Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Luella will be crossed with Big Boy and then also crossed onto the younger blue copper cockerel I hatch late last summer

I have some ideas up my sleeve, but am needing to take the time to go out and sit with the birds to watch them and handle them again to see who is best with who, but I think once I get to hatching its gonna be a busy season! I will start collecting eggs from my Silver Marans and Columbian Wyandotte large fowl. The Columbian Wyandotte bantams will following in a week or two as they are just now starting to pick up on laying again. I also would like to get hatching out of the way on my dad's old stock of blue wyandotte bantams since they are laying rather well at the moment. There's quite a few pens of those tho, so might take more than one hatch to get it done right.

 

[pinkchick]

Luella will be crossed with Big Boy and then also crossed onto the younger blue copper cockerel I hatch late last summer

Absolutely WONDERFUL! This is something I will be on pins and needles waiting for!

 

[gilavina]

Absolutely WONDERFUL! This is something I will be on pins and needles waiting for!

haha ME TOO! Knowing me, once it comes to hatch day, I'll probably be getting up every hour to check on them! I love having the clear acrylic door on the hatcher!

 

[pinkchick]

Sounds like you are indeed really busy! 
When are the eggs supposed to hatch? 7 days for me is a bit old, but I know that some people will differ on that. I just prefer doing it immediately to make it easier on them since their webs are so soft.
I wondered if you might go ahead and get rid of the birchens. It would be disappointing to get eggs out of birds that came from a darker egg. Probably best in the long run, since I don't see a reason to raise a bird you don't love

Thanks, I was thinking that 7 days may be to old to toe punch. I should have done it at hatch but I wasn't thinking about it. I will just band her.

As much as I love looking at the Birchens and seeing those Black and Silver birds running around.....I just can't stand that they lay eggs that are sooooooo disappointing.
Maybe some day I will find Birchens that lay an egg the color they are suppose to lay and I will start over again. I can't see feeding them anymore either......................................really too bad because they are nice birds in other aspects, but without that egg I tell ya.

 

[pinkchick]

I call that the big foggy window with nose prints! LOL!

The chickies are set to hatch on March 19th and the goslings for the following week around the 28th.


Those bantams of your dad's sound delightful!

 

[Raven1]

Yeah Pink all pullets! Do you have anything solid to breed to?

 

[Raven1]

Its a shame about your Birchens. Mine are laying a beautiful dark, round egg, but their color is not wonderful I am growing some out now to see what they produce but its a shame we can't morph the two together.

 

[pinkchick]

Yeah Pink all pullets! Do you have anything solid to breed to?

Not at the moment.... but give it a wee little bit of time. Me thinks something is up my sleevie.

 

[pinkchick]

Its a shame about your Birchens. Mine are laying a beautiful dark, round egg, but their color is not wonderful I am growing some out now to see what they produce but its a shame we can't morph the two together.

So true...but I with the egg color they lay I wouldn't cross the ones I have with anything......it would be too much of a serious set back. I'm going to sell them off as layers and probably cull the male if someone doesn't want him. He is a lovely bird with a great attitude.. he makes a nice flock protector and I adore his crow, it's nice and loud with alot of character. He is also a egg song singer, he perches with the girls while they are laying and while she chatters up a storm...he's encouraging them to no end.

 

[gilavina]

I call that the big foggy window with nose prints! LOL!

The chickies are set to hatch on March 19th and the goslings for the following week around the 28th.


Those bantams of your dad's sound delightful!

I'm workin on building my dads flock back up since he can't do the work himself anymore. It'll take time, but hope to get back to the quality he had