Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cattitude]

Quote:
Love both the eggs and Ella!! I have a long-haired dilute calico named Mystery. We don't know where she came from, and she sure is a funny gal, which is what earned her the name. She stays on top of the cabinet in the laundry area and rarely comes down. I even put her food up there for her. Spoiled rotten!!

My Marans eggs are due to go into lockdown tomorrow. The seller didn't have enough black coppers to make an order, since they had just started molting, so I asked him for an assortment. They are from Blue, Black, Wheaten, Blue Copper, and Black Copper flocks. They have all developed well, and I'm crossing my fingers for a great hatch!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Love both the eggs and Ella!! I have a long-haired dilute calico named Mystery. We don't know where she came from, and she sure is a funny gal, which is what earned her the name. She stays on top of the cabinet in the laundry area and rarely comes down. I even put her food up there for her. Spoiled rotten!!

My Marans eggs are due to go into lockdown tomorrow. The seller didn't have enough black coppers to make an order, since they had just started molting, so I asked him for an assortment. They are from Blue, Black, Wheaten, Blue Copper, and Black Copper flocks. They have all developed well, and I'm crossing my fingers for a great hatch!

Thanks! I'm so pleased my girls are laying again and that the color is definitely nice after their wee break. Sounds like Mystery and Ella both have quite the personalities...maybe they are long lost sisters haha

Sounds like you will have quite the mix of Marans due to hatch soon. How many of each color did you get for eggies?

 

[Cattitude]

I got 2 or 3 of each color. The eggs from the Blues and Blacks are a little lighter than the others, but the seller told me that before we finalized the sale. All the hens had been laying since Spring, so the eggs were naturally not as dark as the ones earlier in the season. Here is a pic of the eggs the day I got them:

I have been well pleased with them so far. Send the good hatching vibes my way!!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Definitely sending good hatching vibes

did they mark each egg for you so you know which eggs are which? I always take pics of the eggs before i put them in the incubator and put a number on each one that I can see from the top of the eggs so I can write which number egg they came out of. Then I always have a quick reference photo so I know what color egg they came out of at a glance.

 

[Cattitude]

I wish he had, but I think that other buyers of the assortment have asked him not to mark them, so that they would be surprised. In the long run it doesn't matter, because I'll be able to tell them apart. I am so hoping to have pairs of each color, but if I get hens-only I can always put them with my Ameraucana roo and hatch olive eggers until I find a proper Marans rooster. And the same in reverse if I get only roosters of a certain color.

The breeder stated in his ad that he has Davis, Jeane, and imported lines, and was careful to emphasize that they were French Marans, with the feathered legs and toes. When he couldn't fill the order for only Black Coppers, he offered to refund my payment. He sounded like a responsible and knowledgeable breeder. He has pictures of his chickens on his current ad, which is for an assortment. I can PM his eBay name to you if you'd like to go look at his ad.

 

[Mountain Mel 22]

Quote:
Are feathered toes a desirable trait?

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Are feathered toes a desirable trait?

just sparsely down the outside toe of each leg

Good to see ya back o the thread!

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all

Went to my garage yesterday to get the mower. Had my key in hand to unlock the padlock on the big garage door. Stepped up to the lock, and just before I went to grab it, looked down. Sitting on a trap I have that fits nicely away between the two doors, there is a COPPERHEAD!!!!

Not a big one, maybe 10" long, but those young ones pack more venom than the older ones. Backed up slowly and ordered the dog out of the garage. Went and got my can of hornet spray and came back. Saturated the little terd, then decided it was not my day to mow.

Don't know if it killed him, but he didn't look real healthy at last glance, so maybe it did him in. That's it, the cats are FIRED!! I've seen two snakes in my yard this year; one the chooks tore to pieces, and now this one. I have one bale of straw in the garage, so I'm thinking, if there was one of that size in there, he probably has friends living inside the straw bale. Amazing how calm I stayed, considering my hand was about 6" from his mouth. After all was said and done, I had to sit down, opted for a beer, and made past due phone calls all day!

Ruined my whole day workwise, but I did get to take some pics of my Silkies...

My eggies go into lockdown on Wednesday! Never did candle them, may do that on Wed. just in case. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Cattitude ~ I PMed you!

 

[gilavina]

mornin Debbi! Sounds like a crazy day yesterday! I sure hope there aren't more baby snakes slithering around! But if there are....how do you get rid of them since they are venomous? I know every once and a while someone will find a rattlesnake here, but I count myself lucky that I've got it pretty good here. I'm not sure what I'd do if I found one.

 

[Debbi]

Ha! The next time I go into the garage, I will be taking the hoe!! That little guy wasn't in a spot where I could use it though, unless I wanted to bash my trap. Should've just knocked him off of it, but was only wearing my Crocs, and the thought of him slithering up my pants like the mouse did...NOT HAPPENING!!!!!

Next time, it's boots and hoe! The war is soooo on!