Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

So excited....all 40 eggs I have left in the incubator look good to go. There was one I had a question about whether it stopped developing about three or four days ago, but I left it to see whether it will hatch or not. I have the hatcher all ready to go and the dividers in the tray. They will move tomorrow! Its not long now at all!!!

 

[swataracreek]

Have a wheaton marans hen will be 2 in july hatched from breeder in ohio this hen is amazing she has layed 5/6 eggs a week since she was 5 months old and they are 5 to 6 on the egg chart. What is the average for wheaton marans egg laying

 

[DMRippy]

WoooooHoooT! Babies! Congrats!

Sometimes I get Black Coppers that seem to have very short down...give it some time and it should puff up but will still look like it is "short-haired" compared to the others. I have not had this happen on a blue or a splash, only some of the Black Coppers.
Don once also suggested to me that this may be indication of the heat being too high in the 'bator. Also in the Chicken Health Handbook it says that this kind of down can be attributed to a higher temp and lower humidity rate......but I can't figure out why it would only affect the BCM and not the blues or splash and only sometimes. I don't get BC chicks like this in every hatch only every now and then.
Weird huh? And my 'bator runs spot on temp. wise every time unless there is a power outage. Humidity is something that I always ran at 50ish for the entire time until the last hatch I did and Vicki helped me learn how to raise it.

Anyway....it will puff up and start to look more normal and will be fine.

#96 is clean legged by the way....so it won't surprize me if you get a clean legged chick or 2. #92 has nice light leg feathering but no feathers on the outer toe.

Only the Blue has feathered legs but not really down the toe, just a couple of feathers. I think they baby is black, but not 100% sure yet. I had a Blue egg hatch. Was having a hard time, looks splash. I will let you know if he makes it tomorrow. Seemed big and a fighter so I am hoping he will be fine

I don't think that is a temp thing either. Never had one like that, and with it only happening on BC, I would think a genetic thing.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

So excited....all 40 eggs I have left in the incubator look good to go. There was one I had a question about whether it stopped developing about three or four days ago, but I left it to see whether it will hatch or not. I have the hatcher all ready to go and the dividers in the tray. They will move tomorrow! Its not long now at all!!!

 

[gilavina]

Thanks Barb! I'm goin crazy waiting to meet them!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Lots of good luck

to those who are hatching!!

Thought I'd take a minute to post some up dated pictures of 1 out of my group of 7 Marans chicks that have interesting combs. This one was my black cockeral- almost 3 months old- he is no longer with us- as one day he was fine and the next not so much. The pictures were taken just before hand.







He was the one that had a lot of extra comb material and it looked like the upper part of his comb with the points was being pulled out.

 

[pinkchick]

Hey Kim! As soon as I get this new camera figured out and geared up, I wll post you some pics of Olivia and Bad Charlotte! Olivia's eyes are starting to lighten up finally, and are a very deep orange color now. Love her bigness too, and she does have feathered shanks, and a decent comb!! Charlotte's coloring reminds me of a patchwork quilt. Some leakage and almost Splash looking colors in there. And yes, she is still BAD! She makes me come get her EVERY night!!!

She is also quite lovely and plump, although she lost all of her shank feathers? Neither one of them has molted yet, so maybe they'll come back? Both of them are very typey, and come spring will be set up with either Roy or Clyde. Right now, I'm favoring Roy for them! He is more their type...and mine.

Congrats on your new camera Debbi and I would love to see photos of the Bad Girls!!! When you say that Charlotte is looking like a patchwork quilt do you mean that is looking dingy and dirty and possibly faded on some of her feathers? I wonder if she is getting ready to molt. My blue girls blue colors will look HORRIBLE as they are approaching molt and they tend to look like a quilt as you say but they do not get anything that is Splash looking as in White. But anywhozer....remember to come in and get warm because before you know it you will have been outside for hours with your new camera.

 

[gilavina]

Switched my eggs over to the hatching trays....and am so happy. 3 more days!
Anyways, for those of you that were interested in the cross stitch mesh dividers I made, here they are in one of the trays, in use. Work like a charm!

 

[pinkchick]

Hens~ I am sorry to hear that you lost this little roo...

and man o man he had quite the large comb didn't he? WOW and for such a youngster!

 

[pawtraitart]

My neighbor is buying a BCM cockeral from me this spring to replace her rooster that died over the winter and asked me a question I don't know how to answer. She has a 2 year old black copper marans hen (don't know what line she is), who grew out some white wing feathers after her last molt. The hen has never had white in her wing before and is otherwise very nice. Her question was, should she keep the hen or sell her as a pet? She's not into showing, but wants to have proper birds. What would cause this sudden appearance of white feathers? I've never seen that happen before in an older bird so I don't know what to say. Thanks.