Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cadeau]

Hi all

Been busy trying to keep this place as cool as I can, the AC went out!

Right now in my living room, with doors and windows open, ceiling fans and box fans going, it is still 93* in here! Now I really know how the chooks feel!

Sold off a dozen Silkie chicks in the last few days, so all that is left inside now are my 5 week old Marans trio. Tried taking them out the other day, but it was so danged hot, and they are so stressed about trying to find shade and water, that I brought them back inside. Not much cooler inside, but at least they know where everything is, and they have a fan blowing in their direction. Sure wish it would rain! Tomorrow looks like the one day for a chance...

Kim, So sorry to hear of Bill!

yuck - we've had record temps, too and don't have AC.
I find it's best to keep the doors and windows closed (blinds and curtains closed) during the day and wide open at night.
that way, the house doesn't get so heated up...

 

[Cadeau]

Good to see you back Debbi! I hear ya on the AC....ours went out this week too with the increase in temps. What we're doing right now because the AC company that takes care of ours is swamped with so many people in the same boat, is to open up the house at night and put fans in the window to pull in the cooler air and then early morning we close up the house and pull the shades and curtains and it stays a solid 10 to 15 degrees cooler.

How are you doing on selling off the partridge silkie flock? Glad to hear you are selling off some of the younger birdies!

We had decently heavy rain here....for the entire 5 minutes I was unloading 30lb watermelons from the local farmer's pickup bed. I got soaked, and brought them inside and it immediately stopped. What the heck is that? What a tease!

haha - great minds, I guess!

In this weather, a little rain would be welcome!
We've had lots of rumbling and grumbling, but no rain...

 

[BackyardCoop]

Hey all!
I know I post much but I lurk a lot. I hope everyone is doing well. I'm getting excited because my BCM roo is starting to get his green tail feathers in and has so many colors coming in all over his back and his neck is beautiful with copper! I'm so in love with him!

Sorry to the one who lost their roo to the eagle. I lost an araucana to the heat today. =( Sucks big time.

 

[DMRippy]

I moved about 40+ more birds today... mostly roos (4 weeks and up to 2.5 months) . I have 3 little Black Copper roos, I am going to keep them a little bit and see what I get. I have not grown any little roos out .... well not Marans anyway. One has some copper already

be a looker for me please!

I need to plan my pens for the fall.... I have a few hens I am going to sell to thin down and maybe just keep growing pullets and no hens.

 

[Wynette]

Here is BCM cockerel #12. Again I like his color and pretty much everything about him except the way his comb flops a bit. Is the comb a deal breaker for this guy? Is that bad enough to be a DQ? Also, would that comb be considered 3 or 4 points? Does the one small point in the front count?

Yes the small point at the front of the comb counts as a point, so this bird has 4 points on the comb. The comb flopping over is considered a DQ.
~~~~~~~~
Hey, friends - listen, for purposes of clarification - I wasn't sure that I agreed with the assessment above regarding this cockerel, so I checked with Walt Leonard, APA judge and head of the APA's Standards Committee. He replied:

This comb is just slightly leaning. I have won champ SCCL in a strong class with a bird like that. It is not a good presentation and some judges wouldn't put it up for class champ, but I don't think most would ding it more than a point total. I would count that last point, since it is really not part of the blade of the comb [5-point comb]. DQ if it is lopped below the horizontal plane of where the bend occurs.

I'm not trying to start an argument or cause any hurt feelings, but thought posting this info. would be helpful for folks evaluating combs.

We're finally through the heat wave here in Michigan - Don, how did your birds fare? I lost 4 adults and a juvenile to the heat. I had fans on them, they all all have shade, and I was putting large ice cubes (made from Solo cups) in their waterers. I was also running a sprinkler periodically to cool the ground in each run. These are not things I normally do, but hopefully, it did save most of them. We got rain yesterday and again a bit this morning - they say 60% of the crops in Michigan have been lost, so I'm

that this rain will help that last 40% survive. I will hate to see what this is going to do to feed prices!

 

[DMRippy]

That is GREAT information! Thanks for posting that!

 

[heath_elisha]

Morning All

Finally got a hygro in my LG9200 - been in for about 1/2 hour and humidity is at 45%. Looks like the troughs are about 1/2 full. Arielle mentioned keeping it about 25% and pink chick mentioned about 38-40%..... so which it is ladies?

It is really humid here in MA and I can break out a dehumidifier if need be, as well as empty the water out. I am now going on day 6. Also, the digital temp says 99.3 and the thermo that came with the incubator says 99.5 exactly when placed on top of the eggs. Guess I can assume I am right where I need to be? So far no stinking coming from any eggs lol..... I do a routine sniff every morning

 

[canesisters]

I'm sure that there are pictures in here but at nearly 4000, it's just too long to search.
Would someone post some pictures of your BCM hens as they grew? I have one (about 13 weeks old) who has started growing some copper feathers on 'her' back. I'll take some pictures tonight, but I'm starting to worry that she might be a he.

Thanks

 

[Wynette]

canesisters - if you are seeing copper coloring on the back, it could very well be a male; by 13 weeks, it should be pretty easy to evaluate, so post some pics of the bird if you have them & we can let you know for sure. It "could" also be a mossy female - if that's the case, she should not be used for breeding.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

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.

I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Its one thing to loose an animal...its another to see it happen.

Long ago, we had a great horned owl that decided that our birds were a great meal. I Stuck some 2x4's into the ground that stuck up about 9 feet into the air...3 or 4 feet higher than the fencing of the run. Then I strung 60 lb test fishing line from these supports, back & forth across the run. The next time that owl came in to grab one of the girls, it did a flip and slammed into the ground....never lost another girl to birds of prey after that.

I hope that you find a viable solution.