Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Arielle]

I swap around feeds too. BLue Seal is running at $20/ 50# chick starter. The turkey/gamebird from another supplier is more like $14, so at 2 months switched to the cheaper feed. Protein is much higher though at 22%. My chicks made the switch to pellets recently. THey were wasting the crumbles as bedding! lol

 

[Arielle]

How many weeks for egg laying to improve once a light is turned on 14 hours a day?

 

[Cadeau]

ok - in looking on the Marans Chicken Club site
- it appears my different chick is a salmon!
(what does this mean for my breeding program??)

Karen = are you here?
I need to get a pic, but chicker is yellow chipmunk with richer reddish/bay stripes

 

[flgardengirl]

HI, I don't know if she just took over someone else's nest (which is probably what she did since there were so many) or stole eggs. I have seen key west and phoenix hens move eggs by putting them way up under their wing-pit (whatever you call it) and flying over the fence or going into the next nest box. The first time I saw it I couldn't believe it. I was trying to break a broody Phoenix hen from her 'woods nest' and she kept getting her eggs from out of the nest box in the coop and taking them over the 6 foot fence of her run and out to her woods nest. (This was before I covered their run) I would put the eggs back and they would disappear and I would find eggs out in the her woods nest. I finally put some X's on the nest box eggs and found those same eggs out there. Then I caught her after she jumped the fence and sure enough she had one way up under her wing. Since then, I've seen quite a few broodies moving eggs usually just from one box to another or off the floor up to the box. The smaller lighter birds who are really good fliers will take them further.

 

[flgardengirl]

You are in the right place to ask that! There are a few in here that breed Birchens and Blue Coppers! Stick around, some of them will chime in. Got any pics of your birds?

This is one of my favorite sites with Marans breeding info. Scroll way down to the birchens.

http://frenchmaransclubaustralia.yolasite.com/notes-on-breeding.php

 

[gilavina]

I can't wait to see pics of the Little Beast

I found my key west hens nest from where she hatched her babies in the woods and there are nooo white eggs in there. There were two eggs that didn't hatch and the other 9 that did were all dark brown, orpington brown, or olive eggs! Dang I knew those KW hens were crazy. They will steal everyone else's eggs LOL! My 2 KW hens that are sitting on silkie eggs are still sitting tight. I'm thinking the one furthest along, should be hatching really soon now. I found a teeny tiny fart egg in with the silkie eggs that she is sitting on. Either it belongs to another kind of bird or one of the KW hens. It is white. I don't have any new layer (pullet) KW hens so I don't know why it would be so small. She won't let me take it though. It better not hatch!

Haha that's too funny! They sound like they are really resourceful little turds. Have any good lookin chicks in her little troop?

I can't wait to get these chicks out! I keep lookin at that chick and tryin to figure out just how he fit in that shell!!!

 

[gilavina]

Hi all!

Sorry - been away all day getting the taxes done, picking up a pony cart and harness (yay!), and my MIL bday dinner.


Vicki - CONGRATS!
I'm glad they're finally starting to pop!



I have 15 total marans - looks like 12 BCM, 1 really light blue, 1 navy blue, and one that I need to post a pic of...wheaten or salmon?? I have to look online... Not bad out of 20 eggs!!
several of them are HUGE!! They look a week or two old!!

and only 2 cochins (out of 7 eggs...I don't know why...)

and I lost a GORGEOUS light blue chick....he had a really tough hatch and just didn't do well...

Thanks! I'm so happy they are coming along so well! Its making me curious about what I'll have by this time tomorrow!

I also have some huge chicks in this batch so far. I'm loving it! I also have a couple of little ones as well.... I hate losing a chick after its hatched cause it just doesn't come out right. It makes me sad no matter how many chicks I might already have!

 

[flgardengirl]

Actually there are some really cute little blue ones with straight combs and perfectly feathered legs. Too bad I have to consider them all mutts since their hatch mother had to go be a hussy LOL!! There are a couple black chicks with feathered legs as well. I haven't got a real good chance to look over all of them really well. She is an evil Jurrasic Park Spitter every time I get around them. I really wasn't ready for hatching yet. I was only going to be hatching those silkie eggs and nothing else till later this spring.

 

[flgardengirl]

Hi all!

Sorry - been away all day getting the taxes done, picking up a pony cart and harness (yay!), and my MIL bday dinner.


Vicki - CONGRATS!
I'm glad they're finally starting to pop!



I have 15 total marans - looks like 12 BCM, 1 really light blue, 1 navy blue, and one that I need to post a pic of...wheaten or salmon?? I have to look online... Not bad out of 20 eggs!!
several of them are HUGE!! They look a week or two old!!

and only 2 cochins (out of 7 eggs...I don't know why...)

and I lost a GORGEOUS light blue chick....he had a really tough hatch and just didn't do well...

Sorry to hear about the baby you lost. I love how those light blue ones look when they are chicks. You did very good getting 15 and almost 16 from 20 eggs!

 

[Debbi]

HI, I don't know if she just took over someone else's nest (which is probably what she did since there were so many) or stole eggs. I have seen key west and phoenix hens move eggs by putting them way up under their wing-pit (whatever you call it) and flying over the fence or going into the next nest box. The first time I saw it I couldn't believe it. I was trying to break a broody Phoenix hen from her 'woods nest' and she kept getting her eggs from out of the nest box in the coop and taking them over the 6 foot fence of her run and out to her woods nest. (This was before I covered their run) I would put the eggs back and they would disappear and I would find eggs out in the her woods nest. I finally put some X's on the nest box eggs and found those same eggs out there. Then I caught her after she jumped the fence and sure enough she had one way up under her wing. Since then, I've seen quite a few broodies moving eggs usually just from one box to another or off the floor up to the box. The smaller lighter birds who are really good fliers will take them further.

Well, bless their little hearts! I thought I was losing my mind one day. There were two eggs in one nest box, and one in another. Got to doing other things in the run and watering, and when I went back to the coop, maybe 10 minutes later? All three eggs were in the same box?? None of them were hot like they'd just been laid, and there was nothing gooey or bits of shell like someone ate one, so I'm thinking someone is transporting eggs?? Sure would like to get that deed on camera! When I get some extra money, I may buy a Game Cam to put in the coop. Sure would be interesting to watch! Crazy chickens!