Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[snowbird]

And lastly, here is BCM cockerel #37. This is the one Don liked the best, I believe. His color is a little lighter than I personally like, but other than that, he looks good to me. He does have a bit of wrinkling/thumbprint? on the right side of his comb. Thank you all for your patience and time! I never thought it would be so hard to get just a couple good ones. I have found taking pics a very valuable tool to evaluate them. I see things that I don't see when I am out in the pen with the birds moving around.

Marcy, Will say what I think about this male. Except for a little white in ear lobe the head would be ok with me.
Do not worry too much about the blended color hackle at this point.
The fuzz between toes on the breeders males is something I always wanted in my males. It will give you more nice feathered females. Just remember any breed has to be culled.
This male has excellant type for the breed and real nice body structure.
The white toe feathers could be worked on also.

Would most definitely keep this male and look for something the breed him to. Remember it is better to have one or two good pair to start with than 10-12 culls since culls produce culls.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
I candle on days 7 and 14 as I can compare it to diagram showing approporiate size of the air cell on those specific days. Has saved many a hatch.

If you want it:

Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.htm

 

[SarniaTricia]

Donna
Sorry to here about your humidity levels... good luck... hatching vibes coming your way...
I have some updated photos of the babies I got from you!
What a mix. Looks like there is Blue Cuckoos, blues, blacks... What a fabulous mix!
As promised:

 

[heath_elisha]

I candle on days 7 and 14 as I can compare it to diagram showing approporiate size of the air cell on those specific days. Has saved many a hatch.

If you want it:

Diagrams of air cells, duck and chicken:

http://www.poultryconnection.com/quackers/aircell.htm

I have this chart saved on my computer

Hoping that I will be able to use it. Thank you!!!!

 

[Lark Rise]

I didn't get many eggs yesterday, but..........my blue/splash marans started laying!!!!

 

[DMRippy]

Donna
Sorry to here about your humidity levels... good luck... hatching vibes coming your way...
I have some updated photos of the babies I got from you!
What a mix. Looks like there is Blue Cuckoos, blues, blacks... What a fabulous mix!
As promised:

Looking good... except the gold leaking thing.....

I am going to hatch one more time, My Cuckoos are leaving this week. I may have a few to work with.... but I will keep an eye on them for sure. I have several cuckoo roos with nice feathered legs and 2-3 blue cuckoo roos too. I also found a couple of pullets with feathered legs

so one more hatch and I am done for sure with cuckoos.

Thanks for the hatching vibes. I hope they hatch, but I have more collected. I have been running the AC and dehumidifier today to lower the humidity. Got down to 50ish..... I put the eggs back in as the humidity was about the same as the hatcher. Maybe tomorrow it will be lower. Really not holding much hope on the Marans.... it was really hot when I collected them and they didn't look right really.

 

[Christie Rhae]

I think I will take pics of my BCM boys next week.
Today I finally finished my rooster pens! Actually I wanted them for roosters not being used, single matings, hurt bird pen, small group of chicks, etc. I did not realize when we built our big pens that I was also going to need small pens for birds. They sure come in handy!

 

[DMRippy]

I didn't get many eggs yesterday, but..........my blue/splash marans started laying!!!!

Very Pretty! I hope my Olive Egger look like that this time round..... nice color. The Marans are pretty too

 

[gilavina]

I think I will take pics of my BCM boys next week.
Today I finally finished my rooster pens! Actually I wanted them for roosters not being used, single matings, hurt bird pen, small group of chicks, etc. I did not realize when we built our big pens that I was also going to need small pens for birds. They sure come in handy!

Lovely! Small pens do indeed make a huge difference!

 

[pinkchick]

R.I.P. Bill.


I will miss my boy immensly, he was my buddy, my pal. My hubby always said "here comes your buddy" he followed me everywhere. He was very co-dependent.

It's already so weird.

Bill was taken by a Bald Eagle today, along with another young cockerel. The family of Eagles that lives near by was out and about today and visited here twice in a row, both times succesful with their missions. After I realized what was going on and after they grabbed the first young cockerel, I tried to put everyone away, but of course, my Bill Boy was more interested in following me then he was the treats in his coop and I could not get him to go in, they nabbed him while he was running over to check out what I had put in the goat dish to lure them in with.
What a commotion and nothing I could do. What gets me the most, is that they (the Eagles) where determined to swoop in, even with me so close by, they just didn't seem to care.