International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[kcrandall]

I agree! Dark eyes I can deal with. I will take it a year at a time and not stress to bad about it.

Dark Angel is looking pretty good despite the molt. I am setting what few eggs I am getting from his pen. I had moved all the girls to one pen with a plan on giving them a break from the males. Then they picked back up laying a bit so I put Dark Angel in with all of them. I am setting what eggs I am getting as a last effort to raise a few more this year. Not single mated, but better than nothing.

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Good luck with your hatching!

 

[chickengr]

There are alternative choices. I do not feed medicated feed. The feed I use is Poulin Grain it has Yucca extract in it. Excellent feed! I have not had any issues.
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I simply mix the same amounts of dried oregano, basil, thyme and cayenne pepper and mix some with chick's mash. cheep and no cocci.

 

[chickengr]

Well I am not sure if it’s a good thing or not. One of my new FBCM Pullets is broody already. I don’t think she even gave me 15 eggs yet. I do really enjoy have the hens raise the chicks so for me personally I love it when I do not have to do any of the work. I can just sit back and let mama do her thing.
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create a broody line!

 

[chickengr]

I agree! Dark eyes I can deal with. I will take it a year at a time and not stress to bad about it.

Dark Angel is looking pretty good despite the molt. I am setting what few eggs I am getting from his pen. I had moved all the girls to one pen with a plan on giving them a break from the males. Then they picked back up laying a bit so I put Dark Angel in with all of them. I am setting what eggs I am getting as a last effort to raise a few more this year. Not single mated, but better than nothing.

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when I hatched whatever eggs I had available I got the best chicks ever, lol.

 

[chickengr]

Marans are one of the broodiest breeds I have ever dealt with. They rank right up there with Games! My Games are big time broodies but I swear the Marans have topped them this year. They are a pain in the butt! Lol

Unfortunately my experience with my Marans is that they are clumsy mothers. They step on the chicks and don't seem to do a very good job at keeping them gathered up when free ranged. I would rather hatch them and brood them myself than deal with the disappointment I get when a hen loses an entire clutch of important chicks. If I am going to have to pen a hen up with chicks then I might as well brood them myself without the hen so she can keep laying. I break all broodies up. I hope your pullet does a better job than my Marans hens have with chicks.

marans here don't get broody often. maybe heat?

 

[Minky]

Ok it is going to be rooster day this coming weekend, and I have to try and decide who stays for now, and who goes...Could I please get some feedback on these roosters and pullets. Chooks man- who should I pair with who?

This is Number 1. (no names yet) He is black, with copper ears. He is unrelated to all the rest (infact, he is in the next town over at a friends farm, but I can have him) LOL

 

[Minky]

This is number 2. He has black ears tufts.

 

[Minky]

And this is number 3. I know maybe he is too colourful?? ...But I have a pullet who is black and has very little copper on her neck, so I have been keeping this guy around to see if he would be good to pair with her?

 

[Minky]

Here are my 3 pullets. 20 weeks. May or may not be related to each other or to roosters 2 and 3. I bought eggs from 2 different people, and not sure whose are whose (beginners mistake I suppose...). Pullet 1 is larger and not much copper. very little feathering on legs. Pullet two smaller (she is partly blind in her one eye so had a hard time pecking food, but now she's got the hang of it. Much more copper. Pullet 3 is blue.

I also have 3 more Marans roosters (one blue and 2 cuckoo) will post a couple of photos of those guys too.. a bit later.

 

[Bantambird]

Marans are one of the broodiest breeds I have ever dealt with. They rank right up there with Games! My Games are big time broodies but I swear the Marans have topped them this year. They are a pain in the butt! Lol

Unfortunately my experience with my Marans is that they are clumsy mothers. They step on the chicks and don't seem to do a very good job at keeping them gathered up when free ranged. I would rather hatch them and brood them myself than deal with the disappointment I get when a hen loses an entire clutch of important chicks. If I am going to have to pen a hen up with chicks then I might as well brood them myself without the hen so she can keep laying. I break all broodies up. I hope your pullet does a better job than my Marans hens have with chicks.

I too have noticed my marans are often broody but not good mothers. The best mama chicken I've had was a split chocolate orpington named cocoa. She did a great job until she developed a sudden infection and died at 6 last year. My next best broodiest are turkeys. Then the legbars, then the marans. The legbars are descended from leghorns, and they still do better than the marans! The marans go broody way more often than the other hens, however. Sometimes I am tempted to get another orpington just to have a good broody chicken again!