Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

I had some bad luck last week as the door to the brooder room accidentally got closed and we lost all 12 of the chicks to the excessive heat. That mistake won't happen again I assure you. Had just put another tray of eggs in the incubator when this happened, so we're trying it again. Maybe I'll get a better hatch rate being that I know how to regulate the incubator better.

Did find four 2 day old Ameraucanas on Craigslist close by, so I bought them. Looks like three lavender and one black. I know the feather sexing is probably not a good indicator on these birds, but it looks they are all pullets by that method. I'm really hoping for a good black cockerel. I also sold three of the BCM hens and culled the worst white feather offender of the BCM roos, and a Barred Rock roo. They were aggressive with me and kept forgetting they were always on the losing end of a fight, so they had to go. Hadn't let them breed anything so I'm not passing that behavior forward.

Hate reading of the other problems folks have been having, but hoping things get better for all of us. Congrats! to those having the better luck.

You can't feather sex Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers.

Sorry about your chicks.... I had a similar thing happen in the hatcher. Thermostat malfunction killed 18 chicks

a few months ago. I had several Lavender Ams and some Leghorn crosses. Such a long hard road to get here and such a short life....

 

[gilavina]

Hey Debbi Debs.... I came home empty handed from the sale barn! yay me! Although the owner's new puppy adopted me and was determined I was his and that he was going to be coming home with me. That's just what I need....another dog

He was beyond adorable tho!

 

[gilavina]

oh....yeah...since I didn't stay for the sale part, I should find out Thursday when I get the check in the mail how they did. The barn has been taken over by new owners and they are really working hard to improve it and build it back to what it was like when I was a kid....I am really grateful they are!

 

[Debbi]

So, you DID come home with something that EATS??? A LOT!??

You know we need pics of the "instead of a Marans, pup", right??

 

[gilavina]

So, you DID come home with something that EATS??? A LOT!??

haha nope, but he was stuck to me like glue! He blew past my uncle and bee lined straight towards me and sat inbetween my feet when he would get insecure about someone he wasn't sure about...and was pulling on my pant legs and trying to climb up my leg to get me to pay attention to him...he was just a little slip of a thing, but a personality bigger than life. So, so cute. They weren't sure what he was other than Heeler cross. But he looked like he had some sort of terrier in him....and to top it all off, he was a a blue merle with a black head...so stinking cute. I might go back on Saturday for the exotic sale even tho I probably won't take anything....and hopefully he will be there again! haha

 

[Debbi]

haha nope, but he was stuck to me like glue! He blew past my uncle and bee lined straight towards me and sat inbetween my feet when he would get insecure about someone he wasn't sure about...and was pulling on my pant legs and trying to climb up my leg to get me to pay attention to him...he was just a little slip of a thing, but a personality bigger than life. So, so cute. They weren't sure what he was other than Heeler cross. But he looked like he had some sort of terrier in him....and to top it all off, he was a a blue merle with a black head...so stinking cute. I might go back on Saturday for the exotic sale even tho I probably won't take anything....and hopefully he will be there again! haha

I see a pup in your future! Why not, the kitten needs a friend! Wonder if he's a Heeler/Aus. Shepherd cross?? I know I would have a hard time passing him up, except I know Otho would eat him. Be careful of the herding dogs, they like chickens...

 

[Blarneyeggs]

There are some seriously gorgeous eggies on this page! I have nine 20 week old pullets, only 2 are Marans, no eggs yet, I wormed them today, thinking... No eggs to toss is a good time to worm.

Cadeau: I am quite a ways south of you, almost in Maryland. Our frost date is May 15 th, but I consider Sugar Snaps a cold crop and put them in late March. Wasn't till April this year.


Tomorrow I pick up Marans to hatch, hopefully my English Orp eggs will arrive at PO, and I'm throwing in some Olive Eggs just for fun, going to slip a few under my broody as well.

My Alpha Roo tried to spur me today and I seriously hurt my back trying to 'Kong-fu' him, apparently I'm not as flexible as I used to be.

 

[chicken curious]

A huge thank you to Hens and Roos and flgardengirl for responding about the Marans leg color. I'll keep watching the BCM with the green tint and it sounds like that little Cuckoo cutie has the right color legs. I guess I'm using these as indicators of the quality I got from the breeder I chose. She said she's been working on her breeds for years, but it sounds like she could still be very much in the big picture stages depending on what she started with. I can't breed the ones I have (no roo in the city here), but I would like to know if I should keep working with this breeder for any more (chicken math!) or not.

Also, thank you to DMRippy and Debbi for responding about the nipple waterers. I'll probably end up with ~10 hens so maybe I should source a 3 gallon bucket and feel more comfortable hanging it from it's handle/wire/rope. I'll also play with the tripod idea.

I got the top of the run built last night and am so excited that it's all coming together. I'm also pretty proud of my building skills considering I'm just making it all up! LOL I should finish installing the mesh on the remaining side areas in the next few days and then my chicks will be so excited to have unlimited access to their yard.

 

[gilavina]

I see a pup in your future! Why not, the kitten needs a friend! Wonder if he's a Heeler/Aus. Shepherd cross?? I know I would have a hard time passing him up, except I know Otho would eat him. Be careful of the herding dogs, they like chickens...

it definitely wasn't an aussie mixed in there. The body type and hair and even the bone structure on the head was way different. He was around 9 weeks they said, but he was only maybe 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds I'd guess, which is what makes me wonder if he wasn't a terrier cross...like a rat terrier or the like.

I have a toy aussie already, but she's scared of the chickens...its kinda funny. I got her runner ducks last summer to start teaching her herding, but she was so scared of them, she would run as fast as she could to the other side of the yard....what a dink. The other dog I have is a newfoundland aussie cross and is gorgeous, but will play a bit too rough with chickens if given the opportunity, even tho he doesn't mean them harm. although, I did observe something today that I thought was fascinating. He spotted a hawk and immediately barked in this strange bark I'd never heard before and kept his eyes on it and only stopped barking like that when all the birds were in the barn. I thought it was a fluke, but watched him do it about an hour later when he did the same thing again. He's a good boy

 

[Debbi]

I had a few Aussies, but all but one were good with the chooks. My gal Blue (how original, huh?), was my sheep and goat herder, pretty much self taught. She always got the job done, but she thought it had to be done in record time...90 to nothing! But at the end of a hard day, all I had to say was, "get the sheep", and off she'd go, then stand back, cause in they'd come! She also saved me once from a ticked off sow that got me on the ground and in the corner of a stall. That little gal tore into that 400# sow like a hot knife to butter! Pinched her in the flank and when she spun around, she attached herself to the sow's nose and didn't let go until I got up and out of the stall!! Needless to say, old Blue got some good eats that night!