Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[VioletBlueIvy]

Quote:
Have you seen other blue birchen? i can not find info anywhere on them. I must be looking in the wrong place. How would I breed him to improve and get more?

Ok, I found the pictures I was looking at....heres the link
http://www.marans.eu/varieang.htm
Only it doesnt list them as blue birchen, just birchen. I guess I thought it was the same think b/c they say on here that they are not recognized, like the other blues...
Is a blue birchen the same as birchen?

 

[Wynette]

Rita, if it was an incubation issue that caused the chick to be weak, it's not genetic, so you'd be okay to use her. I would definitely recommend getting some Poly Vi Sol (no iron) for that one. Sometimes, they just need a bit of a boost.

 

[Newyorkrita]

Quote:
I had been showing Flopsey the water container but it did not seem to get the idea. Today I showed it again and it realised what to do and started pecking the waterer and drinking on its own. Funny thing is that this was the very first chick to hatch and it hatched really early. Then it had to sit there while the others hatched. It is the smallest chick but it is not weak, just doesn't stand. It has been eating from the start and I just have to dip its beak in the waterer afew times a day. I noticed it seems to be doing much better today.

I just have no experience. I guess I expected them all to be perfect and strong from the minute they dried.

I am sorry I did such a rotten job with my first try at incubating but I did my best first time out. I have learned about the humidity now. And I have learned not to cut the egg cartons to hatch them upright so far back. I would have had another BCM chick if those eggs had not rolled out of the egg cartons. It drowned because it rolled. I just didn't realise the egg crates needed to be stronger because the ones already hatched would flop all around on them.

I had one clear that did not develop BCM egg. I intend to open up all the other eggs when I finially give up on them to see inside. But I feel it was that excessive humidity and temp issues both that did them in.

Do you all think I should give up on the rest of the eggs already? I really don't think anything else is going to hatch now but left them just in case. Nothings happening on them.

 

[ndemerly]

can anyone refer to me a good place to buy 'pure' wheaton or black copper hatching eggs? thanks!

 

[fdnick]

Hi everyone.. did not realize there was an actual marans thread.. glad i found it!!
I do believe Birchen and Blue Birchen are two differant colors the blue birchen having a light blue main body. someone told me a couple years ago by putting a splash roo in with a couple of my wheaten hens i could get blue birchen (along with about 10 other colors).. have never tried it but they are gorgeous!!!
Its going to take me weeks to read all these posts and catch up but glad i found you folks.. hubby tired of listening to my "marans" talk ;-)

ndemerly.. send a message to Bev at "bev davis marans" or Buddy at backwoods poultry.. i have purchased from both and they are outstanding..

Denna

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
Glad you found us!

(FYI, Bev is no longer selling hatching eggs - she's concentrating on breeding now. She sells her line through Greenfire Farms.)

 

[Wynette]

Quote:
I had been showing Flopsey the water container but it did not seem to get the idea. Today I showed it again and it realised what to do and started pecking the waterer and drinking on its own. Funny thing is that this was the very first chick to hatch and it hatched really early. Then it had to sit there while the others hatched. It is the smallest chick but it is not weak, just doesn't stand. It has been eating from the start and I just have to dip its beak in the waterer afew times a day. I noticed it seems to be doing much better today.

I just have no experience. I guess I expected them all to be perfect and strong from the minute they dried.

I am sorry I did such a rotten job with my first try at incubating but I did my best first time out. I have learned about the humidity now. And I have learned not to cut the egg cartons to hatch them upright so far back. I would have had another BCM chick if those eggs had not rolled out of the egg cartons. It drowned because it rolled. I just didn't realise the egg crates needed to be stronger because the ones already hatched would flop all around on them.

I had one clear that did not develop BCM egg. I intend to open up all the other eggs when I finially give up on them to see inside. But I feel it was that excessive humidity and temp issues both that did them in.

Do you all think I should give up on the rest of the eggs already? I really don't think anything else is going to hatch now but left them just in case. Nothings happening on them.

Rita, don't apologize! These things happen! First of all, shipped eggs are a crapshoot...sometimes hatches are awesome, sometimes not. We do what we can! I think the thing to always remember is to just make sure and take something away from it, every time you hatch. I have hatched thousands of chicks, and every time I do so, I learn something! So - maybe the thing is to just feel good about what DID hatch, enjoy those little chickies!!

Also, it could just as easily been the post office & rough handling!!

If Saturday was day 21, I would go ahead & call it quits. You can pip a tiny hole in the top of each egg & slowly crack away the pieces...you will see if the hatchling is alive easily doing it this way. If you see a moving beak in the air cell, probably should put it back in.

 

[fdnick]

HI Wynette..
thanks for the "welcome aboard" and info.. shows you how "out of the loop" I am ;-).. I have always been addicted to Marans, have had about 20 differant breeds but always my Marans came first

only been breeding them for about 3 years but i do enjoy them and like everyone on this thread LOVE the dark eggs

 

[fdnick]

Hi Rita, sorry to hear of your bad hatch.. Wynette is 100% right, enjoy what you did hatch out!! all it takes to ruin a hatch is the Post Office drop kicking your box (i swear they do this when it says FRAGILE on it;-)..
You do ALWAYS learn something from each hatch!! enjoy your babies..
Denna

 

[Wynette]

Denna, I think you're right on the post office and handling. I've had such awesome fertility & hatchability this year...but have had a few shipments that just didn't hatch well. All seems to be just fine in my breed pen (in fact, I have 2 roosters in with 7 girls, and I see both of them breeding the girls often...TOO often...and eggs have checked fertile - I check them often). But, you just never know. I will never say with 100% certainty that it's not on my end - you never know. These are critters and sometimes they have their own "agenda."