Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

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I'm thrilled with them! when does your hatching start? I would like some lavendar birds one day....some day....just not today...I've got my hands full right now hahah

Don't know why this posted twice

these are the next eggs I'll be hatching...love their color in natural light...

I have 2 batches, a dozen from CHickieLady & 2 dozen from Harry Shaffer, in the incubators already just set within the last week & several more orders of eggs coming next week. I am in a hatching frenzy................No one knows what in the world I am going to do with all these birds.............I need a marketing stadegy....LOL. My feed bill will certainly rocket.....LOL I am sharing the Ameraucanas with someone else mostly & traded hatching eggs with one of the breeders so this is all so exciting. I guess I should have never gotten that new incubator it has sent me off the deep end. I even have Yohohama eggs coming for my son....LOL. I think I can provide the whole county $hers with birds but my offer at the meeting recently went unanswered????? Go figure????????????? They ordered from hatcheries instead I think.

Haha....yeah that's how I feel too...I don't know if there is a need in your area or not, but over the last year I have started networking with people that raise free range laying hens for farmer's markets, customers, etc...and I provide my cull pullets (and some do want cockerels for protecting their flocks) to keep their flocks productivity up. Of course they aren't the same prices I would be getting if I were selling breeding stock...but I love how happy people are to get them...I've got another order with a woman I provide 30 birds to last year....she took a mix of cockerels and pullets since she has such a big flock of free rangers. I am excited to go back over and see the birds from last year. I did see one of my roosters in the background of a photo I saw on her blog and I admit...I am excited to go see how that boy turned out. he looked beefy...
I think right now I have about 4 orders specifically for free range flocks...so hopefully there is a market there as well

 

[syble]

finally i got my fan hooked up in my incubator, checked the temps all over they look nice and steady! gonna throw in a batch of turkey eggs on sunday to do a test hatch, by then it ought to be warm enough to start getting some shipped eggs!!
YAY blue/splash marans here i come!
Sib

 

[gilavina]

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Haha....that's awesome! I hate to admit it, but I'm exactly the same way. But, alright....I gotta get myself to work....its gonna be a looooonnnng day

 

[pinkchick]

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LOL! You would probably not be singing the same tune if you were actually my next door neighbor!

If'n you don't come and get'em...I will be tempted to keep them and I don't need anymore chickens............................................................................................yet.

By the way....give those other girls some more time....the pure Davis birds should have even better copper than last years birds. All of a sudden one day you will look and see a glimpse of copper starting in the hackles. They can take a couple months if not a few+ to get all their copper. I've noticed that the males can take even longer to get copper than the females. This year one of my 2 year old Black Copper gals who had a little too dark and not too much copper in her hackles, ended up with even more copper and a tad lighter hackles after her last molt.

 

[pinkchick]

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You GO Girl! Good luck with you turkeys! And yes, yes, yes......get those Marans!!

 

[Mountain Mel]

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LOL! You would probably not be singing the same tune if you were actually my next door neighbor!

If'n you don't come and get'em...I will be tempted to keep them and I don't need anymore chickens............................................................................................yet.

By the way....give those other girls some more time....the pure Davis birds should have even better copper than last years birds. All of a sudden one day you will look and see a glimpse of copper starting in the hackles. They can take a couple months if not a few+ to get all their copper. I've noticed that the males can take even longer to get copper than the females. This year one of my 2 year old Black Copper gals who had a little too dark and not too much copper in her hackles, ended up with even more copper and a tad lighter hackles after her last molt.

Your command is my direction... Oh Platinum Pink One of The Valley of Roses....

This is going to be good tomorrow because I have some ideas about flock separation that I want to bounce off you...

Have I told you lately how much I really appreciate all that you do for me?

You are an awesome human, Pinkchick

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
LOL! You would probably not be singing the same tune if you were actually my next door neighbor!

If'n you don't come and get'em...I will be tempted to keep them and I don't need anymore chickens............................................................................................yet.

By the way....give those other girls some more time....the pure Davis birds should have even better copper than last years birds. All of a sudden one day you will look and see a glimpse of copper starting in the hackles. They can take a couple months if not a few+ to get all their copper. I've noticed that the males can take even longer to get copper than the females. This year one of my 2 year old Black Copper gals who had a little too dark and not too much copper in her hackles, ended up with even more copper and a tad lighter hackles after her last molt.

Your command is my direction... Oh Platinum Pink One of The Valley of Roses....

This is going to be good tomorrow because I have some ideas about flock separation that I want to bounce off you...

Have I told you lately how much I really appreciate all that you do for me?

You are an awesome human, Pinkchick

Awww, Thanks Mel!

 

[Mountain Mel]

Shoot...I ran everybody off...

I was afraid this would happen...

come back!

 

[pinkchick]

Poularde!!!!!! How can you be sleeping at a time like this??????? You got chickies hatching!!!! Patience is apparently is not one of my stronger points lately.

Not with all those eggs out there, it's not!!!!!

 

[syble]

Quote:
You GO Girl! Good luck with you turkeys! And yes, yes, yes......get those Marans!!

I have to do a test hatch first, i worry that i would buy 3 or 4 dozen hatching eggs and have it bust

would be heart breaking to think i'd have maran chicks or any others for that matter and day 22 come on and no chicks

As a bonus turkeys are tasty hehe. I'd like to keep some assorted heritage breeds for turkeys with my marans, araucanas and rose comb RIR, oh and orps, cant forget them! My egg basket ought to look awesome! SOOOO excited!!!
Sib