Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Hey Lenette, I just heard from Peter in the UK on those silver marans chicks. Here is what he said in regard to the color of the chicks and etc.

" chicks aren't sex linked. At the outset we got a mix of colours in the chicks - black (Cuckoos), grey which developed into a lighter version of the Cuckoos and buff/yellow which we bred from to achieve our Silvers. Now we just hatch buff/yellow chicks. "

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]What colors do you have left after losing that one chick?[/FONT]

 

[Cotton42]

Some do have a slower feathering gene. I band the ones that are slower to feather out with another colored band added on so I can track them. If any of them make the cut for breeding, I am careful to track them as I try to breed it out. Sometimes a really nice one will come along, that I just can't cull, so I try to make sure I pair them with one that feathered in faster and select the quicker feathered chicks to let grow out. As far as smaller, I've never noticed a difference with mine, but perhaps some of the others that have had the slower feathering chicks will be able to chime in if they have noticed a size difference as well?

Thanks for the quick response! I guess I'll let him grow out and see what happens. I was planing on using him to make some Olive Eggers one day. He seems otherwise happy and healthy, just looks so pathetic next to the other 2 I have.

 

[ffamom3]

Does anybody know if mydarkeggs.com is still in business? I have emailed both guys twice and used the contact form. I never heard back

does anyone know of a reputable breeder with pure wade jeane blue coppers and birchens please let me know? Thanks!

I was "owed" chicks from darkeggsdaily from a batch that died in transit last year. They were replaced the first week of March by Cedar Creek Hatchery, which is where their birds went. Most look like mutts with much yellow in their legs, several have no feathering on legs, and coloring such as I have not seen in Marans. I wouldn't take such a gamble if I was paying good money for them. Carol

 

[gilavina]

I was "owed" chicks from darkeggsdaily from a batch that died in transit last year. They were replaced the first week of March by Cedar Creek Hatchery, which is where their birds went. Most look like mutts with much yellow in their legs, several have no feathering on legs, and coloring such as I have not seen in Marans. I wouldn't take such a gamble if I was paying good money for them. Carol

The original poster was asking about mydarkeggs.com, which is a different breeder than dark eggs daily. They had pure wade jean birds and was owned by Tom Culpepper. He has since sold some of his birds due to health reasons, and mydarkeggs is now owned by someone else, but not cedar creek hatchery.

 

[Debbi]

Hey Vicki, kudos on the Ina babies!! Nothing cuter than baby goats and lambs!! I love it when they go into the "spring" action...boing, boing, boing

 

[gilavina]

hehe....the little buck was trying this morning. I'd say in the next day or so, they will start in earnest! They are about 8 or 9 inches tall and already friendly and curious about me. I love them!

 

[Debbi]

Did some tree trimming up by the mailbox yesterday for my "Princess" of a mail carrier. Boy, she wouldn't have lasted 2 weeks where I used to work! Anyway, came back down to the house, the box is about 80 feet from the house, and I was COVERED in ticks!

Truly made me appreciate all the bug eating my chooks do around here, neither me or the other animals have had any ticks all spring! Next time I trim up there, I'm taking a chicken with me!

 

[gilavina]

Did some tree trimming up by the mailbox yesterday for my "Princess" of a mail carrier. Boy, she wouldn't have lasted 2 weeks where I used to work! Anyway, came back down to the house, the box is about 80 feet from the house, and I was COVERED in ticks!

Truly made me appreciate all the bug eating my chooks do around here, neither me or the other animals have had any ticks all spring! Next time I trim up there, I'm taking a chicken with me!

yuck!

 

[Debbi]

hehe....the little buck was trying this morning. I'd say in the next day or so, they will start in earnest! They are about 8 or 9 inches tall and already friendly and curious about me. I love them!

Oh my, that's tiny!! I may have to get me a few of those for weed eaters.

Christie, sounds like you are a wannbe farmer like me! We used to butcher the wethers and kept back the does for more milk. I never kept a buck on my place, I would borrow my friend's big Nubian buck, Romeo. All I had for a vehicle back then was an old Ford Econoline van, and Romeo knew what it meant when I came to get him. A little corn inside the back door, and in he went! We are talking about a 250lb. buck, who would stand next to me while I was driving, with his chin resting on the dashboard! I hauled quite a few animals in that old van, including a 400lb. boar going off to slaughter. He rode the same way, and when I got to the butcher, the guy says, "really? you want me to slaughter him? He looks so happy to be going for a ride!"

 

[gilavina]

Oh my, that's tiny!! I may have to get me a few of those for weed eaters.

Christie, sounds like you are a wannbe farmer like me! We used to butcher the wethers and kept back the does for more milk. I never kept a buck on my place, I would borrow my friend's big Nubian buck, Romeo. All I had for a vehicle back then was an old Ford Econoline van, and Romeo knew what it meant when I came to get him. A little corn inside the back door, and in he went! We are talking about a 250lb. buck, who would stand next to me while I was driving, with his chin resting on the dashboard! I hauled quite a few animals in that old van, including a 400lb. boar going off to slaughter. He rode the same way, and when I got to the butcher, the guy says, "really? you want me to slaughter him? He looks so happy to be going for a ride!"

yeah, they are just teensy balls of cuteness!They've got intelligent little eyes for sure and you can see they are problem solving.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that hauls all sorts of strange things in my vehicle. I bet that guy's expression was priceless when you told him to butcher him!