Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Arielle]

Quote:
Kathyimo helped me via another thread.

 

[Zgoatlady]

I was finally able to get a good photo showing the real color of those lavender looking eggs I get from the Marans from time to time. Tried to hatch a couple of them out with the fridge babies but they didn't hatch. They are the some of the hardest eggs to hatch with this extra thick coating on them. Have only ever been able to hatch one out and that was a couple years ago.

I wonder if you sanded them if that would work? I guess you could try all it would do is take up space..

 

[Christie Rhae]

Here are my group of shipped chicks. They are three weeks old today and got booted out of the brooder. It is crazy how huge they seem in the brooder and then how tiny they seem outside. lol
Some of these guys are pretty big. As I took them out of the brooder and placed them into a box one by one I checked them out thoroughly and made notes. None have middle toe feathers. 2 have clean legs. Some have light leg feathering, some a little more heavy. A couple with the short toe thing.
By my best guess at 3 weeks I would say I have 5 pullets and....13 cockerels!!

Lol! Can you believe that? Oh brother! I guess my husband and I are going to have to learn to process chicken...
I am pretty happy with them over all. I am drawing the line here. With the one 6 month old BCM pullet, six 2 month old chicks and these 18 babies...I am going to have to make this my start. I will keep the best of these and begin from here with my marans adventure.

They have a wooden box they can run under with a 60 watt bulb in case they get chilly. The low temp tonight is 50+.. I went out and checked on them and their little bodies feel toasty warm.

 

[bigshawn]

^^^^Nice.......................

 

[chickenlisa]

awww those little babies look so small outside! Too cute! I'll have to put mine out in a few weeks too- they'll be about that same age. But more BCM chicks are due to hatch this week and then my 3 goslings are due next weekend. Not enough indoor brooder space for them all once they get very big...What do you have them on? (What's on the ground?) I'm wondering if wire floor with hay and pine shavings will be ok for their feet once I move them outside (and they'll have a heat lamp there too if they need it.)

 

[pinkchick]

I have a FBCM hen that has just started laying for the year. Why are the bumps appearing? They are under the paint layer, and are like calcium beads. Other hens lay without the adornment of beading. It breaks off with a bit of effort and is hard, like calcium.

These little deposits can be caused by an excess of Vitamin D. If you scrap them off and candle the egg you can or should see a weak spot in the shell where they were. Sometimes, after scrapping them off you may also see a hole where they were.
Borrowed from The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow (this is my chicken health bible, it stays on my desk at all times for quick reference)

"Excess vitamin D causes kidney damage. One sign of too much vit. D in a hens diet is calcium "pimples" on eggshells that, when scraped off, leave little holes in the shell."

Here's a real funky one that one of my girls gave me once. Ignore the dust...these eggs sat on a shelf for about 2 years in my living room as decorations.

 

[dkcrumly]

Here are the gorgeous eggs from Kim that I set for the Easter hatch!! Cannot believe the color of these beauties!!

 

[Debbi]

Hi all, thought I'd pop in, in between the storms.

Arielle, Are you feeding "Oyster Shell" to your girls?? I used to get calcium warts on quite a few of my eggs till I quit feeding it! Haven't had any since. I also have no problem with soft shelled eggs. With their feed, grass, bugs, and treats, I believe they get all the calcium and Vit. D they need. I'd still like to know why they call it "Oyster Shell"?? It is basically gypsum, aka, drywall!

 

[Debbi]

Sold a Silkie roo today to the girl that got one of my pullets. "Buffy" the Buff Silkie, is now a spoiled rotten, Princess House Chicken! She even came for the ride today to pick up her companion "Frankie". The gal said she will be scouring Ebay today for a muscle shirt for him!

Buffy was in her dress when she picked him up, and looked just pleased as punch to be riding in the van. I knew the girl's mom would cave, she was only going to be allowed ONE CHICKEN!! I think the mom was more impressed with Frankie, so we'll see how that claim holds up. Does my heart good to know they are in such a fun, and loving home!

 

[stoopid]

I buy the xxs doggie clothes in Walmart. Fit like a charm!