Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

morning Debbi! Got those Ameraucana Eggs into the hatcher...and out of 36 I started with, 32 made it and look great! I sure hope I get big fat poofy cheeks on them!
And I did it....I shut off the incubator. I'm gonna get ahead a bit on the Marans chicks I have and thin them out a bit before I think of doing any other breeds. I also still have a few matings I was to test in my birchens and coppers, but just small ones.

 

[Debbi]

Well, the 3 Marans chicks made it through the night in the coop without the use of their crate. They are now part of the flock!

Heard a rucous out there this morning thinking someone was going after them, nope. Evidently, Clyde broke out of his night pen, and the fight was on! Mr. Pip, who had recently claimed the position of top dog, was getting his arse thrashed by Clyde, who had pinned him in a corner. I didn't see Roy anywhere, and really feared the worst. Roy and Clyde HATE each other now, and I was almost afraid to look in the coop. I opened the gate and Clyde came out with some of his women. Poor Pip really got the bad end of the stick with this scrap. Went to the coop, half expecting to see Roy either dead or almost there. To my surprise, he was still on the top roost, and gave me a look like; "do you really think I'm stupid enough to tangle with that big sonofagun this early in the morning??" Glad his little bird brain was working, he was having no part of the frey! So today, Clyde gets the day outside. I believe the ruffage may do his attitude some good...

 

[Debbi]

morning Debbi! Got those Ameraucana Eggs into the hatcher...and out of 36 I started with, 32 made it and look great! I sure hope I get big fat poofy cheeks on them!
And I did it....I shut off the incubator. I'm gonna get ahead a bit on the Marans chicks I have and thin them out a bit before I think of doing any other breeds. I also still have a few matings I was to test in my birchens and coppers, but just small ones.

Morning! Sounds like you are on your way to another great hatch! I pulled the plug last night on the rest of the Silkie eggs, they were done. My daughter couldn't get ahold of me yesterday for like 3 hours, and got worried. She called my friend to come check on me. I was outside for most of the day, and had just sat down with a cold brew when she showed up. So we had a nice visit, and I asked her if she'd ever seen one of my Marans eggs, she said no. Her niece has some hatchery Cuckoos, and Velma is always saying how dark her eggs are. I went inside and got one of Olivia's eggs.

"Wow! Did you dye that egg???" Nope, that's their natural color. "Well, I thought my nieces eggs were dark, but they are nowhere close to that! C'mon, you dyed it right??" Nope, natural. I told her that these eggs come much darker than mine, mine are still very much a work in progress. I think now I can expect a visit from her niece!

 

[Breshcandra]

How old are they again? Have they been together since hatching? If they have bloody each other this bad you might need to keep them apart. How many other chicks and how big of an area do you have them in? Sometimes you do get a chick that is mean to the rest at a young age- we have had that in the past.

They were hatched on Easter so around 4 weeks and they were broody hatched. I do not have a whole lot of space for them. I was going to sell at least 2 of them when I knew for sure which were roosters and which were hens.

 

[gilavina]

Morning! Sounds like you are on your way to another great hatch! I pulled the plug last night on the rest of the Silkie eggs, they were done. My daughter couldn't get ahold of me yesterday for like 3 hours, and got worried. She called my friend to come check on me. I was outside for most of the day, and had just sat down with a cold brew when she showed up. So we had a nice visit, and I asked her if she'd ever seen one of my Marans eggs, she said no. Her niece has some hatchery Cuckoos, and Velma is always saying how dark her eggs are. I went inside and got one of Olivia's eggs.

"Wow! Did you dye that egg???" Nope, that's their natural color. "Well, I thought my nieces eggs were dark, but they are nowhere close to that! C'mon, you dyed it right??" Nope, natural. I told her that these eggs come much darker than mine, mine are still very much a work in progress. I think now I can expect a visit from her niece!

That's too bad you didn't get more to hatch. I sure hope these fuzzy faces pop like popcorn! I have tomorrow off and am really going to try to shoot for getting a few pics of my birds growing out. There are some that I'm really pleased with....I'll have to look them over at the same time and determine who else has to go.

