Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Glad you like them lotsapaints. The Fitch line is probably the last of the "old" lines left.

Steve

Steve, the birds I hatched from your eggs are turning out quite nicely! I really need to get some pics of them - and those eggs were nice & dark - I'm super excited for the pullets to begin laying! I think they are now 14 or 15 weeks old, so I'll have a bit to wait yet!

I have wondered about that from time to time. You should be put on moderation for lack of updates. lol

We were getting some very dark eggs before winter set in and the weather changes every day, sun - snow -sun- rain- 60's one day 30's the next. Cottage Hill BCM's don't take change well.

Steve

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I've been gone for awhile so a big hello for all my Marans friends. I have alot of catching up to do.

 

[Ivywoods]

I hatched 3 BCM's Dec. 1. One cockerell and two pullets. They have been in a make-shift brooder in the house. Since they are about 6 weeks old I decided it was time they needed to move outside. I fixed up a brooder from an old oblong stock tank, about 4' long. I put a heat lamp on one end and spread pine shavings. I put a thermometer in the middle of the tank. I could only get it up to 40 degrees! I found a roll of bubble wrap, so I put a couple layers of that over the top. It got up to 45 degrees in the middle of the tank, but is very warm under the lights. I went ahead and put them out there. I checked them a little while later, fully expecting to see them huddled under the light. They were running around all over, having a great time in their new home.

My question is this. I've had these guys in the house, and the coldest temp they've seen until now is the upper 60's. Do you think it's too much of a temp change at this point? They are 6 weeks old and feathered out, but I'm still worried about them getting sick or something.

Advice or reassurance is welcom.

 

[Lotsapaints]

I had to move mine out when it was about 25 then the high was like 45..poor things I just had plenty of shavings and used cardboard on the sides with the wire no lights but there are other young chickens in the same stall the sun did come out so they enjoyed the sun in about 2 days they needed nothing extra to keep them warm and now they are with the others so I teach them to roost right away so they are either buried in the shavings or on the baby roost I just made sure they had plenty of water and I feed a warm mash I keep them in a wire cage until the other young ones get to know them then let them out to run around I just had 3 the last batch and I was worried that they might not do well but they were 6 weeks old 3 weeks younger and it didn't stay cold for that long. I'm going to move 2 out there tomorrow but it's going to be 70 getting down to 35 way better weather this time.

 

[dldolan]

Quote:
Aha! Can you tell me how you sex them this young? I have four 2-week old chicks and would love to know how...

Also an egg question:
I bought these Splash Marans eggs and just got them in the mail. 1. Why are the sizes different? and 2. Color differences--again, why? 3. Why were some "shinier" than others? #2 was dull comparitively, and #10 seemed to have "scratches"..

Thanks for any insight!

And then I numbered them so I could see if the big ones hatched better, or the dark ones, or the odd-numbered ones...

 

[Lotsapaints]

Every chicken lays "her" egg some have shiny ones some have satin ones etc smaller eggs can be from a younger hen or a small hen you never know unless they are from your eggs...they even can change due to the weather...As for sexing girls grow a tail faster most of the time by 10 days a girl has a tail and a boy doesn't. From the pictures those look like nice eggs good luck with your hatch we just love pictures

 

[poularde]

Those are some pretty nice eggs you have there.

Great color for splash Marans! Most likely the scratches occurred when the eggs were laying on whatever material they use for their nest boxes. Shaving and straw can leave marks on the eggs. As to different colors and sizes that can vary from hen to hen. Age affects color, (they get lighter as the hen ages and later in the laying cycle.) I believe different hens lay different colors and sizes. That's all I can say with my limited knowledge. Again nice eggs.

 

[dldolan]

Oh! Thank you. Here are some pics of chicks in the past 3 days, so at 11-14 days...>>> Can you tell me if you see any boy/girl traits? Also curious about why two have black feathering on their shanks, and two white feathering?

I appreciate the help!!

And here were their hatching eggs, compared to a Brahma and a first pullet Wellie egg...

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Ivy~
If they are fully feathered they should be fine. I move my babies outside sometimes by 3-4 days old or at the latest one week. They go into a big brooder that has one heat lamp in one end of it, granted my brooders are in a travel trailer that I gutted and turned into my feed storage, 2 brooders and a sick bay compartment and a grow out/ junenille pen in the front of it, but I will tell you that even though I insulated it, it can still get frosty inside of the trailer when the weather is cold enough and the babies do just fine. The bottom brooder that the babies go in to also has a window that I leave cracked all of the time for fresh air return, I haven't experienced any problems. At the age of 3-4 weeks they are moved into the grow out juvie pen and only get a 90watt flood light to huddle around. When they are about 6-8 weeks they no longer have a light on unless they are not learning how to return inside the grow out pen at dark.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Hi dldolan!

I say all four are pullets, no one is screaming roo-ism out at me.

That is very nice egg color for splash birds. Do you mind sharing the lineage of the birds with us? Are they Splash or Splash Copper? Not all Marans pullets or hens are going to lay the same colored eggs as Lostsa and Poularde already suggested. Some pullets and hens lay a different egg everytime they lay and some are very consistant with their egg color, it's all the luck of the draw.

Good luck with your hatch!