Leg banding & penning for different marans breeding purposes

[criker99]

So we are just beginning on this endeavor in earnest and I want to provide the best guidance possible to the kids. We do want to track hatchings (when hatched) and specific information for the eggs we hatch. We only have 3 pens available to put these marans in so I need to figure out how to divide them to ensure we have the best opportunity for clean reproduction and the best way to band to ensure we keep everything straight.

I would assume someone else has already figured out effective methods so there is no real reason for us to struggle through it! Anyone want to share their methods?

How would you recommend I set up the pens?

I already have an egg layer only pen and a brooder area that is separate. But as they grow up I will want to separate them when they get to move into the "big houses".

I expect to have french/english black copper, silver cuckoo, golden cuckoo, and golden salmon marans. So technically 5 different varients. How do I house them in 3 pens? I would expect, until I start test breeding, I could mix the french/english black copper, but what about the silver/golden cuckoo?

Thanks.

 

[cashdl]

How big are your pens? My breeding pens are fairly small. They are 8X8 and are big enough for 1 roo and 3 girls. Then I have a wall of broody boxs that are 2X4 stacked and can be made into 2X8 to house mom and chicks for two weeks. I have two grow out pens 16X16 for boys and girls. Then I have a 16X16 pen that I move mommies and babies into to get bigger before they go into the main flock or eating pen if their not going to be used for breeding. Or they go into the grow out pens. Also some people have tractor pens that are small and can be moved about, usually just big enough for 3 birds.

I mark each egg with the pen # and the color of or number of hen that laid it. When the chicks hatch I have a color leg band for each pen they come out of. But I am going to be changing my hatching next spring. I will be hatching certain pens on certain days of the week and they will go into that pens broody boxs.

My way works for me but I only had splash, blue, duckwing, and bbr this summer. Not very many hens either.

There are all kinds of ways to do it.

Lanae

 

[criker99]

My pens are relatively large; each house is large enough for about 20-24 birds and the pen is 12x36 or so ... then I have one coop/pen that is smaller ... probably enough for 8 birds.

I'm recognizing now that perhaps it would have been better to have built for smaller numbers. Maybe i could divide each one in half and double the number of houses so they could be split up further ... gosh I hate to do that ... that means more daily work ...

 

[cashdl]

It only takes me 1/2 hr to feed and water 9 pens. I fluff the nest boxs everyday and de-poop them. On saturdays I clean and fluff the floors and pens. I started with 1 large pen off the side of my green house. I put a hen house attached to my green house. Then I got a breeding pair, so I fenced off a corner. Then another pair so had to have another pen. And so on. Finally went to the other side of green house, hen house and put 8X8 pens off the side there. I have been eyeing other parts of the property cause we have ten acres and the green house is close to my house. And with 16 roos that doesn't work.

Here are 4 of my breeding pens and a couple of my brooder boxs.

 

[blackdotte]

I expect to have french/english black copper, silver cuckoo, golden cuckoo, and golden salmon marans. So technically 5 different variants. How do I house them in 3 pens? I would expect, until I start test breeding, I could mix the French/English black copper, but what about the silver/golden cuckoo?

Firstly there isn't & has never been an English Black Copper. Black Coppers should be feather footed.
Golden Cuckoo & Golden Salmon , if bred correctly, are based on the same gene, so could be kept together.
Silver Cuckoos could go in the other pen.​