Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[geebs]

I add in to this DE... Celery seed, Whatever nuts I have and whatever fruit as well.

Definetly on the pumpkin and zuccini.... they just love it... and they free range under the oak trees and in the pasture so they are sure to get lots of bugs.... I use flaxseed oil as opposed to flax seed. but whatever!!

I think we are on the same page, Kim and I on the feed program... It pays big dividends when it comes to hatch time... I am very careful to watch sodium content... I will use fat drippings off of my rotisserie on meats that I haven't seasoned with salt.

Kim: No losses in the health department huh??? I hear ppl talk about expected losses in poultry but I don't seem to have a problem with loss, not counting predation.

 

[Hens and Roos]

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Just my personal opinion, but I think EVERYONE should have a Blue Copper or 2 or 3 or 4 or or or or perhaps a whole flock of 'em.

 

[Keara]

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wow kinda looks like my husband at that age! He has the upperbody to be a blacksmith. Buy that boy an anvil and he will always have paying work.

this is what my DH looks like now

 

[Hens and Roos]

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I feed 17% all purpose poultry, I do not use oyster shell (the roos don't need it and they get enough calcium from other sources), I do provide chick grit in the runs from time to time but it is not used as a feed. I supplement suet cakes, one per week each coop depending on size of flock in a coop, some coops get 2 suet cakes per week. Once a week they get a nice warm gruel that has all sorts of goodies in it:
Oatmeal, steel cut groats, whole groats, a little flax (not too much flax), millet, rooster booster vitamins, cooked mashed bananas, apple, CRANBERRIES, finely chopped and cooked pine nuts if I have them or peanuts, sweet potato, tumeric, cinnamon, garlic, thyme, scrambled eggs, finely ground pumpking seeds, some plain yogurt and whatever else I think I can cook in the same pot that I think may be good for them. I let this cool and mix it with a little feed and disperse to the chooks. They love it.
The rest of the week they get all purpose feed with fresh greens....lettuce, chard, keil, fresh pumpkin if I have it, zuchinni, squash or whatever they can have out of the fridge or storage.
Once a month I treat with an all natural wormer that my girl friend makes, she makes all natural human and animal health products and human beauty products, this wormer is the sludge at the bottom of the barrel that she divides 3 ways between her, my best friend and myself. The chickens love this and eat every last bit of it......I don't know what is in it but I can tell you that I love it and it makes the coops smell like Christmas baking for days.
I feed very little scratch grains....a 50# bag lasts over 2 months here with just less than 200 birds.
I also use Apple Cider vinegar in the their water maybe once every 3 weeks and I also put a few drops of effective microorganisms in their water every other week. (effective microorganisms = lactobacillus casei) I make a brew of this once a month from a mother source that I ordered a bottle of off line.
I feed pretty much the same things as geebs does and if I missed something she will chime in and tell us what I forgot.

So are the suet cakes-homemade or the ones you can get for the wild birds?

 

[pinkchick]

Kim: No losses in the health department huh??? I hear ppl talk about expected losses in poultry but I don't seem to have a problem with loss, not counting predation.

Since I started my journey with chickens I have only lost 6 hens due to being egg bound and I know this because each bird was examined and I have lost some birds to predators as you know. I find they are very healthy, I've never experience wheezing, nasal discharge.....or any other health problems. I do not vacinate nor do I treat with antiobotics, but I will treat with antibiotics if ever needed and I am sure there will come a day that the need arises.

Handsome boy you have got there!​

 

[geebs]

Ya... My husband's upper body... slid to the middle!!! LOL!!!

He is a strappin young buck... bulletproof, just ask him!!! Oh to be young and strong like that!!!! Nice hubby pix... Picture a fat santa... that is my husband!!!

 

[Hens and Roos]

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I gave you a Blue Copper pullet......where is she hiding out?

You could cross her with your Willhe and see what happens, I bet your boy would help with eye color in the offspring as her eyes are dark and I think he would help out with hackle color.

not me! But if you want to give me a pullet I am all for it!

Me too!

 

[geebs]

Boy am I a Lucky Ducky!!!

A pink pullet!!! Oh and pink.. I named her Kelso!! LOL

 

[pinkchick]

Hens~ I tried homemade suet cakes and was not thrilled with the mess I had to clean up. So whenever I have some extra money from the sale of chicks, birds or eggs I go to Wal-Mart and get a case of the wild bird ones. Luckily there are lots of wild bird fanatics around here so our Wal-Mart carries them all year.

 

[sewandgrow]

Morning everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pink, I too have a grown son that owes me money (always....LOL). He is my biggest help with the chickens, when I can get him.... He has a girlfriend that gets the whole week ends & he seems to think when he comes home from work at 3:30 in the afternoon his work day should be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a time when I was young I was working 2 fulltime jobs & still had to keep the house going, but again maybe that has something to do with me being so broken down now.....LOL. My son is soooooooooo totally capable but usually also totally unmotivated. He will be helping make my other 4 breeding pens when the weather gets better. With this economy what it is, for Christmas, instead of purchased gifts I asked my kids for "Gifts of Service" . I do that for birthdays & Mother's Day too. They simply pledge to do jobs that I want done for me at no cost to them & it really really helps me out too. My daughter made up checkoff cards of housekeeping projects for me to choose (alot of them too). I hate housework........... I would much rather be outside playing. I am a gardener & crafter at heart. My son pledged to help build my new pens & make me a wonderful garden "Bottle tree". I ordered the steele rods for it already.
Back to chickens.....Thank all of you for your wonderful feed programs. I have copied & pasted them to my BYC notes file for reference.
Karen in California