Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Quote:
Haha that's funny. They sure pick the strangest places to lay eggs. I have an old homemade ladder that used to go to a wooden playground. I was using it to climb up and put roofing on the big coop. Afterwards dh had it laying flat on the ground behind the coop runs. One day I walked back there and there were like 20 eggs inbetween the ladder steps/rungs lol.

All the beauty berry bushes are ripe full of the prettiest pink berries. THese are okay for human consumption and people make jelly from them so I have always fed them to the chickens. This year my older girls noticed before me that these berries were ripe and started putting up a fuss trying to get the ones behind their run on the other side of the fence. So now when I go out there I have to spend alot of time giving them their berry treats lol. The turkeys freerange and go back there and they are tall enough just to reach up there and eat them in front of the chickens and it drives them crazy LOL.

hahaha....Naughty turkeys...teasing the girls... I wonder if Sassy put them up to it and I wonder if a cut of the berries they pick go to her? She seems like she'd be capable of makin the turkeys do what she wants.

 

[chevgrl]

Quote:
I know but I still. Think there's somebody else hiding. I'm watching pretty cloely where these hens are laying. When I let these girls out this morning she was sqwaking to beat the band and she ran straight out there so I followed her cause it was obvious she had a purpose lol

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Haha that's funny. They sure pick the strangest places to lay eggs. I have an old homemade ladder that used to go to a wooden playground. I was using it to climb up and put roofing on the big coop. Afterwards dh had it laying flat on the ground behind the coop runs. One day I walked back there and there were like 20 eggs inbetween the ladder steps/rungs lol.

All the beauty berry bushes are ripe full of the prettiest pink berries. THese are okay for human consumption and people make jelly from them so I have always fed them to the chickens. This year my older girls noticed before me that these berries were ripe and started putting up a fuss trying to get the ones behind their run on the other side of the fence. So now when I go out there I have to spend alot of time giving them their berry treats lol. The turkeys freerange and go back there and they are tall enough just to reach up there and eat them in front of the chickens and it drives them crazy LOL.

hahaha....Naughty turkeys...teasing the girls... I wonder if Sassy put them up to it and I wonder if a cut of the berries they pick go to her? She seems like she'd be capable of makin the turkeys do what she wants.

Haha she will probably jump on thier backs to get the berries like she did with the black oil sunflower seeds lol. Sassy has a man now...not the one she is gonna be with once I put her in the breeding pen, but its the lavender orpington roo who has taken a shine to her. He follows her everywhere and helps her find the right spot to lay her eggs lol. This morning I saw Sassy walking along, then the Lav orp roo behind her, then a turkey, and the other turkey hen all in a row like ducks LOL!!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
hahaha....Naughty turkeys...teasing the girls... I wonder if Sassy put them up to it and I wonder if a cut of the berries they pick go to her? She seems like she'd be capable of makin the turkeys do what she wants.

Haha she will probably jump on thier backs to get the berries like she did with the black oil sunflower seeds lol. Sassy has a man now...not the one she is gonna be with once I put her in the breeding pen, but its the lavender orpington roo who has taken a shine to her. He follows her everywhere and helps her find the right spot to lay her eggs lol. This morning I saw Sassy walking along, then the Lav orp roo behind her, then a turkey, and the other turkey hen all in a row like ducks LOL!!

that's too funny. She does seem to rule the roost, and the backyard, and the turkeys, and etc.... smart girl!

 

[gilavina]

Ok....Lynette....finally I got a pic of my elusive little lavender silver birchen pullet, I wish I could have gotten closer so you could see her silver patterning, but she's a sweetie

this is my lavender silver boy update also as promised

(only like 3 weeks later)

Also...here is the best shot I could get for you of that birchen splash boy. Excuse the wire as he was in my holding pen, next on the chopping block, he had an ugly comb, only four points, and didn't hold his wings how I liked, I don't think he was a split wing, but I wasn't gonna chance it.

I'm gonna be heading back out in a few minutes, but I've culled my birchen boys down to 5 total, three blacks and two blues. They are all different ages, but have the best coloring so far. The leg feathering varies a bit, but will be working on it quite a bit this next spring. Out of these boys I hope to have two good ones to keep.

here's two of the black boys, they are the youngest of all of them...but I like the silver so far

this is a close up of one of the blue boys chests....his lacing is an improvement as well as the coloring being decreased quite a bit. I hope he keeps widening out

here's two of my blue copper girls, they are still pretty young so have a lot of growing to do...the one on the right is just starting to get copper in. Their eyes are lightening up as well, its really overcast today so they appear darker than they are...I'll see if I can get a pic of them again on a brighter day. I love the lacing on the girl to the left.

ok...back out to do some more work. I am still waiting on a splash egg...I'll get one for you Anna, eventually

 

[pusskatkins]

There is another Marans thread...is it seperated for Black Copper Marans and this one is for all the other Marans? Or is the new one that was created, because the other was closed? I posted a question there, but maybe I shouldn't have. Please help...lol!
When does the FBCM hen begin laying? I hatched 11 chicks in March and have been patiently waiting for eggs. Now, it's becoming worrisome. Does this delay have to due with the molt? My god, I purchased these birds with the intention of selling eggs to the local market, along with my others.

 

[gilavina]

ok Anna....I caught my splash girl off the nest today. Its not the splash girl that lays the really dark egg, but they are not bad. There are a couple of BCM eggs under this girl two but they are marked and are set to hatch after her eggs will if she decides to follow through on setting. I took this with the flash on otherwise there is no way you would be able to see them under the milkstand. I just stuck the camera under there and took a couple shots hoping I could get something haha
I wish I didn't have to use the flash...it wipes out so much of the gorgeous dark color

 

[flgardengirl]

OMG all those birds are so beautiful. I especially love the lavender birchens. Are those project Marans or are they the silver lav sussex? Just lovely!! I like your blue girls too especially the laced one. I would have a hard time culling any of them!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
thanks!! i really enjoy all of my birds and have to set my feelings aside and go with logic and occasionally my gut if something tells me to keep it for a while longer. the lavender silvers are those Sussex i told you about. they will stay sussex....of course they need work, but i have a good start. i love the pullet especially!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Birds tend not to lay while they are molting. Add to that they need so many hours of sunlight to lay and you may be waiting a while.
All my breeds - NOT JUST THE BCM - - are starting to slack off a little now that the days are shorter.
I would say that I am only collecting eggs from 1/3 to 1/2 of my hens now and that is consistent for all the breeds.

Oh and marans are probably not the best breed to own if your sole pupose is egg productions... leg horns, delawares, rhode island reds, etc may be better choices.