Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[desertmarcy]

I am still having a lot of picking problems with my Marans. Only the Marans, and I have a lot of other breeds. They are in the same size pen with about the same number of birds (or less) than my other breeds. They just seem to be very vicious. I lost a Black Copper Marans pullet a couple of weeks ago because the others picked out her butt. I've been really busy here and haven't had the time to sit and watch them. Well I took some time, peering in the pen from outside, and it didn't take long to see one pullet zeroing in on the others. You could see her little eyes almost slit down, she would lower her head and run over and yank feathers out of another's tail. Then she would do the same to another pullet. I immediately took her out of there. I think there may have been other culprits, so I put peepers on all of them.

Then just this morning, I found one of my Blue Copper Marans just in time, she has an area on her side picked really badly, about a 4" X 4" area, quite large. Now she was the one that had been picking earlier, as she was the only one in the pen wearing peepers! I had most of the 7 of these pullets separated out in different pens for several weeks as I was monitoring which ones were laying what color eggs, but needed those pens to isolate some birds going to a show this past weekend---so I put them all back together again. 7 pullets in a big 10' X 25' pen---guess someone did not like this girl.

I bet a lot of you are getting ready for Thanksgiving, but I hope some of you are online and can answer. Is this a common problem with the Marans? Or is it just my bloodline? They just are so vicious to each other. I've been struggling so hard to get my Marans to the Standard and feel like I'm making progress. I took one of the two Black Copper cockerels I ended up keeping out of about 45 I started with to the show in Tucson this weekend. He was the only Marans there. Dave Anderson from CA judged him. I asked him what he thought and he thought he was pretty good (but wasn't going to beat out the nice Polish that were showing!). Apparently Dave judges Marans a lot in CA, so his opinion counts. But this behavior issue with the breed is making me wonder if I want to continue with them.

Sorry for the long post! My basic question is, and please be honest, do others notice picking issues with this breed? I am wondering if it is just my bloodline that is the problem. I have a friend who had terrible picking problems with some hatchery Silver Laced Wyandottes. She just had to get rid of them. Now she has some new ones from a different hatchery, but too early to tell yet if she will see the same problem with them. I have enough things to work on with the Marans, if I have to cull for behavior also, well it just might be too much.

 

[Wynette]

What are the hens that are similar looking to silver penciled rocks?

 

[Annie G]

I am very new to this chicken thing but absolutely loving it. I have acquired 6 Giant Black Jerseys, one Ameraucana, and was given a beautiful Wyandotte rooster and a rooster I was told was a Rock. That's all they said about the rooster. And I didn't know enough to ask questions. This is my "Rock". Now, please, someone tell me, is he a sex link, a Plymouth Rock, or what????????

 

[Wynette]

I am still having a lot of picking problems with my Marans. Only the Marans, and I have a lot of other breeds. They are in the same size pen with about the same number of birds (or less) than my other breeds. They just seem to be very vicious. I lost a Black Copper Marans pullet a couple of weeks ago because the others picked out her butt. I've been really busy here and haven't had the time to sit and watch them. Well I took some time, peering in the pen from outside, and it didn't take long to see one pullet zeroing in on the others. You could see her little eyes almost slit down, she would lower her head and run over and yank feathers out of another's tail. Then she would do the same to another pullet. I immediately took her out of there. I think there may have been other culprits, so I put peepers on all of them.
Then just this morning, I found one of my Blue Copper Marans just in time, she has an area on her side picked really badly, about a 4" X 4" area, quite large. Now she was the one that had been picking earlier, as she was the only one in the pen wearing peepers! I had most of the 7 of these pullets separated out in different pens for several weeks as I was monitoring which ones were laying what color eggs, but needed those pens to isolate some birds going to a show this past weekend---so I put them all back together again. 7 pullets in a big 10' X 25' pen---guess someone did not like this girl.
I bet a lot of you are getting ready for Thanksgiving, but I hope some of you are online and can answer. Is this a common problem with the Marans? Or is it just my bloodline? They just are so vicious to each other. I've been struggling so hard to get my Marans to the Standard and feel like I'm making progress. I took one of the two Black Copper cockerels I ended up keeping out of about 45 I started with to the show in Tucson this weekend. He was the only Marans there. Dave Anderson from CA judged him. I asked him what he thought and he thought he was pretty good (but wasn't going to beat out the nice Polish that were showing!). Apparently Dave judges Marans a lot in CA, so his opinion counts. But this behavior issue with the breed is making me wonder if I want to continue with them.
Sorry for the long post! My basic question is, and please be honest, do others notice picking issues with this breed? I am wondering if it is just my bloodline that is the problem. I have a friend who had terrible picking problems with some hatchery Silver Laced Wyandottes. She just had to get rid of them. Now she has some new ones from a different hatchery, but too early to tell yet if she will see the same problem with them. I have enough things to work on with the Marans, if I have to cull for behavior also, well it just might be too much.

