Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[desertmarcy]

How rare or common are the cuckoo Marans with feathered shanks versus clean shanks? I was reading on another thread, someone posted they thought the feather-legged cuckoos were pretty uncommon in this country. I have one pullet that has feathered legs, I got her by accident. My other cuckoos are all clean-legged, they are probably hatchery stock. I bought the eggs as 'non-show quality' and this didn't matter to me since I am using them to breed to a Rhode Island Red cockerel for black sex-links. The feather-legged pullet has much cleaner colors, the other ones have a faint browning color to them, not pure black and white. I did hold back a cuckoo cockerel from the clean-legged batch, he is about 10 months old now. And I am trying to decide what to do with him. He is in my grow-out pen and has to move somewhere or be dinner! The thought crossed my mind that perhaps I should pull that feather-legged pullet from the breeding pen she's in and mate her to the cuckoo cockerel. My only reason to do this would be to get more feather-legged cuckoo Marans. How much of a project would this be? Just thinking out loud here, I don't really have space for another breed.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I don't know how rare they are with feathered shanks but I do know Stellar Game Birds in Florida is doing VERY well with the Cuckoos in the feathered shank department. I have a couple of her birds and they are abundantly feathered. I believe Dick Dickerson in TN is also working with the Cuckoos (or was) and his have the feathered shanks as well.

 

[Cadeau]

Here you go!

I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovato...3M68/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325626198&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovato...HBDY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1325626198&sr=8-3

Both work really well, other than the aluminum foil one sort of floats and it has a VERY short cord. The other one has a nice, long cord!
The water is still cool, but doesn't even get an ice skim on top!!

I have the 5 gallon pails with 4 nipples each in the bottom.
Works a treat!! No more poop and shavings in the water, no more wet shavings around the waterer!!

AND no more hauling warm water several times a day in far below freezing temps to house after house!!!

They pick right up on it, too! Love it!!

 

[janchilds]

Quote:
Let me make sure I understand, you have the 5 gallon buckets hanging with these inside? Do you have a lid on the bucket with a whole cut out for the cord? I just finished breaking ice TWICE so this would be awesome!!!

Cadeau or anyone else know how many birds per 5 gallon bucket you should figure on?

 

[Cadeau]

Yep!! The pail sort of bows from the weight of the water so the lids bow enough to let the cord out!!
I have it hung from the ceiling from a chain.

I'm sure someone has figured it out how many birds ler niplle or gallon
but 16 birds in a run drink about 5 gallons in @3-4 days.
In a house of 35 free rangers, who sleep in there and come back to eat and lay maybe 3 xday-the 5 gallons last about a week!

It's a wonderful thing!! And the nipple work great even for the teeny tiny guys!!

 

[3riverschick]

Hum,
Speaking of heating things in the coop in the winter, I wonder if these

http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovators-FS-1-Seasons-Birdbath/dp/B000HHSMTW/ref=pd_sim_ol_5

could be used as a chicken nestbox warmer to keep the eggs from freezing? Don't know how hot it gets.
Hum,
Karen

The 2 stupid BTB pullets knocked over their water again.

I just cleaned their coops nice and cozy for the winter.

Now I have to replace the shavings.

Dumb birds.

Driving down to Tractor Supply in 21 degree snowstorm,

O well, the best laid plans of mice and men.....

 

[Cadeau]

Hmm-might be worth a try!! Didn't think of that!!
It just gets warm to the touch not hot.
The water is cool but not icy at all.

NO spilled water!! No poopy water!! No plugging the drain w shavings !

 

[Cadeau]

Karen -that one looks like a perfect egg/butt warmer!!
Great idea-keep those hatching eggs safe!!

Ugh! If you get that "egg warmer" please let me know how it goes - I had two SUPER eggs freeze and split today...some of the darkest I've gotten...

 

[DMRippy]

I think it is 1 nipple for 5 birds, but I don't go by that. I don't want 5 birds fighting over one nipple. At less than a dollar a nipple why would you do that? I think the water use kinda depends on the weather too. I use the smaller buckets. 2 1/2 or 3 gal with 5 or 6 birds I have to refill 1-2 times a week, but I don't let them run out.

Today was my first real FREEZE what a mess! We don't have electric in the breeding pens so the buckets and nipples were all frozen. Just a 1/4 around the edges of the bucket but the nipple had to be thawed with hot water. 10 pens later I don't like that but what am I going to do? Good thing that is not the normal. 19* is what it was supposed to be, IDK what it really was, but there was quite the breeze too.

But over all I LOVE the nipples. I have them in the brooders to train them early. They never forget either. I just got some new birds and I was worried about the nipples and gave them water in a bucket too, looked at them an hour later and they had it all figured out

the worst job in chicken farming so far was the water with slime and litter and other stuff they do in water

I think that cold snap is over for a few days anyway.....

I suggested to hubby we just take the water out on the really cold nights and put it back in the morning. Might be easier than thawing everything....

 

[gilavina]

yay...I am gonna have to think about how I might be able to make these work for me. I'm wanting to upgrade all my waterers and feeders when I build my breeding pens in the spring and might create an interesting solution.