Its funny how you can get customers just from showing the eggs to people. I can't wait til the birchens here have the depth of egg color my other birds do. I'll be dancing around like a crazy lady for weeks I bet the first time I find one!

 

[Debbi]

Well, there will be other hatches for me with the Showgirls, but next I will be concentrating on the Wheatens. I need to get the neighbor boys down here to see if they can dig me some post holes. We haven't had any rain to speak of lately, and the ground is like concrete! Then to start on the new run and coop.

All the new Silkies and Lazarus are doing great! Little pigs! I'm pretty sure I'll get a visit this weekend as far as the eggs go. Velma asked me how I eat them, they are so pretty! It's hard sometimes!

The niece's daughter was offered a free Silkie cockerel, which she said she wanted, but they never came a got it. So, I may kill two birds with one stone this weekend! I can't wait to see your little puffy cheeked chicks!

 

[Raven1]

Hi Debbie and everyone! Congrats on everyones hatches and sorrys for all that did not hatch. I am here most days lurking just too busy to post, but got to have that Marans (and friends) fix. I did get some new Birchens 3 roos and 2 pullets, we will see how they grow out, look better already than the ones I got rid of. Been hatching and culling like crazy and have a big cut to make tonight for a sale tomorrow. I have hatched out 2 peachicks YEA Me! Got a new set of Whites in the bator so

. Thats about it, so see I am so boring that is why I don't post much.

 

[DMRippy]

Hi Debbie and everyone! Congrats on everyones hatches and sorrys for all that did not hatch. I am here most days lurking just too busy to post, but got to have that Marans (and friends) fix. I did get some new Birchens 3 roos and 2 pullets, we will see how they grow out, look better already than the ones I got rid of. Been hatching and culling like crazy and have a big cut to make tonight for a sale tomorrow. I have hatched out 2 peachicks YEA Me! Got a new set of Whites in the bator so

. Thats about it, so see I am so boring that is why I don't post much.

That is all exciting! And you are bringing all your Blue and Black Copper Eggs tomorrow, right?

I am going to sort everyone today too... CULL hard.... I am about out of layer feed

and going though chick starter like CRAZY

(just drove up there and bought 500lbs $17 a bag at TSC hurts

) maybe we can coordinate a mass buy? I am ok for a couple of weeks on feed.

 

[pinkchick]

Vicki~
I have kept a few, but they are still very young. A couple splash pullets and couple blues. I rehomed my Polly Esther girl and a nice Blue Copper girl to a fabulous young lady from Oregon. Hope she comes around here and keeps us posted on them. I can't wait to see what they lay.

I will try to get photos of the ones that I have kept,but also trying to get my garden in and the last couple of nights wouldn't you know it.....it froze and about did in my corn, totally did in my giant pumpkins and regular pumpkins and most of my Zucchini's and Squash plants. ARGH!!!!! I am glad it happened now instead of a couple weeks from now....atleast I still have time now to restart them, it will just be a late harvest.

And tomorrow we are going wedding dress shopping with one of my twins. Here she goes and runs off to college..... and now she and her high school sweetheart decided that they are getting married in August. They grow up toooooooooooooooo fast I tell ya!!!!

Have tons of babies in the brooders right now that need homes. Actually turned off my 'bator yesterday after I took out the last chick that hatched. Needs to be thoroughly cleaned before I put the next set in. Gosh I don't even want to turn the dang thing on again but I have eggs sitting on the table that must go in. G

 

[DMRippy]

Kim, I will get some pics up. I have been playing catch-up since I got back and chicks hatched yesterday. I have 3 more batches in the incubator and more going in this weekend or next or both

I sold your little Splash Roo.... a lady came by and bought a ton of chicks, she had a list

that was just the start. She drooled over him but I told her he was not for sale. But since your email and feed the way it is, I sold him. But I have pics and I am sure she would give me all the pics I want. She LOVES ROOS so I sent her home with 3 at $10 each. Your splash, a splash Cuckoo and a reg cuckoo. Tomorrow I am getting rid of a LOAD of roos... that always helps.... today I just have to make sure they are really roos.... if in doubt, they will go next time.