Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Flowerbh]

You guys have been answering a lot of my questions about incubators, etc. More questions. Some of you go on and on about hatching more and more eggs. What on earth do you do with all those chicks? Are you all in business selling chicks? I would like to get just a few special chicks (Cream Legbar and maybe an Isbar) for their fun color eggs and think the only way to get them is to get some hatching eggs, but what do I do with the ones I don't want????? When you cull them, why and how? What do you do with all the roosters? Do people want roosters? (I don't) unless I decide to get a breeding trio and would need one. But, I am really scared of having a rooster after hearing all the horror stories about them chasing you around and them getting small dogs, etc. Do you just keep them in pens? I have a wonderful blueish/black Marans roo that is only 11 weeks old and I don't know what to do with him. I hate that I raised him and need to find him a home! I only have 9 chickens and even with them, they are a handful. I can't image what you guys do with so many chicks! Mine love to come in the garage, where they make a mess. So, when I go outside and they see me open the garage door, I have to race them to get the door closed! Heaven help me if they happen to get in there because they won't leave until it's time to go to bed in their coop! I can try shoeing them around and around the cars, but they just won't leave! Why don't they just go free range like they are suppose to do? And heaven help me if you throw them big nice juicy worms....they all run from them and won't eat them at all! Hahaha. My husband says that I have spoiled them all and they don't know they are chickens and are suppose to like worms! So what if they get warm oatmeal and my husband gets frozen waffles!?

 

[Debbi]

Hey Debbi! Just got back from work....it was totally insane! Crazy busy and closed early because the town is having a street dance tonight in the parking lot where we work. It goes on for hours and can hear the music out home...almost 4 miles away.

And at your age, you ought to be at the street dance! Been there, done that, not for me, too danged old.

I'm really nervous about the fireworks now that we had a drop of rain. Folks will see that as an "ok" to shoot fireworks....It's still too, too dry!

 

[Debbi]

You guys have been answering a lot of my questions about incubators, etc. More questions. Some of you go on and on about hatching more and more eggs. What on earth do you do with all those chicks? Are you all in business selling chicks? I would like to get just a few special chicks (Cream Legbar and maybe an Isbar) for their fun color eggs and think the only way to get them is to get some hatching eggs, but what do I do with the ones I don't want????? When you cull them, why and how? What do you do with all the roosters? Do people want roosters? (I don't) unless I decide to get a breeding trio and would need one. But, I am really scared of having a rooster after hearing all the horror stories about them chasing you around and them getting small dogs, etc. Do you just keep them in pens? I have a wonderful blueish/black Marans roo that is only 11 weeks old and I don't know what to do with him. I hate that I raised him and need to find him a home! I only have 9 chickens and even with them, they are a handful. I can't image what you guys do with so many chicks! Mine love to come in the garage, where they make a mess. So, when I go outside and they see me open the garage door, I have to race them to get the door closed! Heaven help me if they happen to get in there because they won't leave until it's time to go to bed in their coop! I can try shoeing them around and around the cars, but they just won't leave! Why don't they just go free range like they are suppose to do? And heaven help me if you throw them big nice juicy worms....they all run from them and won't eat them at all! Hahaha. My husband says that I have spoiled them all and they don't know they are chickens and are suppose to like worms! So what if they get warm oatmeal and my husband gets frozen waffles!?

Most of those folks raising mega amounts of chicks have an outlet for the surplus. Get ready to do the same if you intend to breed! Either that, or some eat their own surpluses, ie "freezer camp". Sell them, give them away, or eat them yourselves. And while you are cooking oatmeal for the chooks, make a bit more for hubby! The chicken obsession may be taken much better with a well fed hubby!

 

[snowbird]

Kim ~ Congrats on Jane Dough! Sheesh she is tiny! I don't think that small would do well here, but then again with the hay situation, I might have to rethink that. Do you milk those itty bittys??

Don~ Let us all know what you plan to do with the trap nest. I could use a trap nest or two myself, and the egg roll out would be great! Got one gal here that wants to go broody again, and sets in the most unfit places, if I could build something like that, it sure would help!

Debbi, been going over plans today and will get something done first of week. Egg rollout is an absolute must. Will do something that anyone can put together with a saw and hammer. As you remember I tend to be a perfectionist.

 

[gilavina]

And at your age, you ought to be at the street dance! Been there, done that, not for me, too danged old.

I'm really nervous about the fireworks now that we had a drop of rain. Folks will see that as an "ok" to shoot fireworks....It's still too, too dry!

