Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[VillageChicken]

Set these tonight. Can't stop myself... thank you all, you are all to blame for encouraging such behavior.

from Germany

White Bresse, Wheaten Marans
BCM's,
White Marans,
Black Bresse
Melanized Partridge Araucana

 

[Ivywoods]

Show of hands? Okay. I admit. I have two haflingers. A four year old mare and a two year old gelding.

I'm going to have to go shopping.

sweet potatoes
cabbage
alfalfa

I scrambled a bunch of eggs today. NONE of the orpington or jersey giants had blood spots. Of my marans eggs, I separated them into two groups.... lighter colored with speckles and the dark chocolate ones I like.

GUESS WHAT! The only ones with blood spots were ALL of the dark chocolate ones.

I guess I will just have to eat those or hatch them! I can sell the others. (I'm NOT hatching any till March.... I'm not hatching any till March...I'm not hatching any till March....)

 

[Ivywoods]

Math- Yes, yes! Bring back lots of pics. I'm envious. No poultry shows around here for now that I know of, and it seems like when there is, I always have something else that is a priority and prevents me from going.

 

[sewandgrow]

Quote:
Just keep that thought Susie & concentrate on taking care of those new baby goats......LOL

 

[Hens and Roos]

If you are feeding hay to the chickens do you first cut it into smaller peices or just leave it as is? I ask because we had a hen die from impacted crop this summer, she had pigged out on grass.

BTW-I find this thread to be very intersting, at this point we have 1 cuckoo Marans but are looking to add maybe some Blue Coopers

Question about tail feathers, when the SOP says that male tail should be large, full well spread, carried at an angle of forty degrees(40*) above horizontal does this mean all the feathers that make up the tail(including the sickles)?

 

[sewandgrow]

I was wondering what everyone else chooses to feed.................. I have tried several different feeds including combining more than one type to cover all bases. The feed mill says one thing, the feed store says another, breeders I bought from use something completely different. I use oyster shell free choice, tried throwing pumpkins out there when that came up here. I even tried the sardines that were suggested. Do you think the sacks of formulated feeds from the feed store are a complete package & if so at what percent protien. I on rare occassion throw a handful of scratch ("candy to them") just because they love it so much. I have tried mash, crumbles, pellets, seeds & grains.....etc...etc....etc..... Recently someone mentioned Milo I think. A mill near me bags it up & I could go get it too.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Nice eggs! Your dd is gonna go nuts with all those little fuzzy butts running around pretty soon!

Ginasmarans: Pretty Cuckoos and nice eggs too! I have such a soft spot for barred birds!

I chased Cheepa's son around today with the camera. This is the young roo from my Avatar egg pic. His father also comes from a very dark egg. I at least want to use him for my dark egg layer pen. His tail is way too high and his back is too short. I could breed him back to Cheepa (his mother because she has a long back and normal tail) and see if I can get any chicks with lower tails and longer backs and lay dark eggs....I think he will be a big boy when he is full grown. He is really sweet and follows me like a puppy dog. I kinda like his coloring even though his chest is pure black and not with "parsimonious copper". He doesn't have a name yet lol.
This is the egg he came from:

This is the egg his Father came from

 

[chicken stalker]

wow! do you have a waiting list for their eggs! I want on

 

[berkeleysprings]

layer crumbles, lots of scratch , lots of cabbage ,lettice spinich from, the green house black oil sunflower seeeds and yogart and a chance to free range but we dont offer much oyster shell they dont seem to need it much

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
I use an assortment of stuff. I mix chick grower (unmedicated) to boost the protein of the layer crumbles in the winter. I don't like the layer pellets and they didn't either, lots of waste. The grower is 20%, the layer crumbles are only 16%. I also add whole oats, and Black Oil Sunflower Seeds (BOSS) for more protein, and cause they love it!

I feed Scratch here in the mornings only, thrown out on the ground to scratch up. The scratch mix here has milo in it. Pumpkins, well, mine loved it so well I will be growing my own this spring! I mix a small amount of the oyster shell in with their feed and also serve it free choice. So far, all efforts look to be working