Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Tolbunt]

Ok I will contact one of my friends who is interested in some of the birds. (I have NPIP testing and I have a bad feeling that I will see some terrible results so depending on what the results are will decide whether or not I'm going and if i'm going to buy anything) I am due to get tested in mid July but if anyone cancels we are the next on the list to be checked.

 

[blackbirds13]

Heavy outer toe and 2nd toe feathering and some copper on chest? Too much copper vice too dark? Think i see what may turn out to be a "fly-out" comb? Smaller versus larger? Very heavy shank feathers versus barely there? How slow feathering is too slow? Late maturing roo features versus early? All things im wondering as i look at these young cockerels that im culling through today. Not sure im going to keep any of this bunch of boys but will keep the pullets. 14 boys to 6 girls. May try one or 2 more batches of chicks in August. I might try for some GFF birds....just to see what their imports have to offer. 3 LP and 3 Suzie O. pullets will stay. I may hold on to 2-3 boys....never know where this A1 will go.

I know what i want to see but not seeing it....and really not looking for perfection just faults I can live with and breed against.

Anyone want to say what they are cullling for early on besides obvious faults like sprigs. Things you can just tell will not get better but maybe you could live with or would just be too much trouble in the long run. 14 is a small sampling so im not hopeful anythong will pan out on these....

Posting on the other thread also

 

[Tolbunt]

I have to cull all of my red rangers today because they are coughing, have diarea, and a few other things. I think its better to cull tham to be safer rather than sorrier.

 

[sssharon]

Tol bunt, my buff Orpington had a respiratory thing going on this week. She was fine in the morning and then in the afternoon I could hear her voice sounded funny and then she started coughing and really sounding terrible, and luckily I had some Vet Rx and I put it under her wings on her neck and under her beak and then I put her in to my small chicken coop and gave her some in her water and she was better the next day and in two days she was fine and so far she is still doing really good. That stuff is just great and if you ever have that problem again and have some around if I were you I would try it but that's just a suggestion. It worked for me maybe it wouldn't work for someone else who knows. Good luck with your birds.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Hello all

With your Marans how are you able to identify which individual lays which egg?
I have two Marans laying at the moment and one is laying a very nice colour egg while the other is not. How can I ID who the lighter laying hen is so that I can put her into the laying flock pen?
I was thinking I'd just have to separate each chicken and see who lays what, but that might stress them and stop their laying?!
Lucas

 

[One Chick Two]

Hello all

With your Marans how are you able to identify which individual lays which egg?
I have two Marans laying at the moment and one is laying a very nice colour egg while the other is not. How can I ID who the lighter laying hen is so that I can put her into the laying flock pen?
I was thinking I'd just have to separate each chicken and see who lays what, but that might stress them and stop their laying?!
Lucas

Love your avatar!

I like to catch them in action so I always know by sight who is laying what... but, when that isn't possible, put a drop of blue or green food color daily on vent each morning before laying. In your case, marking on one hen should suffice.

The color wears off surprisingly quickly, but you should know soon by a faint streak of color on the egg. If you don't find a color streak on the egg, make sure the color is applied a bit more the next time.

 

[gander007]

Hello all

With your Marans how are you able to identify which individual lays which egg?
I have two Marans laying at the moment and one is laying a very nice colour egg while the other is not. How can I ID who the lighter laying hen is so that I can put her into the laying flock pen?
I was thinking I'd just have to separate each chicken and see who lays what, but that might stress them and stop their laying?!
Lucas

I have had that problem before and I have several smaller cages just for such cases and then I watch them for a week or so and then keep a log on how many egg's are produced per week color it also helps me identify each chickens egg and I can identify each chickens egg's with 17 hens ....

 

[bamadude]

Hello all
With your Marans how are you able to identify which individual lays which egg?

I have two Marans laying at the moment and one is laying a very nice colour egg while the other is not. How can I ID who the lighter laying hen is so that I can put her into the laying flock pen?
I was thinking I'd just have to separate each chicken and see who lays what, but that might stress them and stop their laying?!
Lucas

I would just flip a coin and put one in the layer flock. You have a 50% chance of picking the right one

 

[estamets]

Hello all

With your Marans how are you able to identify which individual lays which egg?
I have two Marans laying at the moment and one is laying a very nice colour egg while the other is not. How can I ID who the lighter laying hen is so that I can put her into the laying flock pen?
I was thinking I'd just have to separate each chicken and see who lays what, but that might stress them and stop their laying?!
Lucas

Separate them. I couldn't get my GCM to STOP laying eggs when I had her isolated for a prolapsed vent!!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Quote:

Love your avatar!

I like to catch them in action so I always know by sight who is laying what... but, when that isn't possible, put a drop of blue or green food color daily on vent each morning before laying. In your case, marking on one hen should suffice.

The color wears off surprisingly quickly, but you should know soon by a faint streak of color on the egg. If you don't find a color streak on the egg, make sure the color is applied a bit more the next time.

I have had that problem before and I have several smaller cages just for such cases and then I watch them for a week or so and then keep a log on how many egg's are produced per week color it also helps me identify each chickens egg and I can identify each chickens egg's with 17 hens ....

I would just flip a coin and put one in the layer flock. You have a 50% chance of picking the right one

Separate them. I couldn't get my GCM to STOP laying eggs when I had her isolated for a prolapsed vent!!

Thank you very much everyone

I am unable to catch them in the act so I think I'll try the food colour method which is a rather clever idea thanks OneChickTwo.
If that doesn't work then I should be able to separate them all and see whose laying.

Bamadude, sorry if I mislead but when I said I have 2 laying chickens, those two are in amongst 10 other possible layers so I have no idea whose laying. I would need 10 separate cages.