Drunks and music so loud you feel your insides doing flip flops...no thanks. They had the bass so turn up that it was shaking product on the shelves

 

[Debbi]

Debbi, been going over plans today and will get something done first of week. Egg rollout is an absolute must. Will do something that anyone can put together with a saw and hammer. As you remember I tend to be a perfectionist.

Well Don, I know you are! You come up with a decent plan, you might want to consider selling pre-fab kit for idiots like me! Screw holes included!!

Just kidding, but barely. I can do the hammer and nails/screws ok, it's the plans I need with measurements!

I thought of a great idea tonight as I was looking at the concrete hard ground where I want to put the Wheaten pen. There is no post pounder or even a tractor with an auger (unless it's a weighted big boy), going through this soil right now! So, as I was walking back from the coop tonight, I look at my deck. It has those concrete post holders for footings. No need to dig holes! At 8 bucks each, I can afford that more than the digging, and mixing bags of cement, which has also taken a huge rise around here. Lay my wire apron under the concrete footings, stick in the 4x4s, and VOILA!!! And the plus to this idea, is it is removeable if you have a change of plans!!

 

[dfdesigns]

Here's some my my chicks that I've been growing out... they are all just a hair past 8 weeks now. Just wanted to see what you think about them, and there's absolutely no need to spare my feelings! Honesty is welcomed and appreciated.

Sorry I couldn't get any further away from them, but this is a friendly bunch - everybody wanted to be in my lap.

Blue Copper boy:



Black Copper boy:



Splash Cuckoo boy (I have come to terms with the boyness):


The Cuckoo is half the size of his hatchmates, but he sure brings a nice pop of color in an otherwise dark pen... all of the others in with him are black except for the Blue Copper.

 

[Debbi]

Drunks and music so loud you feel your insides doing flip flops...no thanks. They had the bass so turn up that it was shaking product on the shelves

I hear ya lady! Not my cup of tea either for quite some time!! Some folks just don't understand the joy you can have with peacefulness..

 

[Hens and Roos]

You guys have been answering a lot of my questions about incubators, etc. More questions. Some of you go on and on about hatching more and more eggs. What on earth do you do with all those chicks? Are you all in business selling chicks? I would like to get just a few special chicks (Cream Legbar and maybe an Isbar) for their fun color eggs and think the only way to get them is to get some hatching eggs, but what do I do with the ones I don't want????? When you cull them, why and how? What do you do with all the roosters? Do people want roosters? (I don't) unless I decide to get a breeding trio and would need one. But, I am really scared of having a rooster after hearing all the horror stories about them chasing you around and them getting small dogs, etc. Do you just keep them in pens? I have a wonderful blueish/black Marans roo that is only 11 weeks old and I don't know what to do with him. I hate that I raised him and need to find him a home! I only have 9 chickens and even with them, they are a handful. I can't image what you guys do with so many chicks! Mine love to come in the garage, where they make a mess. So, when I go outside and they see me open the garage door, I have to race them to get the door closed! Heaven help me if they happen to get in there because they won't leave until it's time to go to bed in their coop! I can try shoeing them around and around the cars, but they just won't leave! Why don't they just go free range like they are suppose to do? And heaven help me if you throw them big nice juicy worms....they all run from them and won't eat them at all! Hahaha. My husband says that I have spoiled them all and they don't know they are chickens and are suppose to like worms! So what if they get warm oatmeal and my husband gets frozen waffles!?

Well everyone has a different game plan as to their birds. For us, we incubate and hatch eggs so that our kids can raise the chicks to show at fair. Even though we set a lot of eggs not all of them hatch-due to a variety of reason- such as egg not fertile, chick dies somewhere in development process. The ones that are hatched are grown up and watched for anything that would diqulify them from going to fair. The ones that don't fit what we are looking for are culled- which for us means two things- if someone is interested in girls for their flock our extras go there- which works out well for us. The boys that don't fit become dinner for us- we process them ourselves as we go through and look everyone over. Those that we think fit what we are looking for will become replacements in our flock as breeding stock- usually these birds are better than the parent birds. HTH

 

[Hens and Roos]

Here's some my my chicks that I've been growing out... they are all just a hair past 8 weeks now. Just wanted to see what you think about them, and there's absolutely no need to spare my feelings! Honesty is welcomed and appreciated.

Sorry I couldn't get any further away from them, but this is a friendly bunch - everybody wanted to be in my lap.

Blue Copper boy:



Black Copper boy:



Splash Cuckoo boy (I have come to terms with the boyness):


The Cuckoo is half the size of his hatchmates, but he sure brings a nice pop of color in an otherwise dark pen... all of the others in with him are black except for the Blue Copper.

I like them, but they will probably change alot as they keep getting bigger