Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Broad St Farm]

I have made the decision to humanely euthanize my only splash marans :'( I hope her last day was special

Its hard, Might be the best for her. However, did you place he in a cage away from the others. I had a big splash that hurt her leg and was limping bad. I think she hurt it flying down from the roost I think. I put her in a cage for a week or so so she got rest and she recovered. If she is just limping and there is nothing visual or bumble foot, she may just need to stay quiet. Mereks effect the nervous system and doesnt just make her limp. I think you have a leg issue. But to be safe get her away from the other birds. Let her rest and see if she gets better.

 

[katie1015]

What is bumble foot?

 

[ladycat]

What is bumble foot?

It's a bacterial infection they get in their feet. Their feet get all swollen up and inflamed.

 

[Broad St Farm]

What is bumble foot?

Its an infection of the bottom of the foot. They get a sore, or dirt and poop that builds up and makes a big infectious cyst. If you dont do surgery to get it out it becomes septic and they die. Do a web search.

 

[mikefields]

Wow! Those are beautiful eggs!

 

[mikefields]

Do you sell fertilized eggs? Those are beautiful!

 

[mikefields]

Do you sell fertilized eggs? Those are beautiful!

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

It always surprises me to see folks say their Marans aren't good layers; mine are among the best I have. The only thing that frustrates me just a bit is that my flock tends to lay VERY late in the afternoon to early evening. That I find odd. I also have found that they most definitely prefer a very dark nest box. When I moved their nest boxes to a different location, which coincidentally was darker, I began to immediately notice more eggs each day. It's the only thing that had changed; that was 5 years ago, and I've left the nest box in that same location!

(Incidentally, here in the U.S. they are simply "Marans" - not "French Marans".)

I'm new and find many differing opinions about the Marans. With the BCM and BBS, my understanding is "French" is describing a bird, or a line of birds, that are bred to the French standard of feathered shanks. Most people I've talked with say using the word "French" is unnecessary and imply that Americans are breeding to French standard and that doesn't seem to be true. How is a person to talk about their birds? It would seem helpful to use the word "French" if breeding feather-shanked BCM, or to say BCM bred to French standards. I do have a question about the blue copper and blue Marans...since neither are "approved" colors, are the blue coppers bred from crossing blues with BCM or are the blue Marans simply a poorly colored blue copper Marans?

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

x2 on the very dark nest box and laying later in the day to evening.

I have BBS pullets just starting to lay. I have one that lays early in the morning (I have supplemental light in the AM hours) and one that lays really late. I wonder if it's an individual preference?

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Hi, mike - when the daylight hours begin to shorten, that alerts the hens that it's time to slow down & take a break to refuel & prepare for the next laying season. In other words, it's perfectly normal for them to slow way down and stop in the fall. Many folks add supplemental light to their chicken runs/pens to force lay through the off season; I personally don't do this, as I know that it's very hard on them to lay when nature is telling them they need a break. But, I sure don't hold it against folks who DO use this practice.

That might be why I consider my Marans to be good layers; many folks have been commenting that they don't feel they are good layers, but my gals start up before any of my other breeds (usually in late January) and, when other breeds have stopped for the season, mine continue on for several weeks longer. As a matter of fact, I haven't gotten a Plymouth Rock eggs (I have 2 varieties) for almost a month, and my last Giant egg was a couple weeks ago; yet, my Marans are just now beginning to slow down a bit.

I always thought the gauge of a good layer was the total number of eggs laid in a calendar year. Whether laying like crazy in season and nothing during winter or regularly throughout the year, that was my understanding. For those of us that sell eating eggs, more consistent through the year is better. For hatching eggs I expect folks like the hens that lay like crazy when most people want the eggs to incubate and raise chicks in more moderate weather.