Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[SarniaTricia]

As for the land, check around some of the Amish communities. You can get good land with good buildings at fair prices! At least here any way. That said, if you want electricity, check with the power company FIRST, to see how much it would cost for them to run a line to the house. My friend bought a lovely Amish farm, then called the power company...big mistake! It is going to cost her $36,000.00 to get them to run a line to her house, and it is only 3/8 of a mile off the main line!!

She is now looking into solar panels, but I doubt that will be much, if any, cheaper.

I helped someone in Canada with Solar and 10 kW panel was $80,000. I am not sure how much power that would give her... but there are smaller options out there... She should check out the wind powered options too.... I have heard you can get windmills for 7-8,000.. again I am in Canada.. but I could get you the contact info of the guy with the wind mills.

That scenario is exactly what I would love to have... Although the DH and Step kids would have a fit... To me that would be ideal... wean them off TV and video games, use renewable resources for heat, think about what you need electricity for and if you are being wasteful.... Let her know it may be a pain, but perhaps a blessing in disguise.

My2 cents, Patricia

 

[Debbi]

I helped someone in Canada with Solar and 10 kW panel was $80,000. I am not sure how much power that would give her... but there are smaller options out there... She should check out the wind powered options too.... I have heard you can get windmills for 7-8,000.. again I am in Canada.. but I could get you the contact info of the guy with the wind mills.

That scenario is exactly what I would love to have... Although the DH and Step kids would have a fit... To me that would be ideal... wean them off TV and video games, use renewable resources for heat, think about what you need electricity for and if you are being wasteful.... Let her know it may be a pain, but perhaps a blessing in disguise.

My2 cents, Patricia

I pretty much live without most of that stuff now! She did get a windmill for water pumping, found a working unit the guy just wanted gone, paid $200.00 for it! The Amish near me sell and install new windmills for $5,000.00 and up, depending on how tall/big you want it. I do need electricity for water here, but if I ever re-built or moved, I would get a gravity forced system and holding tank, pumped by a windmill. As for heat, woodstove or wood cookstove. For computer, get wireless with a lap top...I do need my computer! With all the Coleman lanterns and kerosene lamps I have, I'd have plenty of light. For incubation, Silkies or a kerosene heated incubator. People better start getting used to these ideas, it is going to get to the point it will be needed to survive! I pity the ones that don't know how to do without, they will be the ones in a world of hurt when the scat hits the fan!

 

[Hens and Roos]

The Grocery meat is a subject of discussion in my social group at least 2X a week.
I am still eating it, but hope to get us all off it soon... (next year or so)

I have two young female turkeys that seem to grow at the same rate as the chickens (adult in 22 weeks or so?)... I am told the flavour is a bit different from grocery birds... we will see. I may borrow a friend's tom to produce some hatching eggs, before we "try" them so I have replacements....

I have met some local folks this week that only eat the birds they raise... he uses scratch once a day and they free range the rest of the time.... hens do the hatching and raising and he replaces his head roo every couple of years...
Seems like a good GOAL to me...

The Marans should produce good "table roos" and between them and the turkey we can get a bit of diversity... we are getting a couple of goats this weekend we could breed for "table goats", but we need to see how we like them first. We are looking into smaller breed of pig too,, but that is next year's project.

Still need to figure out the compost and garden thing, but we have started with composting the chicken litter and we planted a garden this year... just mellons, salad stuff and some beans.... hoping to buy local organic (or just local if we can't find organic) tomatoes to can for sauce in the fall...apples, potatoes, squash, should store well downstairs.. seems like alot of work, but if we do one or two things a year, we will get there eventually...The grocery will eventually only be for salt, sugar, flour, milk and paper products.

Someone told me I am going backwards... I think I am going rightwards. Things just can't keep up like they are in the food industry... it isn't sustainable. Soon us Crazy Chicken People (and a small # of organic farmers) may be the only ones in north america with 'fresh/safe' food.... I am already being asked if I process and sell my extra "table roos"??

Thanks Patricia
(my rant & rave did include Marans, so I'm ok...right?)

Sounds like a good goal! We process all our extra boys for eating. The Marans boys get to be a good size around 4-6 months, have 1 right now that is growing out. We compost our chicken litter and are hoping to mix it into the garden at the end of the growing season. We freeze extra veggies and squash and pickle garden items too. We just added rabbits this spring and will see how that goes.

 

[gilavina]

This is one of my favorite subjects. Sustainability and making steps towards it are about the best thing one can do for themselves and their family with the way things are heading. I don't believe it is going backward at all, so much as taking back what we handed over into the hands of people that don't give a you know what about us. There is not a whole lot I trust anymore when it comes to food, especially when it comes to grain based foods. Anyone else notice how much they get pushed over veggies and fruits? Then again, manufacturers of processed foods would be out of business pretty fast if people started eating the right amounts of fruits and veggies

Gardening, when it is planned out and you have a template to go by every year for when to start what and when to plant outside and etc, will make your life easily 10 times easier. Plus, if you read up on what byproducts from the garden are good for chickens and other animals (ie carrot tops, peels of veggies, etc), you will have a great source for supplemental nutrition and also a great source for your compost too. Just don't put any cole crops in the compost, like broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Feel free to ask if any of you need help getting started. Its one of my other passions in life

I do think the Marans, when they have the build and structure they are supposed to, do have a wonderful processed weight and meat content. I'm particularly excited to see how these sussex marans cross chicks finish out and process out. They are easily twice the size of the sussex chicks that were born about 2 days after them. Plus, they are pretty to look at.

