Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Bakerentllc]

This week

 

[UnionMan]

Well to keep a long story short I purchased some Black Australorp Pullets that were about 12 weeks old along with some couple week old BCM Chicks. I noticed that one of the "Australorps" had some feathers on her shanks but didnt think much of it as the breeder told me they were Black Australorps. I guess that one of the BCM chicks got mixed into his Australorp grow out pens because the one in question began to grow copper hackle feathers. I found a egg on the coop floor today and its dark like a BCM egg. I guess I lucked out and got a Older BCM for the rice of a Australorp. Heres a picture of her first egg. It is next to a EE green egg, RIR egg, and one of my polish hens white eggs for comparison of size and color. Picture was taken on my iphone with no flash.

 

[gilavina]

Afternoon everyone! Should hopefully get those eggs set tomorrow. Its moving and maintenance day in some of the pens, so have a lot of the girls running together at the moment with the goats til I can get everything done. Will try to get some photos of them. A few are looking rough, like they are heading into molt....I don't know if I'm ready for that already, but overall, it is really nice to be able to see all of them together. I'll pull a few to sell as layers as some of the young ones from last fall aren't as hefty as I like them to be in bone structure, but overall, I'm well pleased. I've also decided to cull a few of the cockerels I was growing out over winter. I figure this season will be a good chance to get some nice ones with the breeding line up. Big Boy, Gigantor and the young BCM male you liked Don, will be very busy. I decided against keeping that blue copper male as I just have this gut feeling I can create some with the same type, color and size as that one I showed a while back, that you thought looked like a turkey. Just wanting to get the cleaning house done to make way for all the chicks that I'll be hatching. Might just be the best year yet for the Marans, and well, the wyandottes and sussex too since I didn't get to hatch any of them last year at all with my dad in the hospital for so long.

 

[flgardengirl]

You sound busy Vicki. What kind of sussex eggs are you setting? I am looking for a good silver sussex roo for my silver sussex pullet, either that, or I will have to buy some more silver sussex eggs since I have no roo
I wouldn't mind mating her with a Coronation sussex male. I do know of a resource for Coronations near me but are just selling eggs, I think they are from the Greenfire Farms line.


I had all the babies outside today playing in the sun. They are having so much fun! I painted a new large outdoor brooder for them yesterday and dh put the roofing on it so its about ready to go. I still have to go buy a new latch for the door.

 

[flgardengirl]

Well to keep a long story short I purchased some Black Australorp Pullets that were about 12 weeks old along with some couple week old BCM Chicks. I noticed that one of the "Australorps" had some feathers on her shanks but didnt think much of it as the breeder told me they were Black Australorps. I guess that one of the BCM chicks got mixed into his Australorp grow out pens because the one in question began to grow copper hackle feathers. I found a egg on the coop floor today and its dark like a BCM egg. I guess I lucked out and got a Older BCM for the rice of a Australorp. Heres a picture of her first egg. It is next to a EE green egg, RIR egg, and one of my polish hens white eggs for comparison of size and color. Picture was taken on my iphone with no flash.

Looks like a pullet BCM egg would Good deal!

 

[flgardengirl]

This week

Pretty eggs!

 

[gilavina]

You sound busy Vicki. What kind of sussex eggs are you setting? I am looking for a good silver sussex roo for my silver sussex pullet, either that, or I will have to buy some more silver sussex eggs since I have no roo
I wouldn't mind mating her with a Coronation sussex male. I do know of a resource for Coronations near me but are just selling eggs, I think they are from the Greenfire Farms line.


I had all the babies outside today playing in the sun. They are having so much fun! I painted a new large outdoor brooder for them yesterday and dh put the roofing on it so its about ready to go. I still have to go buy a new latch for the door.

sounds like a great brooder! Doesn't sound like you are slacking either. I will be setting (not this round tho) Coronations, Lights and my Lavender birchen onto a coronation male and then later to my light sussex male.

I have family coming into town this next week, so feel like I need to get done this week what I usually would as well as what I had planned for next week. I figure if nothing else, I can collapse when they leave haha
I have moved all the birds I want for today except for Gigantor and Big Boy and the girls I'll be keeping that are running loose with them. I'll get them caught up and moved when it gets dark and they come into the barn to roost. After I get that done, I'll see what I have left on my list and plan for tomorrow.

 

[flgardengirl]

Your Lav birchen x coronation sounds cool! Are you trying to increase size on the lav birchens?

Here is the color I would love to have a flock of these in Marans or even Eng Orps or Sussex...I just love this color. I suppose you would have to cross golden salmon onto blue to get it...(?)
I just wanna squeeze both of these hens lol !!!

 

[gilavina]

I don't have a lavender birchen male, since I had to cull him. He was mean as sin, so had to go. Not only was he after people, but other chickens, including hens, and cats, pretty much anything that moved. Crossing her onto the coronation male will give me a percentage of lavender birchen and a percentage of coronation, so I'll just select for what I want and move forward after that.

 

[farmhand]

Is there a best month to hatch Marans eggs in the Fall so that your hens are ready to start laying in Spring when they naturally would thereby saving on feed cost? What month do they normally start laying in the spring?