International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[Chooks man]

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[Chooks man]

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[Chooks man]

@Chooks man

I am full of new questions after setting up a few new breeding pens, and I am glad I set them up now because I see a few problems associated with the locations right now. I will have to fidget with location once the weekend rolls around.

Do you like to have a general number of birds per group?

I was thinking of having a coop with my group of over melanized hens (already present) and over colored roos (future birds).

Another pen for well marked, well balanced, generally nice looking birds. (future birds)

I will keep my 2 other pens for juveniles, roosters and the likes.

I have a smaller coop that I want to use as general needs (tracking a hens production, egg color, medical care, quarantine)


Bonus question!

Do you ever cull a bird because of temperament? This question is rather important because my family helps tend to my birds and are quite skittish of rude birds.

Yes I do .

I only had 2 dad one . Rocky a BCM rooster I bought him .he did not like people at all .
second was Charlie Silver cuckoo maran .I bought him too. he doesn t know if he like people or no depend witch day .

Both died natural causes they where so important to my breeding program that I didn t worry about how bad they where.

All they sons are well mannered . GUESS thet are my boys. hahaha.

chooks man

 

[chickengr]

I know Greece is dry .

I was talking about RedBank Florida .maybe they catching all sort of thing .

I like the way you feed your chooks ,Guess Greece chooks keeper/breeders still using traditional ways .

I remember my mam mixing all her chooks feed by hand ,all home made from grain and seed .fish oil and other green stuff .NO commercial feed.

at lease they knew what they chooks where eating not like as we believe in the label . we have no clue.

chooks man

I am not sure about how people in greece feed their chickens. many of them just buy a GMO commercial feed without knowing what it means. when I say I don't want to feed my chickens a GMO feed they look at me as if I came from another planet. people who live in more green areas feed them grain + free range. where I live there is no green so I must chop vegetables and fruits. luckily there are a few mills on the mainland, 5 minutes by ferry boat so we can get good grains. I prefer whole.

btw, there are too many mosquitoes here. they were responsible for fowl pox I had last year. right now (with 40+ celsius) I have some health issue in my flock. looks like some virus. unfortunately I am more experienced with chicken diseases than any vet on the island.

 

[chickengr]

Depend the size of the flock or the group and the time of the year.

here my set up =
Breeders pens 10 metre square by chooks , can go from one pair to 10 hens and 1 rooster, but the principal is a same 10 m Sq .Could be indoor or free ranging .

Layer pens No more then 30 in one group . big pen free ranging . 15/20 MSq /chooks.

Sub adult pens; from 13 weeks of age tell point of laying free ranging 5 to 10 MSq / chooks.

juveniles pens; from 8 weeks tell 12 weeks , 2end stage of they life ; big pen 50 /100 by group ; 5 MSq manly indoor with access to outside in the good weather.

Nursery 5MSq for 50/100 chicks .indoor,


I LIKE YOUR PLAN will work good for you .you got it all sorted . IMPRESSED .

chooks man

I didn't understand this post. do you have pens 10 m2 per chicken or total 10 m2?

another question: 10 hens and 1 roo, what is a fertility rate? I read somewhere that for breeding 6-7 hens per 1 roo is better, just to make sure that all the eggs are fertile. is that true or not?

my chickens only sleep inside the pen so I have small sleeping areas with roosts.

 

[chickengr]

Enjoy

can you post a pic showing where they sleep? I have to make new pens for the future marans and I am looking for ideas.

I did enjoy watching your pics.

 

[chickengr]

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these plant pots look great on the roof. I was thinking about the roof planting but it is too hot for about 4 months in a row and there is no chance to do it. even some of my succulent plants died.

 

[Chooks man]

I didn't understand this post. do you have pens 10 m2 per chicken or total 10 m2?

another question: 10 hens and 1 roo, what is a fertility rate? I read somewhere that for breeding 6-7 hens per 1 roo is better, just to make sure that all the eggs are fertile. is that true or not?

my chickens only sleep inside the pen so I have small sleeping areas with roosts.

yeah 10 meter square by chooks of outdoor space . where they sleep I ll give them 4Square feet by chook ( covered space ). the breeders flock need to be looked after .

10 hens by rooster is good with a marans if the roos is sharp . depend on the rooster.I do no work with method .

for me 10 hens with my favorite cockerels of the breeding season . nice flock .

1 square meter covered is enough for a trio if they go outside during the day time.

Go to marans aspiran and look at the coop Laurent is building for a small flock . I m going to copies his work . he agreed to help me . go to POULAILLER .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

these plant pots look great on the roof. I was thinking about the roof planting but it is too hot for about 4 months in a row and there is no chance to do it. even some of my succulent plants died.

they are hardy plant aloes ,cacti and succulents . never water them.

it is humid in the summer month where I am .

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

can you post a pic showing where they sleep? I have to make new pens for the future marans and I am looking for ideas.

I did enjoy watching your pics.

My chooks don t sleep they are party animal. hahaha

I give them 30 cm of perch space by chook. a lot room to sleep without getting pushed over.

chooks man