it was a lot of work to cut and tear the skin away from the muscles of the bird. In theory it probably would have been easier, but dealing with all the feathers sticking to the meat while I was trying to skin it was difficult. The last bunch we did we scalded and plucked them and it was a lot of work, but it was just tedious and not necessarily hard because there are so many feathers. I also struggled to scrape the lungs out of the chest cavity of the bird. I need to invest in a de-lunger tool for sure so next time won't be so difficult.

The rooster is chilling in the fridge "resting" as we speak to allow rigor mortis to pass. The resting period is supposed to be around 48-72 hours so the meat won't be as tough. I will soak him in a brine solution the last 12 hours or so and will use him to make a pot of soup for my husband on Saturday.

 

[KF0002]

My friend sells all her roosters to a guy for meat $10 each. They are not Marans though. I don't have any trouble selling my culls since they are from a dark egg line. I get $20 for them. They usually want them to make olive eggers or to darken their hens eggs. I charge that just because the people that buy them for food won't pay $20 for them. I usually don't hatch all that many though. I have 21 Marans chicks and that is all I will hatch this year.

I wish I could sell a few Marans roosters for $20 each. There is not much of a market for them in my area. Everybody wants something for nothing and don't want to pay anything for them. It's good you don't have any trouble re-homing yours.

 

[Red Banks]

My friend sells all her roosters to a guy for meat $10 each. They are not Marans though. I don't have any trouble selling my culls since they are from a dark egg line. I get $20 for them. They usually want them to make olive eggers or to darken their hens eggs. I charge that just because the people that buy them for food won't pay $20 for them. I usually don't hatch all that many though. I have 21 Marans chicks and that is all I will hatch this year.

I can't give these roosters away. I have given away over 100 cockerels/roosters. Not all Marans. Some Bielefelders, Ameraucanas. This time I am going to throw in some hens. I have an egg eating little Araucana, the only non Marans I own. She is a bad influence in the flock, always bringing the flock to the porch to eat cat food. No eggs from her, I guess she eats them or hides them. I used to find nests of 15 or so little blue eggs, haven't found one in a long time.