Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[berkeleysprings]

geesh im a old rooster and i wanna come live there
Quote:

Let's see.... I live in Florida - -So I give them sunshine.
I live in the country - - -So, I give them fresh air.
I am mother and a natural worrier - - So, I change their water twice a day.
I have the space - - So, I give them a large 75 x 75 all male bachelor pad to grow up in.

AND THEY ARE SO HAPPY that they reward me with crowing as early as TWO weeks old.
Normally, they are around 4 - 6 weeks before they start letting it rip, BUT I have had them crow as early as two weeks.
It sounds like a yelp as if someone was picking on him, BUT no one was around.... He was in the middle of the brooder - crowing / yelping.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
The 3 chicks that I had shrink wrap were hatched at 65-70% humidity...go figure? In all fairness, one did have the problem due to a power outage. From now on, I'll set my humidity at 50% for the lockdown. I set the humidity at 35% for the first 18 days, but if it fluctuates from 30-40% that's ok. This is what I used on a shipped egg hatch of Silkie eggs. Silkie folks warned me not to get too excited, as their eggs don't usually do well when shipped. Out of 20 eggs, 17 went into lockdown, and 14 hatched! They all asked me what I did to get those results.

The Marans eggs have a thicker and harder shell, and if the moisture doesn't evaporate and dry the shell out some, therein lies the problem, me thinks.

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:

Let's see.... I live in Florida - -So I give them sunshine.
I live in the country - - -So, I give them fresh air.
I am mother and a natural worrier - - So, I change their water twice a day.
I have the space - - So, I give them a large 75 x 75 all male bachelor pad to grow up in.

Well maybe it's the larger pen mine don't fight very much either and I always keep a couple together or maybe they get it when I send the extras off it's always pretty quiet after that. Really though maybe because of solid sides so they can't see anything but the pen they live in. I've read on other threads when they put up solid sides it helped tone those guys down...

I have 2 Delawares growing up in the pen with the grown ups and they whine all the time they make the most small noises and now that they have gotten too big to go pen hopping they are worse. I gave them to a setting hen so she would get off the roll out box (no way any eggs would ever hatch there) I thought for sure when I saw them going in and out of where they belonged they would not live long (I have dog kennels panels with chain link and there are gaps to split the pens) I was always amazed at where they could still fit as they have gotten bigger but my Delawares are my best escape artists if I want to make a pen chicken proof just put them in and they will find anyplace to get out....but none of the other Marans did anything to them I thought those hens might be mean. I don't think that little rooster will crow anytime soon the rooster that rules the pen he lives in would be the top dog if mine all ran together. I think it's very interesting watching my chicks grow up with the big ones my Black Copper hens are starting to lay eggs again and still love their not so little ones. Those little chicks roost right up there with the moms I have 3 hens raising 9 chicks they scratch around and find food so well I'm going to try again next year to let the hens hatch chicks out I like how they are turning out.

Randy I don't know about being an old rooster at my house but the weather is nice way different than what you are used to though. I don't have 4 seasons only wet or dry and cool or pretty warm......lots of sunshine year around and we complain if it get much below 30 degrees and over 100.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:

Let's see.... I live in Florida - -So I give them sunshine.
I live in the country - - -So, I give them fresh air.
I am mother and a natural worrier - - So, I change their water twice a day.
I have the space - - So, I give them a large 75 x 75 all male bachelor pad to grow up in.

Well maybe it's the larger pen mine don't fight very much either and I always keep a couple together or maybe they get it when I send the extras off it's always pretty quiet after that. Really though maybe because of solid sides so they can't see anything but the pen they live in. I've read on other threads when they put up solid sides it helped tone those guys down...

I have 2 Delawares growing up in the pen with the grown ups and they whine all the time they make the most small noises and now that they have gotten too big to go pen hopping they are worse. I gave them to a setting hen so she would get off the roll out box (no way any eggs would ever hatch there) I thought for sure when I saw them going in and out of where they belonged they would not live long (I have dog kennels panels with chain link and there are gaps to split the pens) I was always amazed at where they could still fit as they have gotten bigger but my Delawares are my best escape artists if I want to make a pen chicken proof just put them in and they will find anyplace to get out....but none of the other Marans did anything to them I thought those hens might be mean. I don't think that little rooster will crow anytime soon the rooster that rules the pen he lives in would be the top dog if mine all ran together. I think it's very interesting watching my chicks grow up with the big ones my Black Copper hens are starting to lay eggs again and still love their not so little ones. Those little chicks roost right up there with the moms I have 3 hens raising 9 chicks they scratch around and find food so well I'm going to try again next year to let the hens hatch chicks out I like how they are turning out.

Randy I don't know about being an old rooster at my house but the weather is nice way different than what you are used to though. I don't have 4 seasons only wet or dry and cool or pretty warm......lots of sunshine year around and we complain if it get much below 30 degrees and over 100.



We complain about the weather too, even though we know what we get every year. Why is it that it always seems to surprise us??

As for old Randy roo...you'll have to just live out your days dancing, my dear. A 50 year old roo is too old, even for the crockpot!

 

[berkeleysprings]

Well debbi I do have a soft side and I don't mean back side.what ever happened to the song
.buba shot the jutebox last night,said it played a sad song. Made him cry........dats me. I'm so mushylol

 

[Debbi]

Randy, Hope you didn't take that the wrong way! I wouldn't hurt your feelings for the world. You just keep on dancing and clucking!

We have a saying here that applies well to me: "Well, they can kill me, but they can't eat me". The older I get, the more I understand that one!

 

[berkeleysprings]

Quote:
Never, u all are tje best I thimk all u all are grear peoplebut that dosnt change tje fact I am a big 180 lb softy lol xoxoxo

 

[gilavina]

Hey Debbi

are you getting some relief in the weather down your way too? It was almost pleasant today. My oldest brother was just here this last week and helped me with some projects on the barn and tearing out a massive thorny locust in the front yard. Let me tell ya...that was some hard work....I'm still sore and tired and banged up from it. I think I also got into some poison ivy when I was dragging limbs through the evergreen windrow and am feeling quite uncomfortable...

But..the best news of all....my uncle worked on the electrical wiring in the barn and I have power in the barn again!!! I'm so excited! He's coming by again tomorrow to finish the rest of it.

I also found one of my lovely blue girls that I've posted pics of on here from my valentine's hatch hatch has gone broody on me. I don't know how long she has been snatching eggs away from the girls in her pen, but she had them hidden pretty well from me. So, I might have some cuties here in a bit!

 

[ChicksterJo]

My pullet will be 24 weeks old tomorrow...No signs of beginning to lay yet, no squatting at all. Just some big wattles and comb, reddening as usual. She's just taking her sweet old time.

 

[Debbi]

Hey Vicki, yes! It was in the 80s here yesterday and I have been catching a lot of storms and rain! Today, the grass finally dried enough to cut by 3pm, so out I went. Then went out and scrubbed all the feeders and waterers, cleaned both brooders, lugged 14 Silkies out to play on the grass, and then found out I didn't have oned darned aspirin in the house!!!

I'm feeling it tonight for sure. More rain for the most part of this week. Gee, I may have to mow again??

Yesterday was only the second time I've shut off the AC since the end of June! It was so nice without that constant huuummmmmm.............