Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Wow Lisa, nice job!! Wish we here in the midwest could get away with that type of brooder year round! It's been hard enough this winter just keeping the house warm!

I am soooooooo ready for some nice, warm, and stable weather!

Glad to see others have googly eyes and nose whistles too while watching the bators!

 

[pinkchick]

That brooder is great Lisa!

I finally finished my new little brooder as well, but it is not as pretty as yours....I should paint it since it's going to be in the shop where we will see it on a regular basis. Maybe I can round up some pink paint around here somewhere.

DH will seriously appreciate a pink brooder in the shop.

 

[math ace]

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I need to finish the painting on this brooder, BUT I have another one to build first!

 

[math ace]

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Thanks Debbi. . . . .

Our weather isn't very stable, but I like it that way. I like having a TASTE of cold, but like to warm up BEFORE I FREEZE to death!

 

[math ace]

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I put most of the brooder together in my living room

I am loving have Home Depot pre-cut my wood!

I REALLY REALLY love Dh's power tools

I built it on legs for a couple of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is so that as the chicks get older, I can use zip ties, chicken wire, and those green fence posts and make a temp fence / play area around the brooder. The chicks can get UNDER the brooder for shade protection. I can also hang a feeder from the brooder and the food will be safe from rain. At night, I go out there and lock the chicks up in the brooder for the night. Next day, I go back out and let them out.

It is working out REALLY REALLY good so far !

 

[jlgoinggreen]

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OK.... not to sound stupid, but what is a "tactical" flashlight and what is the little round thing you made. You need to spell these things out for us nursing mommas that have baby brain. LOL

My tactical flashlight is a very, very, very bright little flashlight that I use with defensive handgun training. You can get them a number of places, including online.

The little round thingy.... I can't remember what I used... I think it might have been the round piece of cardboard from the inside of a roll of toilet paper. You just need something that will conform to the shape of the egg so the light doesn't leak out around it.

Work with it a little sometime with some of your eggs you are not trying to incubate. I'm sure if you get a small but bright enough flashlight, in a totally dark room with some kind of "round thingy" to keep the light from the flashlight from shining around the egg instead of through it that you will be able to candle your eggs. I couldn't see very good details, but I was able to see the difference between where the chick was and where the air sac was, or if the egg was totally "clear."

Awesome. Thanks so much for explaining it to me. It makes sense in my head now. I'll see if I can find one of those flashlights and make something out of my children's construction paper. We homeschool and I just bought them some really thick construction paper for a project. I think that will be perfect for what you just described.

Again, thank you for taking the time to explain it.

 

[jlgoinggreen]

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Welcome back. Congrats on the new grandbaby!

 

[jlgoinggreen]

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NICE!!! I really like.

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Not sure if I posted here already, so sorry if I posted this twice. I have a newborn who doesn't seem to sleep much.

I put one bator on lock-down. This one has 18 Marans eggs. I did not candle them, well I tried to on day 7, but eggs were too dark to see anything.

Praying I get some BCMs.

 

[Debbi]

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Thanks Jennifer! Congrats on your new baby too! If your baby is having a hard time sleeping through the night, which my daughter sure did, try feeding a bit of very diluted (with whatever milk/formula you use) baby cereal for his last meal before laying him down. I poo-pooed it because the docs did, but after a month of her not going to sleep, I tried it, and it worked like a charm. The old wives tales are there because they DO come from old wives, and are usually tried and true!

Good luck on your hatch too!!