Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Definitely NOT a pea comb! I am curious to hear when this guy actually develops a proper comb!!!

 

[zooweemama]

We offer entertainment. My children often pick up the birds. Or sit in a coop and visit. Bring goodies suitable for their size. I also feed meat scraps, including bugs my kids catch. I've heard people can hang a head of loose leaf letuce high enough for them to jump a bit to get a bite.

Change up their toys. I may use a different dish for food. Climbing obstacles. I was surprised how much time they spend off the ground level. Just keep safety in mind-- secure toys as needed. Put down straw and throw oats on top. THey must scratch to find.

Mine enjoy watermelon rinds. Eat the red, toss the rest. Cut grass= snip grass to a1/2 inch using scissors.

Be sure they have grit for non-commercial grains.

Ohhhh these are awesome ideas. Thank you for sharing! My guys get to roam a bit in an enclosed yard and the love to take dust baths. It's like a past time for them. If I put baskets or biiig rocks in there- they seem to love to climb them. And the love playing flag football (someone grabs a feather or leaf off the ground and they all chase that chicken). I can't wait to offer them some new fun things to do.

To anyone: I offer live mealworms and superworms (a bit like mealworms but less chitin, more protein and nutricious in general) so Marans benefit from this extra protein?

 

[zooweemama]

Hi Zoo!!!!!

Your little roo there is looking pretty spiffy! How are your goslings doing?

Hi!

Thanks! I hope he is a Roo! I saw some female BC Marans and thought oh snap...those hens have some big combs! LOL I have 6 more 2 week old Marans in another brooder and enjoying watching them. Although one of them seems to have ultra curly wings. So weird! Would anyone like to see? Maybe you have seen it before?

My goslings are doing really good. Although the female is still oddly struggling with an infected eye. (that's how she arrived as a day old) But she is eating and growing- so I hope she outgrows it? I am adding boosters to the water, drops in here eyes right now. Gets to take a bath several times a day too. Not much else I can do.

 

[zooweemama]

Debbi~ Yes, Jane is very small...I love it! Can't wait to have more someday. Yes I will milk Loosey after she is done with Jane. Nigerians are good little milkers..and besides I can try out my hand at some cheese.

What's Olivia up too?

Darryl is sitting hard at it.....sitting on nothing but she is determined. I haven't gotten around to moving her and putting any eggs under her yet. Also have a broody Welsummer hen.

Do Welsummers go broody a lot? I have Orps and read they tend to do that - what are you doing for her? Let her sit on a couple eggs or something else?

 

[Hens and Roos]

Definitely NOT a pea comb! I am curious to hear when this guy actually develops a proper comb!!!

I have a cuckoo that took his own sweet time to develop a comb- think he was closer to 8 weeks. It will be interesting to see.

 

[snowbird]

Here is BCM cockerel #7. He looks to me to have a few too many points on his comb. Does anybody see a thumbprint comb on him? A bit of white on the wing feathers still. He is still young. Comments?

This male has a sprig on the bottom of the blade so no need for a critique on him as I am sure you know what to do.

 

[zooweemama]

About what age do you generally figure out the cockerel/pullet gender dilemma with Marans? I was scouring the internet for pullet and cockerel pics and Lord have mercy but some of the hens have some decent sized combs. I have two 4 week old chicks and they act very very cocky. One tries to crow sometimes (such a sad silly sound) and the other has a nice sized comb. They tend to do a lot of chest bumping to each other and some chicken bombs- I had to separate them one day because they drew blood on each other. :| After their time out though, they played nice again. Back to the normal occasional face off with a random chest bump thrown in. Do the pullets behave that way?

 

[snowbird]

Didn't get to post pics yesterday, so I will post 2 cockerels today, in separate posts. This is black copper Marans cockerel #14. Unfortunately, no tail to evaluate (again!). I just don't know what I'm going to do with all these males--not many of them look to be obvious culls to me.






Here he is the one on the right:

This male is the worst one you have pictured. The Comb blade turns sideways, Looks to have fuzz between the toes, poor leg feathering. Best of all he has the Wheaten influence with the feathers below the wing and Neck being tinged with brown feathers. Not a keeper.

 

[kivi]

Hi everyone!
I am new to chickens. I have 6 chicks for almost 5 weeks now. I have enjoyed this venture very much so far. I have 1 cuckoo maran (all chicks are suppose to grow up to be hens) and had a few questions.
1. Are they slower to mature than other breeds? She has been slower to feather out, get wing and tail feathers and generally growing.
2. She is a little more shy than the other chicks. Not flightly just less seeking human contact then the others. Normal?
3. Her feathers are different than the others in texture. short and almost coarse compared to the rest of the flock. What is normal for their feathering?

4. Can this breed go frizzy? (is that the right term?)

The other breeds I have in my flock are; buff orp, ausralourp, wyandotte, ee, golden comet.

Thanks in advance for any info given.

 

[zooweemama]

Hi everyone!
I am new to chickens. I have 6 chicks for almost 5 weeks now. I have enjoyed this venture very much so far. I have 1 cuckoo maran (all chicks are suppose to grow up to be hens) and had a few questions.
1. Are they slower to mature than other breeds? She has been slower to feather out, get wing and tail feathers and generally growing.
2. She is a little more shy than the other chicks. Not flightly just less seeking human contact then the others. Normal?
3. Her feathers are different than the others in texture. short and almost coarse compared to the rest of the flock. What is normal for their feathering?

4. Can this breed go frizzy? (is that the right term?)

The other breeds I have in my flock are; buff orp, ausralourp, wyandotte, ee, golden comet.

Rhamks in advance for any info given.

I have Orps and Marans so far. My Orps are growing faster/bigger and feathering sooner than my Marans are so far. They are also extremely docile (which I adore). Their feathers are different from other chickens- they are more coarse and tighter than most other chicken breeds.