Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Quote:
wow!!! you are definitely set! That's so exciting. How about you come over here and help me get the rest of my birds thinned down

I am refusing to count until my friend from Iowa comes and takes 11 girls off my hands and I get the 14 cockerels I have banded for freezer camp taken care of. I will be making passes through all my birds again to double check them and do hopefully my last round of culling. I am relieved I haven't done any hatching this fall. I still have a nervous feeling about this winter. I just don't want extra birds I'll have to worry about hanging around. I want all my birdies out of the summer pens and in the barn where it is warm and I can let them out into the runs on the south side when the weather is decent.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Currently we are at 34 chickens, have a couple that could be gone. We also have 15 broiler who will be leaving this coming week. 3 peachicks and 1 pair of Red Golden Pheasants so we aren't to bad on numbers

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
That is not bad numbers at all. Up until recently I had 150 give or take. A couple times a year I get my numbers up, hoping for that needle in the haystack, for that one bird that might make it all worth it.
I hope I found that in Lil' Bill.

Hoping the next haystack finds me a nice Black Copper male.....preferably produced from Bill Sr.

 

[flgardengirl]

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Ummm hmmm just wondering eh? Lol. I know how us addicts are. I think the european standard
is 2.4 lbs for the cock and 1.98 lbs for the hen. America doesnt have a standard yet...not sure what the American proposed standard is.

haha shhhhhhhhh!!!! I have a wee side project goin....started it last fall but wasnt sure if it would amount to much....have 4 BCM pullets that are turning out rather well for F1s...no cockerels tho... weighed one this am. they weigh in between 2lbs and 2.4 lbs. not far off then!! they arent laying yet, but plan on putting them in with my original BCM cock thats rather small and see what I can do with them

I have 2 tiny blue marans. One is a hen and one ,her daughter, a pullet. The pullet is gonna be smaller than the mom, who is about half the size of a normal marans hen. The drawback is niether one has feathered shanks even thou thier father did.

 

[kathyinmo]

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FORTY THREE????

Is that a typo?

 

[stoopid]

Yes, I am jealous that is really a small number, but after the hatch, she should come back up to almost normal.

 

[flgardengirl]

Wish I only had 43 I bet I have that many roos lol. I just sent to freezer camp, most of our male muscovy ducks. DD roasted one the other day and boy they sure are lean meat. Not gamey at all but taste like extra dark turkey meat. Pretty good. I should of plucked them and not skinned them though and left some of the fat layer on they would probably be a little more tender.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
FORTY THREE????

Is that a typo?

Yes Ma'am down to 43 and it feeeeeeeels gooD!

I don't remember the last time I had this few birds, but I have more space to fill back up now, slowly.

 

[pinkchick]

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Hahahaha FuNnY Girl!

Even if all 12 hatch.....that still keeps me well below the norm.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
FORTY THREE????

Is that a typo?

Yes Ma'am 43 and it feeeeeeeels gooD!

I don't remember the last time I had this few birds, but I have more space to fill back up now, slowly.

haha...did you bold the "slowly" part for us or for you? I'm constantly reminding myself of such things

I think people that know me would start worrying that I was selling out of my stock if I ever got down to 43 birds.