Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Ivywoods]

I couldn't resist. Here is a picture of the new home for my black copper marans. It is an antique horsedrawn blacksmith wagon. It will be large enough for 3 separate pens with runs as well as space for food and supplies. There are double doors on each end, doors out each side and a window on each side. I will have to make some modifications, but I think it will work well.

We went to get it ready to move home, and we should be able to get it moved sometime this coming week. I will use the largest pen for my layers, and then have a couple smaller pens for breeders. I'd like to stick with the bcm's and try to do what a lot of you are already doing... breed toward the proposed standard and get some consistency in the stock.... as well as dark eggs.


I will probably post some pics in the "coops and runs" threads, but couldn't resist putting it here since this is where I intend to raise my marans.

 

[Debbi]

Wow! That looks like it will be awesome for your chooks!! What a find!!

 

[Ivywoods]

It is very water/wind/air tight and HEAVY! I have a pretty good idea how I am going to do all the doors for ventilation, but I still will have to make a couple modifications for ventilation without compromising the snow/cold/rain resistance.

How many separate pens do you guys keep for your breeders? I'm thinking two breeding pens will be enough for me. I'll probably have to separate some of the hens into smaller "cages" until I figure out who is laying what. That is in the future, however, since they aren't even all laying yet!

 

[Debbi]

Hmm, I'm having that problem now. I have a 10x15' shed I am getting ready to convert, and I'm thinking I need a pen for bachelors, brooders, and layers/culls. The new coop I had built this summer is going to be for the breeders. Seeing as how I am sticking (hopefully!) to just BCMs and Blues, I can run them together. I can swap roos out as needed. Then there is the one on one breeding that will eventually pop up. Don't know where to set that up yet...

 

[Ivywoods]

Debi, that is kind of what I am milling over in my mind. I'm thinking I will leave the 3 larger areas for layers, juveniles or misc, but wondering if I should set up a separate area for one-on-one or trios of breeders. I don't think I have room to give them a special place in the coop along with much of a run.

Maybe during the short time that I would be saving eggs from breeders I could just have them in a smaller pen without a run. Not sure what I'm going to do here. I know I won't be hatching year round. I will probably just do some hatching in the spring is all.

This wagon is 8' x 16' so it should be big enough for what I want to do, and if I start getting more chickens than it will accommodate it will probably be time to start culling.

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
....orrrr, time to build another coop!

I am hoping I can contain myself to a small, but quality flock, once I get my breeding stock lined out...but, ya never know

 

[math ace]

Quote:
When these folks start talking genetics - - watch out - - my eyes roll back into my head !

Some of the other stuff I get right away, other stuff they have to post pictures of and then pink will get her "handy Dandy pink highlighter" out so that I can see EXACTLY what they are talking about.

DON't TRY to learn it all. . . Pick what looks easy and work from there. . . I learned so much when we were posting pictures and critiquing . . . . I am strictly a SHOW ME girl.

There is a lot of work - - -but it is worth it when the little ones run up to you . . .

 

[Debbi]

So true! You can't possibly absorb everything at once! Pretty soon though, it kind of seeps in through osmosis

Anything you find that may need more time to sink in, print out or make notes. That's helped me a bunch!

 

[Debbi]

Well, I'm outta here! Got to figure out a way to make a pen for Pip in the coop. The poor guy doesn't know he's a chicken yet, and living in my house, isn't helping matters any! He is the biggest WUSS I've ever seen, he even let's the 5 week old roos pick on him. He'll either learn to defend himself and live with the big chickens, or I don't know what else to do with him. Maybe if the big chooks (15 weeks) have to sleep with him in the coop, albeit seperately, that will help matters. Will find out tomorrow morning if Pip comes out a blithering idiot!

 

[Davlyn]

Does anyone that have Marans live in NH or VT ?