Well, that's certainly frustrating! They sound like they have plenty of room, so I don't believe it to be overcrowding. Can you free range them? Given free range time and something else to do that's super interesting could really help with this situation.

Also, feather picking often BEGINS as a simple lack of protein in the diet. I will throw handfulls of dry cat food in each pen about once a week, or add poultry conditioner mixed in with their regular feed to increase the protein. I've heard several of the folks breeding Marans feed MUCH higher protein percentages than I've ever been comfortable with - like to the tun of 25%.

Additionally, regardless of the reason it started, it can, and will, turn into a habit quickly, that others in the pen will pick up. If you absolutely cannot free range your birds, then I would suggest finding things for them to do OTHER than picking - stimulate them with food treats, or bring things in for them to hop up & down on. It doens't take much to get their minds off of picking. The very best thing I have personally found when I have a boredom issue is to move birds around from pen to pen if you can. That REALLY messes with their little brains.

Some things that I do are provide a Flock Block (takes them awhile to pick out the little pieces), pick up a triple sized suet feeder and stuff it full of healthy treats like dark, leafy greens, or chunks of squash (pumpkin is awesome this time of year) and hang it just at head level. If you can hang it so that it swings, it provides hours of not only entertainment, but working to get a healthy treat out. I have a ton of milk crates that I will bring in & place randomly around their runs, too - that seems to provide entertainment in the way of something to hop on (again, it doens't take much to entertain them! HA!).

I haven't noticed the issue with my Marans, but I actually just recently noticed it in my layer pen, which is where I keep my back-up Giant cock bird. Poor boy had a beautiful tail, and I thought he was in molt for about a week...then I saw blood on his hind end so I quickly removed him. When he healed up in a few days, I put him back, and saw one of hte hens go right after his butt again! So, I've removed him and will keep him out in a breeder cage long enough for his tail to completely grow back, and in the meantime, will increase their protein & give them plenty of other things to do so they don't start picking at each other.

 

[desertmarcy]

Well, that's certainly frustrating!  They sound like they have plenty of room, so I don't believe it to be overcrowding.  Can you free range them?  Given free range time and something else to do that's super interesting could really help with this situation.

Also, feather picking often BEGINS as a simple lack of protein in the diet.  I will throw handfulls of dry cat food in each pen about once a week, or add poultry conditioner mixed in with their regular feed to increase the protein.  I've heard several of the folks breeding Marans feed MUCH higher protein percentages than I've ever been comfortable with - like to the tun of 25%. 

Additionally, regardless of the reason it started, it can, and will, turn into a habit quickly, that others in the pen will pick up.  If you absolutely cannot free range your birds, then I would suggest finding things for them to do OTHER than picking - stimulate them with food treats, or bring things in for them to hop up & down on.  It doens't take much to get their minds off of picking.  The very best thing I have personally found when I have a boredom issue is to move birds around from pen to pen if you can.  That REALLY messes with their little brains. 

Some things that I do are provide a Flock Block (takes them awhile to pick out the little pieces), pick up a triple sized suet feeder and stuff it full of healthy treats like dark, leafy greens, or chunks of squash (pumpkin is awesome this time of year) and hang it just at head level.  If you can hang it so that it swings, it provides hours of not only entertainment, but working to get a healthy treat out.  I have a ton of milk crates that I will bring in & place randomly around their runs, too - that seems to provide entertainment in the way of something to hop on (again, it doens't take much to entertain them!  HA!).

