Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

Quote:
If you have him with the other roo, he may slow down on the maturing because he is not the dominant roo.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I've got a five month old EE with my six WEEK old chicks. The BCM chicks are attacking and running the much OLDER and BIGGER EE all around the pen. These little "turkeys" already have an overload of the big "T" hormone.

Size is not always indictive of desire to be ALPHA !

I have had to use the BLOOD STOP powder lately at my house. My 1 Year Old BCM Roo is trying to mount some of my smaller egg laying hens. He has injured my Comets comb to the point that it was bleeding. He had not damaged it before . . . Just the other day in the FREEZING weather he decide to make it bleed.

I'm thinking I will have to build a separate pen to keep my smaller egg layers in - - -leg horns, comets, etc. The Roo is such a big boy that he needs to stay with the girls with "Junk in their trunks". I don't think it was an issue in the past because everyone normally gets to free range (especially big boy). However, it has been so cooooollld that I haven't been letting them go to the free range area.

Until I get a new coop built, that roo is going to go the free range area first thing in the morning. I don't care if it is only 17 F outside. He can hang out with the pigs untii it warms up!

 

[pinkchick]

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Biological Engineering... I don't even know what that is

. She must be scary smart as well as determined....

GO GIRL!!

Yes she is scary smart. Bio Engineering...like making fuel out of algae and such. My mad little scientist.......like Jan said maybe she can invent that pink chicken that lays the pink egg.

Now back to our regularly scheduled Marans discussion.......this is the egg color coming from the breeding pen right now. Me likey likey the ruby red eggs.

 

[pinkchick]

Morning!

CP~ Roo #1 has it going on in my opinion even with the white feathers. I discoverd a white feather in Gnarles too not long ago. I asked Blackdotte about it and here's what he had to say about white feathers and fluff. I also included the links to the discussions over in the Wheaten discussion thread. Hope it helps.

drom~

As per your request, here is the response I received from Blackdotte about the white feathers and fluff.


Me- "I read somewhere that the white feather in the hackle and the tail could have been from cuckoo in the background."

David- Old wives tail not genetic correlation with either Cuckoo or Wheaten.



Me- "With the possibility of getting a BC looking pullet from a crossing BC's and Cuckoo's, wouldn't there have been a chance that in the beginning some inexperienced breeders may have thought that the BC looking females from these crosses where still pure as BC and then sold them as such and a unsuspecting new comer to the breed continued to breed them as if they were and so on."

David- "Yes , and not only "inexperienced breeders". I think it has been a widespread practice in the US, and the only logical origin for the numerous cleaned skanked Black Coppers that are only found in the US, and no where else in the World."


Me- "I have 2 BC males that both show white feathers in their hackles, when the hackle feathes are lifted to look at them more closely, I can actually see the white coming in in the form of barring, faint as it is it is barred. What gives?"

David- "Are you saying you have both distinct copper and white feathers in the neck hackle, or the undercolour (base of the neck hackle feather is white? If the latter it is normal. The barring you see is just shade variations, again normal.
If barring was present you would have an obvious barred/cuckoo patterned bird."
David


And a second response-

David- "White feathers in tail, wing etc can be an inherited defect, or can be caused by a damaged feather follicle. When pulled they will often grow back the correct colour.
White feathers in juvenile birds should be ignored.
White fluff at base of tail can also be an inherited defect, but can also be hormonal. It is common in just about all breeds"

These are a couple of links to the Wheatens Marans thread that has had quite the discussion on white feathers and fluff. This link is David's response.

Hope it helps shed some light on these issues for us all.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5274452#p5274452
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5276793#p5276793​

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all !

Wow, busy night last night!

Dave ~ Buddy, you know if I was here I would've chatted! Don't leave us!! Stay warm up there in the mitten state

Tannis & Village Chicken ~ It is most definately a small world! I bet Adrian has grown considerably since I was there. I used to tend bar at Rossi's

When I first moved to CA, the first person I met was from my home town in CT! What are the chances of that?? Village Chicken, how did you get to Hungary??

Pink ~ CONGRATS on your DD getting into that school! I was thinking the same thing as Jan when I read that!

If she can make a pink chicken, tell her to work on a purple one too! Nice rubies!!!

Ugly freezing rain due here today. Very gray and damp here already. My solar powered fence charger went kaput the other day. I'm thinking the 6 volt battery is frozen?? Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[pinkchick]

Thanks Debbi!

Deb~ I don't think that batteries can freeze. Possibly a problem with the charging system itself or the cells in the battery. Is it feesible to get a new battery and try that first? I know that often I have to replace the batteries in my solar powered lights. Is it getting enough daylight to charge? I noticed that with my solar powered things around the house that if the position of the panel itself gets tweaked in any way....they loose charge, I often take a walk and swivel panels on lights or lean a light this way or that, or move the panels if applicable to what would be a full sun position and see if they take a charge, most often it works.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I've got a five month old EE with my six WEEK old chicks. The BCM chicks are attacking and running the much OLDER and BIGGER EE all around the pen. These little "turkeys" already have an overload of the big "T" hormone.

Size is not always indictive of desire to be ALPHA !

I have had to use the BLOOD STOP powder lately at my house. My 1 Year Old BCM Roo is trying to mount some of my smaller egg laying hens. He has injured my Comets comb to the point that it was bleeding. He had not damaged it before . . . Just the other day in the FREEZING weather he decide to make it bleed.

I'm thinking I will have to build a separate pen to keep my smaller egg layers in - - -leg horns, comets, etc. The Roo is such a big boy that he needs to stay with the girls with "Junk in their trunks". I don't think it was an issue in the past because everyone normally gets to free range (especially big boy). However, it has been so cooooollld that I haven't been letting them go to the free range area.

Until I get a new coop built, that roo is going to go the free range area first thing in the morning. I don't care if it is only 17 F outside. He can hang out with the pigs untii it warms up!

Those naughty boys! I'm glad he was not seriously injured.

 

[Debbi]

Thanks Pink. I should've used a different word than "freeze", more like the cold drained it, like a car battery? The solar panel is in the open, facing south, and gets sun all day long. It's been sunny on and off here lately, so it should've gotten enough to charge. May take the battery out and put it on the charger first before trying to buy a new one. Another thing I thought of; is it possible that the snow may have shorted it out? There was some drifted snow on the lower wire the other day. I would think, that it would just prevent the shock, but now I'm wondering if that's what drained the battery? Seems like when it snowed, that was the day it went out.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Yep...it should have gotten enough to charge then....hmmmmm....stumped here.

 

[Wynette]

Morning, all! I'm uber swamped today, so can't stay long, but Pink - CONGRATS on DD getting into such a prestigious school! WAY TO GO!