Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha way too funny. I just had to tease ya!

I do find it pretty interesting to see people's eggs on here, because how different they look. I am just so stinking thrilled with the work starting to show its paying off in the deepening of color. You would not even believe the place I started in with some of these varieties! I'm loving the consistency across the board.... Its kind of making me a bit weepy... yes...I'm a total nerd.

Don't cry on the eggs... the color might come off.

The other day, my Mother was washing some Marans eggs to eat and she told me "This is all just crut (her word) on here it washes off if you scrub it!" that is when the splanin' started

haha...the first time I started getting eggs from my Marans, my mom was helping me clean them up to put in the egg cartons. I went to go do something and when I came back there were these light brown eggs in there...and my mom had a pretty guilty look on her face. I asked her if she was ok and she said she couldn't stop scrubbing once she realized how easy it was for it to come off. I had never explained to her that the coloring was on the outside of the egg. I'll never forget her face...that mix of "OH....I shouldn't have done that" and "that was so satisfying" all at once

 

[Cadeau]

Gorgeous eggs!!
Crying is allowed - isn't that what "blood, sweat, and tears" is all about!?

I've been getting very few eggs...then I got TWO gorgeous ones today and they froze...

I'm waiting for my new egg chart to come - maybe then they can lay me some eggs!!


Ugh - frozen water PIPES have to be the worst type of frozen water....expecially EXPLODED frozen water pipes...how frustrating

BUT - here's another hint - you can buy a plug attachment that has a thermostat in it
- it turns on at 30 and turns off at 40degrees (F)
I use them for my heat lamps and birdbath waterers for the big birds!!
That way, the poor critters are set, no matter if I'm at work or not!! (and I'm not wasting electricity!)

They are meant for heat tape, so that it will switch on and not let your pipes burst, but does a GREAT job for the job mentioned above!!


Donna - I'm probably MORE comfortable in a barn!!
we have most farm critters big and small, including beef, pork, goats (meat and milk), horses, etc. etc.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
ok...I'm gonna need another link again to this plug attachment you are describing. I need me some of those, but I'm a visual person and can't picture what you are talking about.

I can't wait for spring again....last year was so much fun watching everyone posting pics of eggs!

 

[Cadeau]

Here you go!
Plus, you get 2 plugs on one device!! (I do heat lamp and birdbath heater!)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006U2HD2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
ok...I'm gonna need another link again to this plug attachment you are describing. I need me some of those, but I'm a visual person and can't picture what you are talking about.

I can't wait for spring again....last year was so much fun watching everyone posting pics of eggs!

I have seen them on threads for keeping water from freezing... you will have to order them. I think I will use a timer since it only freezes at night

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Oh, ok...I see... you can select when you want it to come on and turn off and such. I was having a hard time figuring that out. I'm going to file away this info and figure up what I'm gonna need for my pens. I'm needing to make a more efficient system for feeding and watering cause I'm so busy with all the different things that I have going on. The other part of this that is really nice is in case I can't get home in the winter. I've had some struggles getting home some nights from work when we get lots of snow. They don't clear or road until the very last, so this would give me peace of mind.

 

[Cadeau]

Exactly!

That way I don't worry that they're cold and miserable, when the weather turns awful before I get home from work!

I'm finally getting all my houses fixed so that I only have to feed the grow out pens every 2 days and water everyone every 3-7 days.
Saves me sooo much time!!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
I bet...but this raises a question I've been meaning to ask about what others observe about their marans....does anyone else notice that the Marans are water hounds? Mine drink more water than I thought was possible. They LOVE it! I have pans for drinking and even in warmer months will put in pans for them to play in. In an average pen of adults...say between 8 and 10 in the summer I am going through at least 3-5 gallons a day with them...multiply that by the 8 existing breeding pens I have and my grow out pens where the chicks drink waaay more since here's more of them in there. I easily spend a half an hour a day hauling just the water. Im' working on a system for the watering that will hopefully help me out quite a bit. I've got a few good solid ideas I need to sketch out now
i should mention...the water I'm hauling doesn't even cover my other breeds pens...

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
I bet...but this raises a question I've been meaning to ask about what others observe about their marans....does anyone else notice that the Marans are water hounds? Mine drink more water than I thought was possible. They LOVE it! I have pans for drinking and even in warmer months will put in pans for them to play in. In an average pen of adults...say between 8 and 10 in the summer I am going through at least 3-5 gallons a day with them...multiply that by the 8 existing breeding pens I have and my grow out pens where the chicks drink waaay more since here's more of them in there. I easily spend a half an hour a day hauling just the water. Im' working on a system for the watering that will hopefully help me out quite a bit. I've got a few good solid ideas I need to sketch out now
i should mention...the water I'm hauling doesn't even cover my other breeds pens...

In the summer my hubby would take a pan of water out to the Marans... not the others just the Marans. They were his favs. They do drink more. I have to fill those waterers more frequently. didn't relate it to breed. Maybe it is a size thing. they also liked to play in the puddles more than others.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
I bet...but this raises a question I've been meaning to ask about what others observe about their marans....does anyone else notice that the Marans are water hounds? Mine drink more water than I thought was possible. They LOVE it! I have pans for drinking and even in warmer months will put in pans for them to play in. In an average pen of adults...say between 8 and 10 in the summer I am going through at least 3-5 gallons a day with them...multiply that by the 8 existing breeding pens I have and my grow out pens where the chicks drink waaay more since here's more of them in there. I easily spend a half an hour a day hauling just the water. Im' working on a system for the watering that will hopefully help me out quite a bit. I've got a few good solid ideas I need to sketch out now
i should mention...the water I'm hauling doesn't even cover my other breeds pens...

In the summer my hubby would take a pan of water out to the Marans... not the others just the Marans. They were his favs. They do drink more. I have to fill those waterers more frequently. didn't relate it to breed. Maybe it is a size thing. they also liked to play in the puddles more than others.

haha yeah I'm not sure about that. For large fowl around here growing up and even now I've had/have ameraucanas, orpingtons, wyandottes, cornish (if you've ever seen the true large fowl cornish....you'd know what I'm talking about with size

some of our boys were upwards of 14 to 16 pounds and solid as a rock), sussex, and several others. The Marans faaaar surpass these others with their need/love for water.