I haven't noticed the issue with my Marans, but I actually just recently noticed it in my layer pen, which is where I keep my back-up Giant cock bird.  Poor boy had a beautiful tail, and I thought he was in molt for about a week...then I saw blood on his hind end so I quickly removed him.  When he healed up in a few days, I put him back, and saw one of hte hens go right after his butt again!  So, I've removed him and will keep him out in a breeder cage long enough for his tail to completely grow back, and in the meantime, will increase their protein & give them plenty of other things to do so they don't start picking at each other.

Wynette, thanks for the suggestions. I have a feeling it is select birds doing it, and I hate to think they will copy each other. Any that I catch doing it, I make a note and I plan not to use them as breeders. Based on what my friend told me about her Wyandottes, I do think there is a strain tendency toward picking. I have 5 bags of Starter/Grower left from when I was raising chicks. It is 22% protein. I will try that and see if it helps. I might also note that the Black Coppers were cleaning up EVERY feather in their pen when they were molting, and eating any feather from adjoining pens that drifted in. So perhaps they do need more protein. No, free range is out the question here, too many predators.

 

[heath_elisha]

Desertmarcy- I can't allow my birds to always free range, so in an effort to keep them entertained in the large pens we have- I have dumped in loads of wood chips/mulch. It is 1-2 feet deep and the bugs love to live in it. From time to time I rake it up and dig holes for them to forage through. Also, in the fall I dump all our leaves into the pens and they have fun digging through it. Although you are in a different part of the country then I - so I am not certain either of these options are available to you.......

 

[Wynette]

Marcy, I would be my 401(k) account that you've got a low protein issue if they were picking up feathers off the ground & eating them as well. I would go even higher than 22% if you can (also, if you do choose to use the starter, I would NOT use it if it's medicated - that's okay for chicks, but not good to put adults onto it). Maybe look for a gamebird feed - not sure what your local feed mill will have, but some brands carry gamebird developer, which would probably be around 24% - I'd go with that for a full week, and then mix it with your regular feed to wean back down, and then I'd probably use Manna Pro poultry conditioner if you have that available as a treat, or just the gamebird developer as a treat. I have also used chopped up hot dogs (believe this or not)....I'm a couponer and once had coupons for free hot dogs, which isn't something we regularly eat. So, I chopped it up for the chickens to increase protein. I would bet you'll see some good results with these changes!

I personally don't believe that feather picking could be a strain tendency, but of course I could be wrong. BEST OF LUCK!!!

 

[Wynette]

Desertmarcy- I can't allow my birds to always free range, so in an effort to keep them entertained in the large pens we have- I have dumped in loads of wood chips/mulch. It is 1-2 feet deep and the bugs love to live in it. From time to time I rake it up and dig holes for them to forage through. Also, in the fall I dump all our leaves into the pens and they have fun digging through it. Although you are in a different part of the country then I - so I am not certain either of these options are available to you.......

Super good point! Straw is great to use, too. Don't use hay, though - they can get cropbound from eating it. They won't eat straw (though they will eat the seed heads, which is fine).

 

[gilavina]

What are the hens that are similar looking to silver penciled rocks?

s

They are over colored birchen marans and there are a couple of cross breeds in there as well. One has the most beautiful penciling but is a fawn kind of color.

 

[desertmarcy]

Super good point!  Straw is great to use, too.  Don't use hay, though - they can get cropbound from eating it.  They won't eat straw (though they will eat the seed heads, which is fine).

I'll try the 22%. I feed organic and can't find anything higher in organic feed. I do have some packrats in the frig, I cut those up into chicken bite-sized pieces (yeah I know, but you get used to it) and give to them and the Marans always lick the bowl clean. Guess I better put out some more packrat traps--no lack of them here.

I disagree that they won't eat straw. I can't keep anything in the nest box in the Black Copper Marans pen. I have tried straw and wood shavings/sawdust and in a week or so it is gone. Not kicked out, just gone. And when I used to put straw in with my turkeys, they would eat it. That's why I don't like to use straw, they do eat it and it has no food value. I shred my yard prunings and have a pile of that right now. I will wheelbarrow that over to the pens and spread it out for them, that may help. But hearing from a few of you, this does sound like a breed issue. I certainly don't have to keep my other birds entertained with all this stuff to keep them from picking each other. And I have a lot of other breeds--see my signature line!