Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Ivywoods]

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Hey Pink - - -where is every one? It has been like 12 hours and it is totally dead on both marans threads.

Congratulations on the babies. Glad the new incubator is working well.

I don't think a bigger incubator is in my future. 24 chicks is the MOST I can deal with at one time. Mine are 2 weeks old tomorrow. I had the first chick fly to the top of the feeder this morning. So, I will need to be putting the sides up on the brooder today or tomorrow.

Maybe when I get the new pens and brooder cages built, I will be able to do more. I saved a picture of the broodier that kayhinmo built. I think something like that will be next on the honeydo list. Her directions were so good that I think I could borrow Dh's power tools and do it myself.

Math-YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT!

 

[Hens and Roos]

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How about using sand in the runs to help with water drainage?

 

[pinkchick]

Hi Raven!

Math~ All I can tell you about the rain and the runs...is from my experience here in the soggy PNW. It takes some careful drainage planning and lots of attention. Try as we may we cannot control muck here without copious amounts of money to pump into dry covered space and tons & tons of gravel and sand....we always battle wet and for a few months we get lucky and things kinda dry out.

 

[math ace]

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How about using sand in the runs to help with water drainage?

I am in Florida and our native dirt is sand. . . I had truckloads of septic sand brought in to raise the ground level where the new pens are going. This is the old pen and it is on the native Florida sand.

The water isn't setting up top becoming muck, it is absorbed in the soil a few inches deep. It doesn't seem to dry out . . . and is mixing with the poop . . . and stinky to my sensitive nose. I'm thinking about letting the girls go play "free range" and taking a roofing torch in there and burning the soil. . . It is NOT an issue for the whole run. It is only an issue for the last 4 feet of it. The rest of the run, I can dig and dig and dig and it is dry and does not smell.

Our summers are so hot that this has never been an issue before. The WET and COLD winter is creating new issues for me. . . .

 

[math ace]

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I wonder if mixing gravel in the sand would help. . . .

 

[math ace]

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Oh, you are a little enabler. . .

I have one brooder, but it was built more for our summers. Lots of ventelation etc. It has a small heated area that works great for 2 hens or 6 chicks. So, it doesn't work well on cold days because they have to stay in the tiny area all day AND it doesn't work well for the large number of chicks I have been hatching. My large is around 20 chicks, incase you were wondering.

So, I think I am going to look at building a "winter" brooder. I printed of kathyinmo's plans and I think I am going to go shopping tonight. LOOK out power tools, here I come. . . I need to modify her plans. I only want to build a single decker versus her double decker. I don't want to trigger a heart attack for Dh. . .

 

[Debbi]

Mornin' all

Finally got to let the chooks out of the coop! They had some severe cabin fever. Temps got down to -12 here last night, and right now it has climbed all the way to positive 12*! Even with the snow on the ground the girls were ready to come out. All chooks fared well through the cold so far, although Pip has a case of frost bite on his comb, the rest seem ok. I even got two eggs yesterday

Temps are going back down to minus tonight, with more snow coming tomorrow. Someone go shoot that fool groundhog in PA!

Can't complain too much, all is still functioning around here. Well is still going, furnace still going, and power is still on. I finally got a pain free night last night and slept well. Too well in fact, and around 3:30 this morning realized the fire had gone out in the furnace. It was a brisk 48* in the house, so had to go build a fire. It's finally 61* in here, and from the looks of it, that's as high as it'll get. I have to remind myself to go outside if I get chilly inside, coming back in feels sooooo good! Hope everyone else is safe and warm, and stays that way!!

 

[Mgui35]

Here is my 3 week old black copper marans. I got eggs from ebay and hatched them out in the incubator. I was just curious as to how my birds looked. I plan to cross one of the roosters to my neighbors americaunas for the olive eggers. They are from the Gene C-1, kelvin Jeane line. Any input would be appreciated. Theres a few barred rocks and a silkie in there with them.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
How about using sand in the runs to help with water drainage?

I am in Florida and our native dirt is sand. . . I had truckloads of septic sand brought in to raise the ground level where the new pens are going. This is the old pen and it is on the native Florida sand.

The water isn't setting up top becoming muck, it is absorbed in the soil a few inches deep. It doesn't seem to dry out . . . and is mixing with the poop . . . and stinky to my sensitive nose. I'm thinking about letting the girls go play "free range" and taking a roofing torch in there and burning the soil. . . It is NOT an issue for the whole run. It is only an issue for the last 4 feet of it. The rest of the run, I can dig and dig and dig and it is dry and does not smell.

Our summers are so hot that this has never been an issue before. The WET and COLD winter is creating new issues for me. . . .

Yeah I guess adding more sand won't help, how about the lime that is safe (I think it is garden lime) to help keep the smell down, my DH also suggested gravel but depends on how you clean the runs.

 

[Illia]

Some very nice looking cockerels in that bunch!