Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Wynette]

Quote:
Oh my gosh - how awful. Poor little chickies. I guess she was really hungry from being broody so long.

Which, all joking aside, is a serious issue with some of my broodies. They sit for so long, I can't break them up, and then they get so run down because they won't get off the nest to eat or drink. I've lost a couple of broodys this way. I just find them dead on the nest and when you pick them up they are skin and bones. So now I go in each pen every day and pick them up and toss them off the nest when I scattering food around and it snaps them out of it long enough to eat. If I didn't, they would just sit there and starve, so afraid to get up because the others might take their spot.

For sure a good broody is worth her weight in gold, but some of them definitely do take it too far! I use my "broody buster" that my hubby built for me - it's got a wire bottom, and no access to the nest box. 3 full days in there, and they are broken of being broody. Works like a charm!

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Gorgeous eggs - makes the breed proud.

 

[cook_kaka_ook]

I thank you all for all your feed backs. I'm glad to be a regular subscriber in this rich with information thread. I've been following this thread every single time I'm in front of my pc since spring on the day I bid for a dozen hatching eggs from a fellow BYC'er and has become a habit

Honestly, Ive been addicted to it. Just seeing pics of great looking birds and beautiful dark brown eggs

make my day. (although I'm still waiting for my POL pullets to reward me with that long coveted egg.)

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Very nice!! He could do with a little more chest, but otherwise he's quite lovely.

 

[chasehope]

Here are a few pictures of my 2 girls at the show. The splash hen was turning around and had her tail down a bit, and then the battery died, this was the best I could get!

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Oh my gosh - how awful. Poor little chickies. I guess she was really hungry from being broody so long.

Which, all joking aside, is a serious issue with some of my broodies. They sit for so long, I can't break them up, and then they get so run down because they won't get off the nest to eat or drink. I've lost a couple of broodys this way. I just find them dead on the nest and when you pick them up they are skin and bones. So now I go in each pen every day and pick them up and toss them off the nest when I scattering food around and it snaps them out of it long enough to eat. If I didn't, they would just sit there and starve, so afraid to get up because the others might take their spot.

I never knew that marans were such broody things. I've had several marans go broody now. So far they seem to make very good mothers but like you said, they will just sit and sit. I have to go in there and pull them off the nests in the morning to get them to eat and drink. If I throw a little scratch around when I open up the coop in the morning that will sometimes entice them to get off---they are such pigs lol. I have one black copper hen who is a babysitter. She will hop up and sit on the eggs when the moms get off. The moms do not really seem to mind because the babysitter will always get up and leave once the mother hen come back. Its wierd though, because the 'babysitter' hen has never gone broody even though most all the others of the same age have.

 

[Illia]

flgardengirl . . . . Your avatar. . .

Is that a 9 scale egg or does the image just make it look that way?

 

[geebs]

Nah Ruth: Annebelle the Cannibal does not miss a meal... She is as fat as a Turkey.. She eats every egg laid in the pen (geriatric pen so who cares)... but geez.. eating the babies... She is looking like Good chicken stew at this point.. She is just useless... But beautiful to look at.. She is one of the most correct birds I have ever had... super correct... But who would breed an egg eating cannabal??? (you would have to catch the dang egg just to get a shot at hatching)

Cute little mass murderer huh???

 

[flgardengirl]

I think people said it was more like an 8. I have some better pics that I put on the other marans thread. The avatar makes it a bit darker.

Here are the original pics from the other thread. I put it next to my leghorn's white egg and something dark so I could get a good representation since my old camera sucked.
Natural daylight

One with flash that kinda washes it out a little

I think this is the one I used for my avatar...my son just shrunk it down for the avatar

The culprit that laid it:
Cheepa

 

[chasehope]

She is beautiful! Too bad!