Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Mountain Mel 22]

 

[Debbi]

Ok, for some reason the pic didn't show up here before. I see her black mitts in that pic!

 

[rsquared]

Quote:
I did the light bulb thing last year but I'll never do it again. I used just a regular 60 watt bulb and extended the end of the day but I found I had feather picking like mad through the winter and then thoroughly messed up hens in the spring. They didn't moult in the fall last year as they have this year. They looked AWFUL by the spring. Truly. They laid LOTS of eggs through the winter but I will NEVER do it again. I'm getting about 10 hours right now as well and the ladies are laying up a storm. If they slow down in the colder months, so be it.

Ruth got a handful of raisins for her efforts. She was delighted!! As was (AM) I!!

Thanks Barb. I have never tried it, so had to ask. Out of 7 layers here, I'm only getting an average of 2 eggs/day. Two of them are just now getting back into laying after their first adult molt, and two haven't molted yet. The other three are new layers. Wonder if adding the light nearer to the sunrise would do better? I know when I have to take my old dog out at 4am, and turn on the porch light (which is in the front yard, chickens in the back), the birds all seem to wake up. Can you say 7 or 8 crowing roos at 4am??

Good thing I'm downwind of my neighbors, and they aren't real close!

Okay, Debbi, will weigh in here. In the midwest had a coop that had greenhouse roofing on. My chickens laid all winter long, not heavy, but at least 50% of them were laying. Have now moved to PNW w/ a solid, regular roof on my coop and w/ approx 50 pullets/hens am currently getting 2 eggs a day....1 from one of my silkies and 1 from my Blue Plymouth Rock....everybody else on strike. Since it gets dark so early here..approx 6pm I run a 60 w bulb till 10ish then I turn it off. Will see how that works out

 

[Lotsapaints]

I hooked up lights tonite now I use them all the time as all my stalls have them installed by my wonderful husband. Right now I'm using dog kennels for the chickens as breeding pens and I have had a smoken good time with a brooder light so like most of you was just wondering what I could use that would be safe. I bought the 13 watt drop light @ Lowe's for 19.95 using a short extension cord right now to see how it would work with the outdoor timer that is 10.95 you dial how long after dusk it stays on. I am really liking this set up each drop light has an outlet for another light so I can string one light from another and they give enough light without breaking the bank. I don't know how this would work where it is really cold as the shop lights I used to use in my stalls wouldn't go on if it was real cold but I have not had that problem with the 13 watt flood lights they come on maybe pinkish for a bit but then go all the way on and I looked for blood spots in my eggs last year and didn't have very many of them in any of my breeds and my hatchability was very good so this is another idea for those of you who want to try lights they do work wonderful for getting eggs in the winter.

 

[DMRippy]

The lights... 95% of my layers are spring pullets, and I am going to try to keep it that way in my layer pen. I have 2 shop lights on one side of my coop, I was only getting maybe 6 eggs from 18 pos. layers. Most had not even started. Hubby insisted on lights. So after much reading, I have the lights come on at 2am and off about 8am. It is pitch black here at 4:30 now and soon to be 4. The reading I did said it was not good to just turn the lights out at night, they need gradual sundown to get to bed and not be left in the dark. That made sense to me so that is what I am sticking with for now.

I will not have lights in my breeding pens, I don't think it is good to change their molt. That is not what I am trying to do, just trying to keep the pullets laying. After waiting 8 months for some of those eggs, I don't want them to stop for lack of light.

No for the Marans, Eggs, Marans stuff.... Very quickly my Marans Pullets with no light started giving me 2, then 3 and 4 eggs. So I was really excited when on Thanksgiving night my son told me he got 4 eggs, well I had already gotten 1 so that was 5 in one day! I only have 6 girls! SOOOO excited!

So now for a test hatch of 40 eggs!

Looking for lots of things with this hatch so we will see what might come from my little flock of FBCM

 

[SD_Paulo]

Quote:
I used this technique when I was breeding Canaries, Finches and other exotic softbills. Its very effective in greenhouse type shelters. I have never tried it with poultry but I am sure it would work. Keep us posted.

 

[stoopid]

You guys got me drooling all over myself too early this morning!
I wonder if it is in the breed, or if it is a language, like a certain "rooster dialect" from where they are?
OOps. too early, This is about the laughing roos.

 

[Mountain Mel 22]

 

[Mountain Mel 22]

 

[stoopid]

No pink turkey? Was the squash pink?