Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[flgardengirl]

Hi Marans peeps ! Been busy for awhile around here. Today I found out one of the Key West hens has a bunch of babies (I counted 8) out in the woods. She brought them up close to the open area of the yard but would not let me catch her. They look to be about 3 days old. I really hope nothing gets them before I can catch her. She is one of my original rescue hens so she is a wild thing. She used to sleep in the coop but disappeared a few weeks ago. Now I know why lol. I've got to figure a way to catch her or, if nothing else, get those chicks, they will be as wild or wilder than she is.

 

[Arielle]

Hi Marans peeps ! Been busy for awhile around here. Today I found out one of the Key West hens has a bunch of babies (I counted 8) out in the woods. She brought them up close to the open area of the yard but would not let me catch her. They look to be about 3 days old. I really hope nothing gets them before I can catch her. She is one of my original rescue hens so she is a wild thing. She used to sleep in the coop but disappeared a few weeks ago. Now I know why lol. I've got to figure a way to catch her or, if nothing else, get those chicks, they will be as wild or wilder than she is.

I've often wondered if a huge fishing net was of value around chickens. Yup. Maybe the only way to catch those chicks.

 

[gilavina]

I've often wondered if a huge fishing net was of value around chickens. Yup. Maybe the only way to catch those chicks.

haha....you should see my collection. I think I have 3 big ones and 2 small ones haha Luckily I'm pretty good at catchin by hand, but with my back problems in the last few months, they've saved me

 

[VillageChicken]

Weird! I was driving today and wishing I had an email addy or something to track you down since we haven't seen you for so long!!!!

Very glad to see you back online!

I hope the sickness hasn't been too much of a problem. Especially for that handsome avatar of yours!

How goes the coop rebuilding????

My blues (coppers) hatched indistinguishable from the blacks (coppers). My blues are dark with crisp lacing and they seem to stay that way - so far. (No spots on their heads.)

Thanks for thinking of us. Yeah, it's just that time of year. I was never this sick when I lived in California. I got sick like once every 2 years. Here it's practically all winter long, something's wrong with someone in the family. Sickness has a way of turning the household upside down. Right now the little princess has croup or something like that, and has a fever and fitful sleep. I was like that when I was little too - I can still remember the disturbing "sick" dreams. The little man is just fine - he such a smiler, though he was sick a couple weeks ago. He's adorable even with snotty face.

The eggs were not supposed to have any barred birds - I'm not even sure she has any, but it sure looks like a cuckoo head spot on this one blue chick. There's a tiny spot of copper next to it... so I don't know. It doesn't have fully feathered shanks, so I don't have high hopes... just curious what he'll end up like.

Slow going on the barn rebuild, but my in-laws are coming in May, and I LOVE them, and Dad is very handy, so I hope to get the trusses and roof up while he's here. I can do the rest myself. Right now we're in a crazy cold snap, and there's a permanent layer of snow out there, so it's enough work just keeping the birds watered and fed. Lots of frozen combs out there for the roos, but they're lucky to be alive these days, and as long as they don't get sick, they seem fine.

I see more folks on this thread have birchens. I noticed that the birchen eggs I got from Germany are really round. Not spherical, but WIDE, and hard to tell the air sac end. I remember reading that birchens tend to lay more of the rounder eggs. Anyone else there see that?

Well I'm off to bed... well the couch tonight. The little princess has my spot so mom doesn't have to roll out of bed every 10 minutes to soothe her. Hope a good night's sleep does her some good.

Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Roger

 

[flgardengirl]

