Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Have a super duper day everyone!!!!!

Fun filled day planned here for me.........a couple doctors appt's that I would rather not go to if ya know what I mean.....but atleast I am will be getting them over with until next year.
I liked it better before I turned 40.........atleast before 40 they only made us come in for these special appt's every couple years.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Hens and Roos~ Those chickies sure are growing fast! Funny, I love Cuckoo chicks and think they are adorable....but for some reason I don't care for the Cuckoo's once they have matured. Is that wierd or what? Maybe I am Cuckoo? LOL!
Are the white ones in the photo Cuckoo's too?

Yes, they are splash cuckoos- hatched them from cuckoo eggs! We have them marked to see if the different sized spots on their heads mean anything, large white spot for boys and small white spot for girls. So far the girls seem to have less distinctive barring pattern and the boys have more of a set pattern- if that makes sense! They will be a month old on Friday and we're not seeing any clear cut signs as to if our tagging is orrect. After having hatched both copper and cuckoo now- i think I like the cuckoo better, just something eye catching to me about them . And our main cuckoo rooster is such a mellow guy and a gentleman to his ladies!

 

[slick4591]

If you don't have any eggs pipped you could probably try and candle a few that are left and see if you can see any movement, probably pretty hard at this point. Have you taken the chicks out yet? I like to try and get our chicks out of the bator and in the brooder within the 1st 48 hours, they seem to do better for us. If you were able to remove the chicks,you could leave the eggs go another day. It's hard to say with other people's hatches as they are all different. We know that for our hatches everything that is going to hatch does so within the first 24 to 48 hours from the first pip. Hope this helps!

Thanks H&R! I removed the chicks after 24 hours after their hatch and all but three are in the brooder. Will be taking two out after lunch today and the third this evening. I did candle a few when I had it open last night and saw no movement, so I guess I can be safe in shutting it down when the last one comes out if there is no activity. Gotta admit this has been a learning experience for me and I appreciate everyone's patience with me.

 

[Oakieridge]

I have a question. We breed Marans and I am really working with our French Cukoo Marans line in getting darker eggs. I have some eggs in the incubator that are giving me hope. I bought them from a good line so hopefully they will help with our egg color. But I have some I know I won't be using as breeders (well actually a lot). We also breed black sexlink chicks to help offset the feed bill, lol. Right now I use barred rocks hens and a RIR roo. Hubby asked if we could use our Cukoo Marans pullets we won't be keeping for breeding with a RIR roo to get sexlinks. I am not sure so wanted to ask here. If so that will help alot on not having to buy barred rock chicks and raise them out, then weed out the roos. I can just use the hens I wouldn't be using for breeding. Right now I have 6 BR hens and 1 RIR roo but we will be trippling that at least for next year. I am selling out of my sexlink chicks as fast as they hatch (well the pullets anyhow). If not that is okay I can always sell young Cukoo pullets easily.

 

[DMRippy]

I have a question. We breed Marans and I am really working with our French Cukoo Marans line in getting darker eggs. I have some eggs in the incubator that are giving me hope. I bought them from a good line so hopefully they will help with our egg color. But I have some I know I won't be using as breeders (well actually a lot). We also breed black sexlink chicks to help offset the feed bill, lol. Right now I use barred rocks hens and a RIR roo. Hubby asked if we could use our Cukoo Marans pullets we won't be keeping for breeding with a RIR roo to get sexlinks. I am not sure so wanted to ask here. If so that will help alot on not having to buy barred rock chicks and raise them out, then weed out the roos. I can just use the hens I wouldn't be using for breeding. Right now I have 6 BR hens and 1 RIR roo but we will be trippling that at least for next year. I am selling out of my sexlink chicks as fast as they hatch (well the pullets anyhow). If not that is okay I can always sell young Cukoo pullets easily.

You will get sex links just like with the barred rocks.

 

[Oakieridge]

You will get sex links just like with the barred rocks.

Thanks that will save me from having a BR pen and a Cukoo Marans pen, I know to look for the feather legs on the Marans but hubby is always asking is that a BR or a Marans? LOL

Now to find some heritage RIR roosters. I found one that was 2 months old but most everyone has production reds and I really like the heritage RIR roos we have now.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Hi Christie! Good to see ya pop around again and speaking of those little cuties that you had shipped in, where are the photos? Hmmm? Hmmmm? Hmmmm?

lol! I always read the posts on my iphone just sometimes get too busy to post. Don't worry, I am always watching.

Ok here are some pics of my kiddos...

This is Mister "I like to crow like a big boy". My youngest crower ever!! lol Blue copper


Little group shot... I love the few that are eyeballing me while the rest are busy scratching. The one down in front looking at the camera is one of the few pullets in the bunch!



And out of the blue coppers a blue cuckoo popped up.




And here is a cockerel who is almost 4 months old from a different breeder. He is the only cockerel from this group that I have kept to let him grow. But I do not like the angle of his tail and am curious about the color of his legs. See next pic.



Here is the bottom of his foot. Is that yellow I see?

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Gilavina, don't you have back problems? ~unloading trucks? Do I have you mixed up with someone else?

Kristi, nice looking bunch you have there, and i know it isn't easy for you to get birds or eggs there. I am also concerned about my boys tail set, be posting pics soon.

 

[desertmarcy]

You will get sex links just like with the barred rocks.

Double that, I was using Cuckoo Marans hens with Rhode Island Red cock as well as Barred Rock hens and if I didn't mark the ones that came from the Cuckoo mothers, I wouldn't have been able to tell which was which.

 

[gilavina]

Gilavina, don't you have back problems? ~unloading trucks? Do I have you mixed up with someone else?
Kristi, nice looking bunch you have there, and i know it isn't easy for you to get birds or eggs there. I am also concerned about my boys tail set, be posting pics soon.

yup I have back problems. I'm getting better, but also have figured out a routine that works really well to keep that nerve from getting aggrevated too much these days. With how things have been improving over the last couple of months, I'm hoping I'll have this back crap over with before too long.