 

[Hens and Roos]

This is one of my favorite subjects. Sustainability and making steps towards it are about the best thing one can do for themselves and their family with the way things are heading. I don't believe it is going backward at all, so much as taking back what we handed over into the hands of people that don't give a you know what about us. There is not a whole lot I trust anymore when it comes to food, especially when it comes to grain based foods. Anyone else notice how much they get pushed over veggies and fruits? Then again, manufacturers of processed foods would be out of business pretty fast if people started eating the right amounts of fruits and veggies

Gardening, when it is planned out and you have a template to go by every year for when to start what and when to plant outside and etc, will make your life easily 10 times easier. Plus, if you read up on what byproducts from the garden are good for chickens and other animals (ie carrot tops, peels of veggies, etc), you will have a great source for supplemental nutrition and also a great source for your compost too. Just don't put any cole crops in the compost, like broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Feel free to ask if any of you need help getting started. Its one of my other passions in life

I do think the Marans, when they have the build and structure they are supposed to, do have a wonderful processed weight and meat content. I'm particularly excited to see how these sussex marans cross chicks finish out and process out. They are easily twice the size of the sussex chicks that were born about 2 days after them. Plus, they are pretty to look at.

our marans loved the huge cucumbers that got away from us in the garden and spent alot of time picking at them! Can one print off the thread to save posts just like regular printing?

 

[gilavina]

our marans loved the huge cucumbers that got away from us in the garden and spent alot of time picking at them! Can one print off the thread to save posts just like regular printing?

I would think you could print like normal, but then again, I've never tried it.

Thanks for reminding me! I have some large cucumbers that a friend dropped by work for me yesterday that are for the chickens. I love that some of my friends take such an active interest in bringing me chicken treats!
I can't believe how much quieter it is today without the 4 cockerels we processed yesterday! Its blissful, hardly any crowing even and I still have plenty of males in my different breeds.

 

[Hens and Roos]

I would think you could print like normal, but then again, I've never tried it.

Thanks for reminding me! I have some large cucumbers that a friend dropped by work for me yesterday that are for the chickens. I love that some of my friends take such an active interest in bringing me chicken treats!
I can't believe how much quieter it is today without the 4 cockerels we processed yesterday! Its blissful, hardly any crowing even and I still have plenty of males in my different breeds.

thanks I will try that

 

[SarniaTricia]

I have a big 22 week old Freedom Ranger Roo... I am keeping him for breeding stock for meat birds for the next couple of years....(If he doesn't got mean) I got 4 and 2 died. I ended up with 1 roo 1 hen, but the hen doesn't do very well at all and she was scheduled for dinner this weekend, but plans have changed so next weekend.

I have a number of breeds to try him with to see if I can get something more sustainable than the freedom rangers or cornish X.
Next year I will have to see what the Marans culls throw with his blood!

I picked him up yesterday and he has to be a good 20 lbs. He was playing escape artist with me and I put him back 3 times, before I found out what he was doing to get out. He has been named "Cubby"
I'll post a picture tonight... he really is a beast....... still properly afraid of me, so far.

Glad to see there are others trying to get back what was lost. my grandmothers did all the preserving and freezing and gardening... somehow it missed my generation, but I was lucky enough to remember it, so maybe I can remake it in my own way. (I am 40 this year)

thanks
patricia

 

[Christie Rhae]

Regarding the sustainability subject:
Me too!
I don't know what it is. Is it just an subtle idea spreading across the country? I tell my husband that we have to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Of course it is only a joke but gardening, recycling, solar energy, chickens, etc. is just our small way of feeling a little more prepared and self sufficient.
I have a question regarding processing birds. I want to cut up my next birds I process instead of freezing them whole. Do you need to let them cure in the fridge for a few days before you cut them up? Or can you cut them up right away and store the pieces in the fridge for a few days before freezing or eating?
The first time we processed birds we attempted to eat one that very night. It did not go well (I couldn't eat it). The most recent time we processed birds I soaked them in salt water for 24 hours, then kept them in the fridge for 4 more days then froze them. I defrosted one and we ate it. MUCH better! I could actually eat it. Tasted like chicken! lol
So I have a pen of 12 cockerels not counting my black copper boys that I need to process soon. I was thinking that with that many birds I could cut them up and have a whole bag of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, etc. Should I cure first then cut up or just cut them right up as soon as I gut them?

 

[gilavina]

Regarding the sustainability subject:
Me too!
I don't know what it is. Is it just an subtle idea spreading across the country? I tell my husband that we have to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. Of course it is only a joke but gardening, recycling, solar energy, chickens, etc. is just our small way of feeling a little more prepared and self sufficient.
I have a question regarding processing birds. I want to cut up my next birds I process instead of freezing them whole. Do you need to let them cure in the fridge for a few days before you cut them up? Or can you cut them up right away and store the pieces in the fridge for a few days before freezing or eating?
The first time we processed birds we attempted to eat one that very night. It did not go well (I couldn't eat it). The most recent time we processed birds I soaked them in salt water for 24 hours, then kept them in the fridge for 4 more days then froze them. I defrosted one and we ate it. MUCH better! I could actually eat it. Tasted like chicken! lol
So I have a pen of 12 cockerels not counting my black copper boys that I need to process soon. I was thinking that with that many birds I could cut them up and have a whole bag of breasts, thighs, drumsticks, etc. Should I cure first then cut up or just cut them right up as soon as I gut them?

I've done both Christie, but the best I've found is to brine them whole then cut them into drums, thighs, and etc, then freeze. The quality of the texture and etc is much better.