We have a huge round pier fishing net on a long rope that usually works pretty good.
We finally got her caught but used water lol. I put thier waterer out where the momma could see it and gradually moved it back towards her pen about every 15 minutes. She must have been watching it and I figured there is no water out in the woods right now because it hasn't rained much in awhile and its all sand here. Once we saw her near the pen, dh snuck around and kinda rounded them up into the key west pen and shut the gate. The chicks could get out through the fence grrr. I went into the pen and shut the gate and she totally attacked me LOL. Four of the chicks ran out the fence and back into the woods by themselves chirping loudly.
I caught the momma and put her into a secure broody pen and 5 of the chicks. We had to chase the other four but they ran way out through tangled brush and there was no getting to them. So then we pulled out the broody pen which is on wheels luckily, where the babies could hear the momma and other chicks. Then we hid. After about 10 min the 4 babies came sneaking around the perimeter through bushes and then up to the momma's pen. We were finally able to grab them. 3 of the babies look suspiciously Maran-ish with feathered shanks and they are blue! So either she mated a blue marans male or she was sitting on some Marans eggs lol, which wouldn't suprise me. I am going to go look for the hatched egg shells to see what color they are. Gosh darn those babies are so cute!!! I am all scratched up now from the broody and the woods but I feel much better now knowing they won't get eaten. There was a large hawk circling right before we caught the last chicks.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Thanks for thinking of us. Yeah, it's just that time of year. I was never this sick when I lived in California. I got sick like once every 2 years. Here it's practically all winter long, something's wrong with someone in the family. Sickness has a way of turning the household upside down. Right now the little princess has croup or something like that, and has a fever and fitful sleep. I was like that when I was little too - I can still remember the disturbing "sick" dreams. The little man is just fine - he such a smiler, though he was sick a couple weeks ago. He's adorable even with snotty face.

The eggs were not supposed to have any barred birds - I'm not even sure she has any, but it sure looks like a cuckoo head spot on this one blue chick. There's a tiny spot of copper next to it... so I don't know. It doesn't have fully feathered shanks, so I don't have high hopes... just curious what he'll end up like.

Slow going on the barn rebuild, but my in-laws are coming in May, and I LOVE them, and Dad is very handy, so I hope to get the trusses and roof up while he's here. I can do the rest myself. Right now we're in a crazy cold snap, and there's a permanent layer of snow out there, so it's enough work just keeping the birds watered and fed. Lots of frozen combs out there for the roos, but they're lucky to be alive these days, and as long as they don't get sick, they seem fine.

I see more folks on this thread have birchens. I noticed that the birchen eggs I got from Germany are really round. Not spherical, but WIDE, and hard to tell the air sac end. I remember reading that birchens tend to lay more of the rounder eggs. Anyone else there see that?

Well I'm off to bed... well the couch tonight. The little princess has my spot so mom doesn't have to roll out of bed every 10 minutes to soothe her. Hope a good night's sleep does her some good.

Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Roger

Hope you all start feeling better soon, we(all 5 of us) just finished getting over the flu that is going on. My youngest- DS(6) had croup and was the sickest out of all of us- we ended up taking him to the ER because he had problems breathing- took him a good week to fight it off, we put vick's vapor rub on his feet at night and then put on socks- it seemed to help his cough.

Good luck with hatching and keeping your birds warm!

 

[DMRippy]

I have 3 babies from PINK'S! One of each color too. One Splash from 96's and One Blue and One Black from 92's! One of the eggs marked Blue pipped, but has done nothing else all day. Maybe tomorrow.

I have a question, the little black one seems to have some odd down/feathers. I don't really know how to tell you what it looks like. Looking at his back he looks spotted. When you touch them they just fell stubby. At first I thought it was just dry goo, but after cleaning him it didn't really help. He didn't look like he was fluffing much. Anybody know what that is? Should I do something or not worry. I am afraid if he has no down how is he going to stay warm?

Pics anyone?????

Splash, I don't know if it has feathered legs. I forgot to look

The one on top is the one I am talking about. Can you see what I am talking about? The one on the bottom is blue and has feathered legs.
I don't think the black one does.



I will get better pics tomorrow.

