Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

No, I did not---I wasn't even tempted, the birds for sale were not breeds I am interested in, plus I have waaaay too many birds right now. I took a tub full of black and blue copper Marans, a trio of beautiful Orloffs, and another tub of 2 week old turkey poults. Not even a nibble on any of them! I don't think this show was advertised to the public--it was almost all just other members of the club. What a shame. My partner came by to check on me a few hours into the show, and I sent him home with the Marans and Orloffs since they were hot in that room and no one was buying.
2 less tubs I had to load up at 2:30 in the afternoon in the upper 90's.

that's too bad it wasn't better for ya with sellin...sounds like it sure was toasty! Hopefully you won't have too much trouble selling them locally elsewhere.

 

[desertmarcy]

that's too bad it wasn't better for ya with sellin...sounds like it sure was toasty! Hopefully you won't have too much trouble selling them locally elsewhere.

Yeah, a big warm, but at least there was an air conditioned room next to it where we had a pot luck and could retreat to cool off. I've been selling the Marans a little bit here and there, but I raised up so many to try to improve my stock, that I have a lot to sell. If they aren't showing any copper hackles or have mossy feathers--they are for sale as egg layers! If they don't sell soon, then they will be meat birds, albeit small meat birds at this age (2-3 months). I've got a lot in one pen and with the heat, they are more irritable (who isn't) and I forgot to ask my partner to add water to the bucket in their pen mid-day while I was gone. It was down 1/2 way and I don't think they could reach it---found a pullet dead, butt had been picked. Pooh!

But the judge liked my Orloff cockerel and gave him "Best Production". They are really a specialty breed and finding people locally who want to work with them, not just have a pretty layer, is difficult. I've got at least 2 extra trios to sell after I choose for my breeding pen for next year. I've already sold off the pullets that had too much white to people who just wanted them for layers, so now am left with the best, but a few too many for me to keep them all. Guess I should advertise them on BYC...

 

[kahlua]

I wish I was closer, I would take those Orloffs off your hands

 

[laughingclown]

Decided to take a couple of shots at my to favorite roos. First one is Rambo, the second is Dirk.

 

[laughingclown]

Absolutely!!! When I had my coop built, I also had the builders build me a deck off the back of my house so I could sit and watch the chickens! A few beers or glasses of wine, and chicken watching IS my stress relief! I even have a chair in the chicken run so I can sit in there with them sometimes just to observe them up close and personal. Good luck with the teenager, I raised two by myself, one girl, one boy. Thank your lucky stars your's is a boy!!

Hold onto your hat, I'm going off topic again here in a bit!

Oh dont get me wrong. I have others. I have a 20 year old Step-Son, 16 yo Step-Daughter, 18 yo Son and a 15 yo Son. Needless to say it has been extremely tough and Im counting down the years to either they leave home or a dirt nap. Whichever comes first!

 

[Cadeau]

Aww - laughing clown - don't worry, they (mostly) turn back into predictable humans again after they reach 22 or so!
Then they're wonderful again and you can enjoy them and what wonderful people they've grown into

I told my step daughter that all the time, when she was a pre-teen!
I told her that she was going to get a bit nuts with all her hormones as a teen and think we're all morons and argue with us just for the sake of disagreeing, but that, once she hits end of college or so, she'll figure out that it was HER and not US!

 

[laughingclown]

Aww - laughing clown - don't worry, they (mostly) turn back into predictable humans again after they reach 22 or so!
Then they're wonderful again and you can enjoy them and what wonderful people they've grown into

I told my step daughter that all the time, when she was a pre-teen!
I told her that she was going to get a bit nuts with all her hormones as a teen and think we're all morons and argue with us just for the sake of disagreeing, but that, once she hits end of college or so, she'll figure out that it was HER and not US!

I dont know, hope so. I love my kids dont get me wrong but our two oldest hate us. Now we are having trouble with the youngest. God for bid we give them rules and want them to be successful instead of a bum. I work in a jail facility and it gets old dealing with the crap and then come home and worry about my kids too. Sucks. Dont mean to sound so negative.

 

[Debbi]

Aww - laughing clown - don't worry, they (mostly) turn back into predictable humans again after they reach 22 or so!
Then they're wonderful again and you can enjoy them and what wonderful people they've grown into

I told my step daughter that all the time, when she was a pre-teen!
I told her that she was going to get a bit nuts with all her hormones as a teen and think we're all morons and argue with us just for the sake of disagreeing, but that, once she hits end of college or so, she'll figure out that it was HER and not US!

Yeh, well just wait till they get older, still another face comes forward. They now start to think that THEY are the parents, and I am the adolescent!

Hang in there Clown, that's where the chickens and the beer comes in handy!!

 

[slick4591]

I didn't get much of a response on a thread I posted yesterday in another forum, so I'll throw it out here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/666945/losing-chicks

Since I've moved them off the shavings I've not lost any, but I've not seen any chicks stand and go to sleep, either. They do come alert when you make a noise, but unless the shavings had a toxic effect I don't have a clue.

 

[Debbi]

I didn't get much of a response on a thread I posted yesterday in another forum, so I'll throw it out here.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/666945/losing-chicks
Since I've moved them off the shavings I've not lost any, but I've not seen any chicks stand and go to sleep, either. They do come alert when you make a noise, but unless the shavings had a toxic effect I don't have a clue.

Slick ~ Are they cedar shavings?? Cedar is toxic to chickens, use pine. Also, your brooder temp is too low for that age, bump it up to 95 degrees F !