Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[The Point]

AWESOME Debbi!!!!!! and best wishes for many more!!!!

 

[Debbi]

Thanks Pink and Tannis!!

I saw Pretty yesterday nest box shopping. She was acting frantically, jumping into each of the 5 boxes, then back out again. She really wanted into the pen in the coop that I had made for Pip. Not going in there, I'd have to crawl in to get an egg!

Her comb and wattles got flame red about 3 days ago, and the comb got bigger and started leaning a bit. I was going to ask you all if that was a good sign, but decided not to jinx it!! The girls got a lecture yesterday, so it sure can't hurt! Now to get them darker and bigger!

Did I mention? She laid it on the FLOOR!!!

 

[Debbi]

Looks like another pullet may be thinking about it too! Her comb has grown over night, and is very red! I'll be wearing a path to the coop today! This is worse than waiting for them to hatch!

 

[pinkchick]

Debbi that is a lovely first egg. Give her some time and I bet it darkens up.

They are going to give you early Christmas gifts.

 

[Raven1]

YEAH!!! DEBBI!!!!!!!!! Wishes for more and darker comin at ya!

 

[flgardengirl]

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Well it has been in the seventies all week and I am still wearing shorts. When it drops below 70, the jeans come out of the back of the closet - - -burrr it is Cold then. It is a GREAT time of the year to hatch chicks. Temps in the 70's mean the little ones are running around outside without the heatlamp. I still bring them in at night and put them under the heat lamp. . .

they'reHISchickens - - Good sign. Has the pullet been checking out the nesting boxes too?

LOL@ that. I was worse when I lived in So. Calif and later Phx. I really did put on a coat whenever we went up to our family cabin in Prescott, AZ during the summer. It would get to 50 at night and I thought I was freezing LOL! After college, though, I moved a bunch of times and lived in NW WY and got schooled on what cold really was lmao. That was some weather and culture shock for me.
You get used to it. Then when you move to where it is warm again, then you have to get used to that! I don't really get too cold now until it gets around 40. My chickens are wusses too

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Yeah, congrats!! Purty Purty.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Depends on the bird. I have 4 BCM. They were from the same hatch. Two lay pretty regularly - - 5 out of 7 days. The other two lay much much less - - - two days a week at the most ! As soon as I realized what was going on, I made sure the eggs I tried to hatch were only from those laying the most.

Marans were orignally known as a dual purpose bird - - - meat and eggs. I can not imagine they earned that title laying less than 2 eggs a week

My advice, make sure you ask the breeder you are considering getting eggs from what the productions is like. Everyone tends to concentrate on egg color or confirmation, but to me egg production should be important too.

I won't hatch any eggs from my two slackers because I don't want that trait to be carried on to the next generation!

 

[math ace]

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One of my slackers, to this day, INSISTS on laying her egg on the floor. It is a strange color everytime too.

 

[pinkchick]

Well I just checked the Marans Chicken Club site and it says they can lay up to 200 egg per year. I guess if I think about it I get probably on average about 3-4 eggs per hen or pullet that is currently laying per week. I know that I am getting atleast 2 eggs per week out of 2 hens that are currently molting.