 

[Hens and Roos]

We have a huge round pier fishing net on a long rope that usually works pretty good.
We finally got her caught but used water lol. I put thier waterer out where the momma could see it and gradually moved it back towards her pen about every 15 minutes. She must have been watching it and I figured there is no water out in the woods right now because it hasn't rained much in awhile and its all sand here. Once we saw her near the pen, dh snuck around and kinda rounded them up into the key west pen and shut the gate. The chicks could get out through the fence grrr. I went into the pen and shut the gate and she totally attacked me LOL. Four of the chicks ran out the fence and back into the woods by themselves chirping loudly.
I caught the momma and put her into a secure broody pen and 5 of the chicks. We had to chase the other four but they ran way out through tangled brush and there was no getting to them. So then we pulled out the broody pen which is on wheels luckily, where the babies could hear the momma and other chicks. Then we hid. After about 10 min the 4 babies came sneaking around the perimeter through bushes and then up to the momma's pen. We were finally able to grab them. 3 of the babies look suspiciously Maran-ish with feathered shanks and they are blue! So either she mated a blue marans male or she was sitting on some Marans eggs lol, which wouldn't suprise me. I am going to go look for the hatched egg shells to see what color they are. Gosh darn those babies are so cute!!! I am all scratched up now from the broody and the woods but I feel much better now knowing they won't get eaten. There was a large hawk circling right before we caught the last chicks.

Sounds like you caught them all in time, glad to hear that they are all safe!

 

[gilavina]

Thanks for thinking of us. Yeah, it's just that time of year. I was never this sick when I lived in California. I got sick like once every 2 years. Here it's practically all winter long, something's wrong with someone in the family. Sickness has a way of turning the household upside down. Right now the little princess has croup or something like that, and has a fever and fitful sleep. I was like that when I was little too - I can still remember the disturbing "sick" dreams. The little man is just fine - he such a smiler, though he was sick a couple weeks ago. He's adorable even with snotty face.

The eggs were not supposed to have any barred birds - I'm not even sure she has any, but it sure looks like a cuckoo head spot on this one blue chick. There's a tiny spot of copper next to it... so I don't know. It doesn't have fully feathered shanks, so I don't have high hopes... just curious what he'll end up like.

Slow going on the barn rebuild, but my in-laws are coming in May, and I LOVE them, and Dad is very handy, so I hope to get the trusses and roof up while he's here. I can do the rest myself. Right now we're in a crazy cold snap, and there's a permanent layer of snow out there, so it's enough work just keeping the birds watered and fed. Lots of frozen combs out there for the roos, but they're lucky to be alive these days, and as long as they don't get sick, they seem fine.

I see more folks on this thread have birchens. I noticed that the birchen eggs I got from Germany are really round. Not spherical, but WIDE, and hard to tell the air sac end. I remember reading that birchens tend to lay more of the rounder eggs. Anyone else there see that?

Well I'm off to bed... well the couch tonight. The little princess has my spot so mom doesn't have to roll out of bed every 10 minutes to soothe her. Hope a good night's sleep does her some good.

Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Roger

On the birchen eggs....it depends on the line here at my place...I have one pen of birds from one place that lay really round eggs and I have to candle them to tell which end is which and the other pen tends to be a bit more pointy on the small end so it is easy enough to tell.

 

[gilavina]

We have a huge round pier fishing net on a long rope that usually works pretty good.
We finally got her caught but used water lol. I put thier waterer out where the momma could see it and gradually moved it back towards her pen about every 15 minutes. She must have been watching it and I figured there is no water out in the woods right now because it hasn't rained much in awhile and its all sand here. Once we saw her near the pen, dh snuck around and kinda rounded them up into the key west pen and shut the gate. The chicks could get out through the fence grrr. I went into the pen and shut the gate and she totally attacked me LOL. Four of the chicks ran out the fence and back into the woods by themselves chirping loudly.
I caught the momma and put her into a secure broody pen and 5 of the chicks. We had to chase the other four but they ran way out through tangled brush and there was no getting to them. So then we pulled out the broody pen which is on wheels luckily, where the babies could hear the momma and other chicks. Then we hid. After about 10 min the 4 babies came sneaking around the perimeter through bushes and then up to the momma's pen. We were finally able to grab them. 3 of the babies look suspiciously Maran-ish with feathered shanks and they are blue! So either she mated a blue marans male or she was sitting on some Marans eggs lol, which wouldn't suprise me. I am going to go look for the hatched egg shells to see what color they are. Gosh darn those babies are so cute!!! I am all scratched up now from the broody and the woods but I feel much better now knowing they won't get eaten. There was a large hawk circling right before we caught the last chicks.

yay! I'm glad that you got them rounded up....sounds like they made an adventure of it for you tho!!