Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Quote:
You know, there are quite a few homes around here built with straw bales. I can't see how that could possibly last long out here, or house all kinds of bugs and critters? Doesn't the staw decompose within the walls??? Then there's the problem of getting the straw, not a lot of locals grow it here. Don't know why, they could make a good chunk of change selling it. Last straw I bought, and it was wheat straw (I prefer oat straw), it was 6 bucks per bale! I'm sure that's probably gone up too since then?

The straw won't decompose unless it is exposed to moisture. And yes they cover it with a stucco (cement product) and the insulation value of the straw homes is FABULOUS!

 

[Debbi]

I bet it is. But everytime I hear of a straw house, my mind wanders back to the story of "The Three Little Pigs".

Do they build them on a slab foundation? I would think, even encased in stucco/cement, that the insides of the concrete would sweat, adding moisture to the straw? Around here, as I'm sure probably everywhere now too, cement has gone through the roof. Building anything, out of anything isn't cheap any more. I had even entertained the idea of cinder blocks, but they are so cold in the winter without some inside insulation, and that gets me back to wood.

 

[Tracydr]

In Nicauaragua, we saw quite a few beautiful, ancient buildings built with straw. I know they were straw because some had bullet holes and bomb holes from the war with exposed walls where you can see the straw inside the walls. I have no idea how old those beautiful buildings are but they sure seemed to hold up to a tropical, wet environment.

 

[flgardengirl]

Very interesting about the straw being able to withstand tropical weather and it is a good insulator. I had read an article about straw bales homes years ago but didn't recall if they mentioned what type of climates they would be good for. Maybe someday if I get land big enough to have my own straw field I could afford it. I guess a straw bale coop wouldn't have to be too big and it would be a fun experiment. Hmmm I will have to do the math LOL!

Pinkchick what a cool idea to use pool siding for a metal roof!! Dang I hadn't even thought of that and people throw those pools away around here all the time.
I found a bunch of 4 ft wood fencing panels a few years ago. I used it to make a fence around one of the brooder houses. I love recycled projects!!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

One of my BCM pullets is growing prominent spurs - at 24 weeks. I know that females can have spurs. Are they common in Marans? Will they grow as big as they do on the roos?

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
I just finished a coop that I made out of old cedar fencing. An apartment complex was replacing the fence and the fence panels were advertised on CL for free, so DH and I loaded up the truck and trailer and made a 2.5 hour drive to pick up as many panels as we could fit into the truck and the 5'x10' trailer. I tore them apart and cleaned the nails and trimmed all of the rot off the bottom of the boards that needed trimming. I used them as siding and hung them vertically on the coop. Used that see through corrugated plastic stuff around the top of the walls to let in daylight and because the fence boards were only 5 footers I had to figure out something that would complete the walls and look ok. The roof is the 4' metal from around my old above ground pool that "accidentally" and finally sprung a leak (

I sure did hate that pool

) . I love the look of the fence board coop, now I just need to get it painted.

I like that idea! Not too much in the way of recycled building materials out here, or if there is, I can never find it. Maybe I can ask the builders if they can keep their eyes peeled for stuff like that for me. I can't get a whole bunch of stuff in my Tacoma in one load. I had thought about trying to make an easy to tear down type of coop in case I needed to move it. Wood planks, stacked vertically, and slid into something like a channel bracket? Need to do some more searching on the brackets, I'm just not using the right terms or something, as nothing shows up like what I am thinking of. Maybe they'll know down at the hardware store? At least there, I can draw them a picture of what I'm talking about!

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Oooo, that could give a cranky broody hen a leg up on stopping egg removal!

Can't imagine it would be too good for the eggs or chicks either? Are they long? I've never seen a hen with spurs.

 

[Illia]

Haven't actually said anything noteworthy here in a while, he's what has been going on. . .


I lost my favorite Black Copper cockerel I hatched from Wynette's eggs, then later decided to stop breeding BC's but I still have my best hens and this one pullet here, offspring of Wynette's boy and my biggest hen. Amazingly this pullet is my ONLY female who's ever had good coloring. I mean, wow! The downside is that she's a little stunted in growth, and doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. She's not even as big as the other hens yet and she's due to lay any day.

Then there's my Wheatens and Blue Wheatens. Managed to hatch a few chicks recently.

Hoping for at least one BW pullet out of the three I got this time.

 

[Mountain Mel 22]

Quote:
Oooo, that could give a cranky broody hen a leg up on stopping egg removal!

Can't imagine it would be too good for the eggs or chicks either? Are they long? I've never seen a hen with spurs.

My one Cuckoo Marans hen has spurs that are over an inch long!

Until this, I had never seen spurs on a hen either.

However, now that I am aware of it, I have seen pics of hens with well-developed spurs in some of my chicken books.

 

[Illia]

Pretty sure spurs are mainly a hatchery-Cuckoo based thing, since the rest of us breed that out or it's already been bred out if at all ever existed.

Spurs on a BC pullet is pretty special and rare.