Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Thanks Harris! Now keep your fingers crossed that I can narrow down the whole BIG STUPID COMB STUFF that is making me pull out my hair. Can say that I feel much better now that I culled everything that even looked suspicious to me, time will tell. Definitely cuts into the egg waiting list because I ain't letting eggs go out now until I have it worked out. I didn't want to do very many hatches this winter like I normally do but looks like I am going to be testing for a while.

Caught my young Blue Copper Bill x Davis pullet yesterday in the nest box and she gave me a cute little pullet egg. Ok color on her egg for now...I will give her a couple more weeks of laying to see if it darkens a bit. I hope it does.

Math Ace~ I got a splash egg yesterday that is pretty nice...and not too far off from Crackers. In my experience yes the Splash variety tend to lay a lighter egg though there are Splash out there that do lay a nice darker egg. I've been lucky to get a few but it's not every egg. The best egg color I have ever got from a Splash was from one of Bill's first gen. Splash dtrs., but I sold her because she had a too high of a tail set and clean legs. There is nothing in stone that says the Splash cannot lay a dark egg like the others....it's just that I haven't seen it happen in my birds.

Here are 4 eggs from yesterday...they are starting to sweat because I just took them out of the fridge. 1 egg is a Wheaten egg....NO I don't have Wheatens... I stole it from my best friend to bring it home and compare it to my girls' eggs.

Starting on the top row they are as follows....

Top left- Blue Copper pullet that just started laying
Top center- Splash
Top Right- Wheaten

Both bottom eggs are from one of my Black Copper hens who has also just started back up laying.

 

[pinkchick]

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Is that a Barnvelder in the picture with the Marans? Mine look so completely different but this is my first time to have them.

The Barnie is in the last photo with the BCM pullet. Looks like the Barnie has nice lacing.

 

[MaryL]

My first egg from one of my 6 month old BCM. Very exciting for a first time chicken owner!

 

[stoopid]

Yay!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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Very nice! Congratulations!!!

 

[bigshawn]

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Nice congrats, can't wait tell my turn.............

 

[Debbi]

Hello all, I'm baaack!

Well, some may not be so happy, but I am.

Had yet another modem go out on me

This is the third one, and while they guarantee them for a year, I have yet to have one of their 3 last that long. Sure wish we could get DSL out here!!

In the interim, I've had two new layers start, and one of the hens re-started again after her molt. Too much feed going out, and nowhere near enough eggs to even get close to justifying the ever upward going prices! Can't give away roos around here, so I guess the axe is in due order. The eggs in the bator are on day 10, will candle tomorrow. Been measuring for an addition onto the back of the main coop, so I can house these new babies or the Silkies during the winter. It will also come in handy for single matings later on.

In the meantime, was sick as a dog with fever and infection due to a tooth absess, (evidently I grind my teeth in my sleep!). Not fun, and a few days I did nothing but sleep on and off. Took Colloidal Silver and the rest of my vitamin regime, and pulled out of it. It's scary getting older, and scarier knowing there is no medical that I can afford, nor any docs around here that I can find taking on new patients, or for that matter, any that I can trust. Guess I'm a tough old bird, as I always seem to pull through. Will have to catch up on here to see how the party has been going without me. Just now got done with weeding through my e-mails!

Almost 500 e-mails to go through that took my dial-up almost an hour to load. Any way, I'm better and I'm back!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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Glad to have you back, Debbi! You were missed!! (I'm one of the happy ones.

I've missed my morning giggles!) That tooth sounds NASTY!

 

[gilavina]

Yay! Debbi! I'm glad that you are back!
Sounds like that tooth is painful

Hope that it keeps healing up for you. How has everything else been down your way? Got all your birds thinned down for winter and have all the bad combs weeded out? Still working on it here...I'm resigning myself to the fact that my youngest group of chicks is going to need time to grow out and they keep changing so much week to week as they grow out of their gangly phase that it is hard to cull the birchen boys I've narrowed down and the pullets are looking nice too.... yarg!! I need to get to working on some chicken math to make me feel better!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Hi Debbi

glad to see you back on-line! Morning everyone!

I know what you mean about watching the chicks grow out so you can decide who stays, it seems to take some of them forever

especially the ones you are watching closely!