Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[flgardengirl]

Hmmm Vicki, do your goat just roam loose or can you tie them up in specific areas to graze? We have sooo much tangled up brush out in the woods at the edges of our property. It is hard to get anything back in there to cut it. I would love to just let some goats out there but they would have to be temporarily fenced or tied somehow to prevent them from going way into the woods and onto other people's properties.

 

[gilavina]

No you didn't just post those goat pics!!! OMG I want goats so bad

They are really cute. I think that really light bircheny laced girl looks like a possible suspect!! Try HER with Claude first haha.

I have two of those light girls. If you pull up the article...while mine have the lacing a bit, they do look kind of similar to the pics on those articles, esp that second girl of mine.

hahaha....You don't just want goaties....you NEEEEED goats! haha I love them...they make me so happy! just wait, cause if I end up with baby pygmies, you can guarantee I'll be posting pics of their teeny-ness!

 

[gilavina]

Hmmm Vicki, do your goat just roam loose or can you tie them up in specific areas to graze? We have sooo much tangled up brush out in the woods at the edges of our property. It is hard to get anything back in there to cut it. I would love to just let some goats out there but they would have to be temporarily fenced or tied somehow to prevent them from going way into the woods and onto other people's properties.

we have a small pasture to the north of the barn and a small pen that runs behind the barn that always has awesome plants they love and connects to two other pens they can eat in. They do get to come out when I am home to watch them. I have some plants I don't want them destroying and ones I don't want them eating too much of like comfrey. They stick pretty close to me when they come out and behave pretty well. I also turn them into the garden after I've pulled things that are not good for them and let them clear things out...they love it!

I would say doing a temporary fence you can shift and move pretty easily is the way to go. I've seen people tie goats on leads in brush like that and they get hung up and can get hurt or not be able to get to water and etc....

 

[Arielle]

A straw bale hot house or seed starting bed sounds great. Straw is so insulating. Maybe I should make one just to keep the chooks out of the seedlings!

I just have a ghetto greenhouse made from a 10x20 metal carport frame with a white poly roof and 12 mil (6 mil doubled that you can buy in the paint supply aisle at H.Depot) plastic on the sides. It all comes down at the beginning of March so I have more room in the yard. I don't need it all year here so this suits me just fine. I only heat it on nights that go under 32F (not too often) with a propane heater. I am in a zone 9a so it works well here even on the real tropical-ish type stuff. I think next year I will need 2 of them to fit everything into grrrr. Time to go further south!!

I built the first green house from scrap limber from a fencing company and used huge plastic bags that I get my shaving in from a cabinet company. A little crooked. But stood for many years. TOre off the brittle plastic and added wire and a roof and a door. DH did the conversion.

I love plants. BUt too busy to deal with house plants any more. Need to thrive on neglect. LOL MIL gives plants to my kids, so I do have a few house plants. Mostly becaue the boys do water once in a while, and with me watering once in a while, it keeps the plants going. LOL

DH started clearing land again last winter for a garden space. ONly the surrounding trees have grown so tall, he will need to clear a larger area. GOod thing he loves his chain saw and gardening, too. BEt the chickens will love the garden too.

 

[gilavina]

I built the first green house from scrap limber from a fencing company and used huge plastic bags that I get my shaving in from a cabinet company. A little crooked. But stood for many years. TOre off the brittle plastic and added wire and a roof and a door. DH did the conversion.

I love plants. BUt too busy to deal with house plants any more. Need to thrive on neglect. LOL MIL gives plants to my kids, so I do have a few house plants. Mostly becaue the boys do water once in a while, and with me watering once in a while, it keeps the plants going. LOL

DH started clearing land again last winter for a garden space. ONly the surrounding trees have grown so tall, he will need to clear a larger area. GOod thing he loves his chain saw and gardening, too. BEt the chickens will love the garden too.

All this gardening talk this morning has really got me excited to start seeds and to get my layout for this year sorted! I also have a bit of cleaning to do in the garden. I'm determined to have a better year in the garden! I didn't get a chance to plant some of the things I had wanted, but this year I will be planning esp. for them!

 

[Arielle]

I could not do that

Grew up coastal Maine--I can't handle the heat. Even MA is too hot in the summer for me. So I manage to get thru the winters. Patience.

Visted FL ONCE only once. Haven't been back since. I put my boys on the plane with DH to visit family and I stay home. Now if someone could make it Fall all year round I would be VERY happy.

 

[Arielle]

All this gardening talk this morning has really got me excited to start seeds and to get my layout for this year sorted! I also have a bit of cleaning to do in the garden. I'm determined to have a better year in the garden! I didn't get a chance to plant some of the things I had wanted, but this year I will be planning esp. for them!

WHat will you plant for the chickens?? I will plant that on the perimeter to keep them out of the garden.

 

[gilavina]

WHat will you plant for the chickens?? I will plant that on the perimeter to keep them out of the garden.

I will grow different greens, cabbage, comfrey, melons, squash, pumpkins, mangels, etc. Plus they will get scraps from other veggies. My birds live for the trimmings and extras!

 

[Arielle]

I will grow different greens, cabbage, comfrey, melons, squash, pumpkins, mangels, etc. Plus they will get scraps from other veggies. My birds live for the trimmings and extras!

Mine love the leftovers too. Less picky than the dogs!! LOL Still no takers on left over broccali though!!

 

[qball53]

Hello all, I have just gotten started with a few Birchen and Splash Marans, they are not run together. I recently started thinking about Blue Birchen and wondered if any existed. I have come across a few pics and see that Bev has them listed as a variety on her site. Anyone know where I can purchase some ????