Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

Don, What do you use to increase the fat content of the feed? Flax, sunflower, something of that nature?

Debbi, either one would work, but I have my feed mixed up at the mill and ad lots add meat scraps . If you feed around a 22 % protein level everything else will basically take care of its self. I use a lot of soy bean meal here to increase the protein level. In the past I have experimented quite a bit here with the fowl in condition pens. With the Large fowl you want the extra Protein so you can get the extra muscle bulk.

 

[DMRippy]

Don if you are still around. I have a splash Cuckoo roo and wanted to know how could I test mate him to find out if he is hiding gold under all his hunky looks? I was think maybe a solid pullet, but really all I have are Black Ameraucanas and Blue Rocks..... any suggestions?

 

[DMRippy]

I don't know who post the little roo a few pages back but copper is always a good thing at that age!

 

[Debbi]

I used to feed BOSS until the prices went through the roof! It got up to $55.00 / 50 lb. bag here, and that's out of my league. I had thought about going to the MFA here and see what they get for bulk feed. They used to rent you the storage bins too, if you bought their feed mixes. I've been mixing in a brand of cat food here that every animal on the place loves! Small sized kibble too, so even the Silkies can eat it. It's got 30% protein and 9% fat. The fat is where my feed seems to be lacking, and I had thought about adding wheat germ oil at one point, but I remembered how fast that stuff can get rancid when it's hot out. The surrounding communities here are not really geared much towards poultry, but I'm still looking into all suggestions. I wanted to try fish meal at one point, but that was $61.00 / 50#. It's tough being poor...

 

[Arielle]

Quote: HAAA HHAAA-- buckeye thread was having hiccups today too.

Lost track of which thread I was on; apparently I'm easy to scramble!

 

[Arielle]

I used to feed BOSS until the prices went through the roof! It got up to $55.00 / 50 lb. bag here, and that's out of my league. I had thought about going to the MFA here and see what they get for bulk feed. They used to rent you the storage bins too, if you bought their feed mixes. I've been mixing in a brand of cat food here that every animal on the place loves! Small sized kibble too, so even the Silkies can eat it. It's got 30% protein and 9% fat. The fat is where my feed seems to be lacking, and I had thought about adding wheat germ oil at one point, but I remembered how fast that stuff can get rancid when it's hot out. The surrounding communities here are not really geared much towards poultry, but I'm still looking into all suggestions. I wanted to try fish meal at one point, but that was $61.00 / 50#. It's tough being poor...

Debbi--remember fish meal is almost all protein. $61/50# IMO is a very good deal. This is a dried product and the protein being a meat contains every essential protein, where as SBM needs corn to make a complete protein.

 

[Arielle]

Well, if the boys I'm looking at are about 7 months , or more, scratch that, HOW important is eye color in the scheme of things, if his coloring is good, personality a gem, feathering very lush, and how many points off due to incorrect color.

 

[Debbi]

Sheesh.

 

[Debbi]

Well, if the boys I'm looking at are about 7 months , or more, scratch that, HOW important is eye color in the scheme of things, if his coloring is good, personality a gem, feathering very lush, and how many points off due to incorrect color.

I'm not sure of a point deduction, as long as his eyes aren't pearl or black, because I believe those are DQs. I am learning to pick my battles, and there are just some things I can and cannot tolerate. If he is an otherwise very nice bird, I don't think I would toss him just yet. They all have faults somewhere in them, you just have to decide which ones you can handle. JMO

 

[DMRippy]

She is right.... pick your battles.... carefully. This year I wanted no DQ's in my breeders. The chicks were culled for leg feathering right off. Next cull will be type, then egg color (since I only kept pullets) then the pairing with the right roos. My ultimate goal was to increase my pullets with some quality improvement. We shall see if that was the case.