Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Arielle]

Arielle, sorry you're going through this, but I'm glad you're sharing so I can learn.

Katelyn woo hoo! On the Filly! and hole breeder? Do tell. Did you pick it up yet? Pics please.

No chickies at home yet. One of the Marans eggs pipped yesterday at my son's school. He had strict instructions to go straight to his science class this morning and update me.... Including pictures. Haven't heard a peep from him yet. How obnoxious would it be if I drove down there?

I need to scramble an egg for my broody. The kids had cold cereal this morning. Where are my priorities?.COLOR]

If you showed up at school he will be mortified but you know he will remember next time!!

 

[laughingclown]

My blacks have the best leg feathering and are passing it on to most of the chicks. I keep any pullets with leg feathering, but prefer to have the outer toe feathered too. I would do the same with a roo, but I don't need them this year. I don't want any in my pens without feathered legs. I prefer the roos to have proper everything. No DQ's so that would mean feathered legs including the outer toe. I have the opposite problem at my place the Blue roos are lightly feathered and so are the pullets. Hoping to fix the pullets with this springs hatches. I am only going to replace 3 of my 6 laying hens and add more. 1-2 eggs a day SUCKS!

Ok so that being said. I planned to have my Blue Coppers in one area and My Black Coppers in another. I have 2 possible Black Copper Roos and 4 Blue Coppers. The Black Coppers a handsome and both have shank feathers minus the outer toes. One of which I love. All my Blue Coppers are handsome as well with leg feathering galore. Now if you had to choose only one roo for Blues and Blacks should I go with a Blue Copper or a Black Copper roo for all of my hens? Im just looking at the entire package.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

just got the call, the Cuckoo Marans eggs have both hatched and are yellow? Is this right? I would think they'd be dark. But more importantly, one is in distress, I need to go look at it, was going to bring chick saver and vitamins (no iron), any other ideas?

My hope is that this chick hasn't found it's legs yet as it is just hatched and the teacher is panicking.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: Well that depends, what do you want? and what do you have? I have a blue roo over black pullets and my other pen is a black roo over 2 blue and 1 black. I like the mix of blue and black and my goal is to have a black only pen and a blue only pen. My pens will get me a good mix of genes and eventually my goal.

Now if you your goal is to have feathered legs down the outer toe (I don't really have that issue) you the roo with that quality.

 

[Keara]

Have BCM eggs hathing.... no middle toe feathers so far!!!!!!

I see a new rooster in my flocks future.

-Keara

 

[aceschix]

Have BCM eggs hathing.... no middle toe feathers so far!!!!!!

I see a new rooster in my flocks future.

-Keara

Congratulations!

 

[pinkchick]

Arielle~

Sorry to read about what you are going through with your chicks.

Do you have or can you get ahold of some fresh cranberries? If you can, try giving them some mushed up cranberries. I boil my cranberries down and pulverize them in the blender and pour over some cooked steel cut groats and millet with cinnamon, try giving them a little of this gruel everyday, it can't hurt them. Cranberry is suppose to be very good for Mareks and the cinnamon is a natural antibacterial, so is pumpkin if you can get your hands on some dried pumpkin seeds and pulverize those too. Don't be afraid to use a good amount of both cranberry and cinnamon. I keep pulverized cranberries in the fridge ready to go for my chickens weekly gruel, it keeps for a long time if it is kept covered.
I've never dealt with Mareks, but have had a couple runs with Cocci and it was not fun. Poor little chickers felt soooo bad.....made me want to cry when I saw them ill like that. I hope they start feeling better soon.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Barn Goddess, why did you cull thechick? Did it not recover and thrive?

She did not. She never seemed sick, she simply lost her ability to stand. Very early on, like your birds. Some sort of perosis perhaps. She dragged herself around on her wings so she was able to eat. Plus, I hand fed her daily, attempting to get vitamins and supplements into her. She would even compete for treats. But it was clear this little lady was never going to regain the use of her legs and she was starting to get trampled by the other chicks. I figured it was just a matter of time before she really went down hill so I culled her. I assumed something like rickets or a deficiancy of some sort. I feed medicated starter here. I always wondered if that was to blame. There was a brother in the same hatch that had that ended up with a bowed hock/slipped tendon just a few weeks later. I'm not sure if the conditions were related. That was a big hatch for me - Marans, Ameraucanas, Easter Eggers. The only birds I had any problem with were the two related Marans.

 

[pinkchick]

Looks like I have my last 4 pullets sold! That thinned a lot down! Now I can make some MAJOR pen changes and moves. I am going to use some breeding pens as grow outs for the chicklets. They need a bigger playground than they have now. I am kinda excited again. Going to make some changes, one is I am only going to have one Marans Olive Egger pen for a little while. I am going to just use the Light Blue boy I have from pinkchick as I think he is my best shot at getting pullets with copper hackles. I have seen a couple and I am sure they are coming from him. I am going to cage the other 2 boys for a few months. Then I will have some new purdy girls for them

Hey Donna....how goes the eggs in the 'bator? I candled the 9 Marans eggs I popped in to hatch along with you and they are doing great. Do you think you will have some Marans eggs from that Blue Cpr roo of mine that you could spare someday? I would love to hatch some out and watch the pullets for more copper. That is something I am greatly lacking over here and can't seem to get back into my pullets.

I also put in the last BLRW eggs (they were over a month old) from my old roo.....all of them are developing.

Didn't think they would being that old. Now what am I going to do with all these BLRW's???? Haven't got the new BLRW roo yet....can't seem to meet up with the gal to get him.

If only I could get this luck with my Barnies........this has been a terrible year for hatching my Barnies. Wish I could figure out what's going on with them.

 

[pinkchick]

Barb~ You are a good chicky Mamma.