Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cadeau]

Vicki - you have mail!!

Thanks all!
I'm happy about ANY egg these days b/c my girls were sulking (probably will be sullking again after this long weekend!) but I was REALLY excited about the darker one in the middle! It's a first egg and so pretty!

 

[gilavina]

Lenette! Where are you?
I think it was you that said your hubby helped set up an auto water system for your birds....if it was you...I need your help! I am working on the planning stages and am looking for options of diy auto waterers!

 

[gilavina]

Vicki - you have mail!!

Thanks all!
I'm happy about ANY egg these days b/c my girls were sulking (probably will be sullking again after this long weekend!) but I was REALLY excited about the darker one in the middle! It's a first egg and so pretty!

alright, i'll go take a peek. Are those all the boys you have?

 

[Cadeau]

Thanks!
They are all the sexually mature boys I have...

I have bunches (or it seems like it

) who are between 3mths and 6mths...
With the weather like it is, those pics are going to have to wait a bit! Poor kids would get blown away!

 

[gilavina]

Thanks!
They are all the sexually mature boys I have...

I have bunches (or it seems like it

) who are between 3mths and 6mths...
With the weather like it is, those pics are going to have to wait a bit! Poor kids would get blown away!

Ok...sounds good. I will look at the ones you sent and see, but would hesitate to cull anything until I see more of what you have growing, particularly if these boys are responsible for some of the offspring you have

 

[DMRippy]

Lenette! Where are you?
I think it was you that said your hubby helped set up an auto water system for your birds....if it was you...I need your help! I am working on the planning stages and am looking for options of diy auto waterers!

Have one if you want to see

Mine starts with a 55 gal barrel. we put a cut off valve at the barrel and t'ed it off to both sides if the barn.



I don't have many pics but it just runs under the coops into the run and along the wall. We have added heat tape to the pipes to keep from freezing and insulated that... so far it has worked were the tape reached.

in the run we use nipples. I love the nipples outside, not so much in the chick growout pens they are a mess on pine shavings

You order those nipples really cheap like .50 each or something. The first ones I got cost a $1.18 then I found some cheap ones WAY better, with an o ring too. If you need more pictures let me know I can get them. We planned on using this same thing in the breeding pens, but no electricity and they would freeze so we are going to just use 3 gal buckets with nipples. Not too bad to add water. We collect rain water for them and will have 2 55 gal barrels in the spring. We have also scored a FREE 200 gall tank... that will come in handy since we a several creeks we can get water from in a drought.

 

[Cadeau]

Might have been me?

I use the chicken nipples - some houses have a 5 gallon pail with a 250 watt birdbath heater

My big layer house has a 30 gallon drum with a 500 watt birdbath heater in it.


Like Donna said - NO poopy water, NO shavings in the water, NO changing the water several times a day b/c it is

LOVE it!!

We're going to try a gravity waterer in one of my grow-out sheds - kind of like Donna shows, but the jury is still out on that, b/c I'm worried about the water freezing in the pipes. Though, I DO like he idea of being able to fill it from OUTSIDE! (right now, have to drag the hose in or bucket...)

I can get pics of the 5 gal and 30 gal waterers tomorrow, as long as the digital doesn't freeze (supposed to be -12 tomorrow AM at chore time......

 

[gilavina]

Have one if you want to see

Mine starts with a 55 gal barrel. we put a cut off valve at the barrel and t'ed it off to both sides if the barn.



I don't have many pics but it just runs under the coops into the run and along the wall. We have added heat tape to the pipes to keep from freezing and insulated that... so far it has worked were the tape reached.

in the run we use nipples. I love the nipples outside, not so much in the chick growout pens they are a mess on pine shavings

You order those nipples really cheap like .50 each or something. The first ones I got cost a $1.18 then I found some cheap ones WAY better, with an o ring too. If you need more pictures let me know I can get them. We planned on using this same thing in the breeding pens, but no electricity and they would freeze so we are going to just use 3 gal buckets with nipples. Not too bad to add water. We collect rain water for them and will have 2 55 gal barrels in the spring. We have also scored a FREE 200 gall tank... that will come in handy since we a several creeks we can get water from in a drought.

Thanks Donna!

I have mixed feelings about the nipple waterers and if I were to go that route would want those little catch trays that attach to them to hold the water that spills....or would like to use something like the auto cup waterers, but make them myself on a slightly larger scale...My birds are such water hogs I would need a billion nipples or cup waterers when they are that tiny...so I'm just hoping I can get a bit of direction on making a bit bigger cups that are fed from barrels like you have...
Where did you end up getting your nipple waterers?

 

[DMRippy]

Might have been me?

I use the chicken nipples - some houses have a 5 gallon pail with a 250 watt birdbath heater

My big layer house has a 30 gallon drum with a 500 watt birdbath heater in it.


Like Donna said - NO poopy water, NO shavings in the water, NO changing the water several times a day b/c it is

LOVE it!!

We're going to try a gravity waterer in one of my grow-out sheds - kind of like Donna shows, but the jury is still out on that, b/c I'm worried about the water freezing in the pipes. Though, I DO like he idea of being able to fill it from OUTSIDE! (right now, have to drag the hose in or bucket...)

I can get pics of the 5 gal and 30 gal waterers tomorrow, as long as the digital doesn't freeze (supposed to be -12 tomorrow AM at chore time......

The barn this is in is kinda a garage with out the garage door ????? the front is open and it is closed on 3 sides and the 55 gal barrel has never even had a bit of ice even at 17 deg or a couple of nights. the little water on the chicken tractor right in front of it has frozen but not the barrel. The pipes would freeze.... if not for the heat tape. It is just easier in the back to use the buckets, cuz we can take them out like we did today 19* tonight they were frozen this morning too. It is going to be warm for several days so if it is just on occasion it will be fine, but daily.... IDK....

 

[gilavina]

Might have been me?

I use the chicken nipples - some houses have a 5 gallon pail with a 250 watt birdbath heater

My big layer house has a 30 gallon drum with a 500 watt birdbath heater in it.


Like Donna said - NO poopy water, NO shavings in the water, NO changing the water several times a day b/c it is

LOVE it!!

We're going to try a gravity waterer in one of my grow-out sheds - kind of like Donna shows, but the jury is still out on that, b/c I'm worried about the water freezing in the pipes. Though, I DO like he idea of being able to fill it from OUTSIDE! (right now, have to drag the hose in or bucket...)

I can get pics of the 5 gal and 30 gal waterers tomorrow, as long as the digital doesn't freeze (supposed to be -12 tomorrow AM at chore time......

The ones I was thinking of was a trough type system that their husband did....It was several months ago that we talked about it...and have it stuck in my head that it was Lenette. There was a concept we had talked about back then that I was intrigued by and want to see about adapting it for what I have in mind. But I would love to see what you have too. I am an ideas and visual person when it comes to processing what will work best...so the more examples, the better for me to look at!