Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BlossomSilkies]

Good Morning Marans Thread!

I have posted on the "Wanted" board, but thought I'd stop by here also.

I am looking for 1 or 2 Marans hens/pullets. I'm not showing these. I want a dark, chocolate egg for my egg basket. We are in Arizona, so would need to be shipped here. It's a perfect time to ship to Arizona!

I cannot take roosters or straight run as my flock is almost complete, and we have a nice Partridge Silkie rooster already. I also don't want to raise chicks or hatch eggs, so would ideally like point of lay or close at least.

A good line would also be nice, Bev Davis or similar. Dark eggs is what I'm after.


Thanks and Happy Saturday!

 

[stoopid]

Quote:
My problem is It's still miserable cold winter yuk when it's time for them to go out. Hmm, but then again, if I bring up another hatch, my DH just might move out, and I'll have room in the living room for a few more brooders.....
Is there a Valentines Day Hatch? THAT I might be able to get away with!!!

 

[stoopid]

See, now if we had a chicken train, we could ship to AZ. I think I need to be more aggressive at this.
The problem is, it would be just me, driving all over the country.
Last week, I fit 23 birds, and DH, in my little VW. THAT was a site to see!

 

[babyrnlc]

Its not looking like I am ever gonna get chocalate eggs.

The "pullets" we got are really roos according to here and noone in my area will sale marans pullets without roos mixed in. We cant do eggs because we dont have an incubator and just want two pullets. The lady that sold us the "pullets" said she would trade them out for pullets, but I dont trust her that they would really be pullets and I dont want these guys to get eaten, I have friends that are gonna take them.

I am so frustrated!

 

[Cattitude]

Quote:
This is what you need! (You don't have to get it direct from the manufacturer, there are many sellers.)

http://www.brinsea.com/products/mini.html

Then you can hatch your own pullets! There *are* some reputable egg sellers on eBay, just scout around for a while and don't buy the first thing you see. Many of the sellers would be willing to sell 6-7 eggs, especially with many flocks molting right now and egg production is slow. You'll only have a few chicks to deal with, and by spring the pullets amongst them will be ready to lay.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Well, I'm not exactly next door, but I do have one hen (about 15 months), and one pullet (5+ months) that I'd be willing to give you in exchange for a 50# sack of feed. These are NOT to be used as breeders, as they both have carnation combs, a disqualifying issue within the breed.

But if all you want them for are the dark eggs, that they will be good for. The pullet is just now attracting the roos, so she will be laying soon. The hen lays a #5+-6 egg color, and the pullet was hatched from her, so should lay the same, maybe better. The hen is just getting through with her adult molt and a rough year with too many roos, so she is in the process of growing in new feathers. If you are in the neighborhood, you are welcome to them.

 

[doubleatraining]

I'm getting my first Marans tomorrow!! To give you some history I have a few laying hens for eggs and raise batches of Cornish X. Recently I've been letting my girls venture out in the yard and have been thinking about getting a rooster for them.

I have a contact that will call me every few months to thin out his roosters. He breeds BCM and Cuckoo Marans so I know I'll be getting some roosters. I asked him if I can buy a BCM hen and he agreed to sell me one of last year's hens and his daughter offered to sell me her "nanny hen" who is a Cuckoo maran.

Ideally I will get y'all to help me pick out the best rooster and then add him and the 2 girls to my flock. I will eat the eggs and then when the "nanny hen" decides to sit...I'll let her raise and then sell the hens and send the little roosters to "Camp Kenmore".

I'm excited about this project!!

When I go look at the hens tomorrow....what should I look for? I won't have TONS of choices but my final goal is a really nice DP.

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
Well, I'm not exactly next door, but I do have one hen (about 15 months), and one pullet (5+ months) that I'd be willing to give you in exchange for a 50# sack of feed. These are NOT to be used as breeders, as they both have carnation combs, a disqualifying issue within the breed.

But if all you want them for are the dark eggs, that they will be good for. The pullet is just now attracting the roos, so she will be laying soon. The hen lays a #5+-6 egg color, and the pullet was hatched from her, so should lay the same, maybe better. The hen is just getting through with her adult molt and a rough year with too many roos, so she is in the process of growing in new feathers. If you are in the neighborhood, you are welcome to them.

Where in mo are you? May have to take a day trip! What kind of feed do you like?

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
This is what you need! (You don't have to get it direct from the manufacturer, there are many sellers.)

http://www.brinsea.com/products/mini.html

Then you can hatch your own pullets! There *are* some reputable egg sellers on eBay, just scout around for a while and don't buy the first thing you see. Many of the sellers would be willing to sell 6-7 eggs, especially with many flocks molting right now and egg production is slow. You'll only have a few chicks to deal with, and by spring the pullets amongst them will be ready to lay.

We had a broody earlier this summer and I thought about getting some eggs, but we practiced with some other eggs and it did not work well. She would not sit on those eggs and somehow stole all the other ee's blue and green eggs. (She is an EE, must be just like green eggs lol) We even tried borrowing a roo (EE that we had raised and then gave to a friend when it turned out to be a roo), then we even got a 3 chicks to put under her, she hated them! So we gave them back.

We only want 12 chickens total. We really dont want to raise anymore until we need more. We have 20 now, counting the two roo. We went to get a Welsummer (that turned out to be a brown leghorn sigh, I just want dark eggs!) and they had 2 brabanters and 2 sf, that were beautiful. Oh and for $10 there were 4 chicks (2 bo and 2 white leghorns), could not pass that up. We have a friend that is wanting to start with chickens. They are building their coop now. We are going to give them our rescue EE, the brown leghorn, a white leghorn, and a bo and if they want a roo (they are in the country), one of the BCM "pullets" that turned out to be roos! Then I think my friend will take the other one, if not my brother might (he is getting our New Hampshire and BSL, they are the mean girls and pick on everyone, but the head chickens.

So, you know how math goes, I should not even THINK about getting an incubator. It would just be BAD!

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
It's that time again????