Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Wynette]

Blue Roan! YES! Gosh that would be pretty! Can they fly? BA HA HA! Sorry....over caffeinated this morning....

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
I wonder what the Blue Roan males sound like when crowing.....would that be....."baaa-aaaa-aa-baguawcka-doodle doo?"

Sorry. Wynette started it!

 

[pinkchick]

O, come on now, it wasn't that baa-a-a-a-d was it? Okay..okay I'll just keep my baa-a-a-a-bling to my baa-a-a-a-d self.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I thought it was funny

Mornin'

 

[Illia]

Actually, it would be maaaaa, or maaaam. They don't "baa" they "maa" - And most of the time it sounds like they're calling for their mommy.

 

[math ace]

So, I am jumping right in here - - - -

I need to find out the Poop about Poop trays .. . .

I want to incorporate poop trays into our new coops. I want to be able to have my 13 year old children clean them every weekend. We have a compost pile and I imagine them sliding poop trays out of the coop, carrying them to the compost pile 50 feet away and returning them to the coop with some mulch on them for bedding / flooring.

So, the trays need to be lite. . . . .

Any suggestions for design or building material ?

 

[Ivywoods]

Poop in the coop? Oh, no, oh, no! How low can we stoop? I guess I will go to the coop and snoop. Oh, dear, oh dear! Yes there is poop in the coop. Please, please bring the scoop. Clean this mess with one big swoop!

Okay, okay, so I'm not Dr. Seuss.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
? which pics? Sorry!

Oh, flgardengirl, I have some black olive egger girls - one just began to lay, they were sired by a black copper marans cock and an EE for 1st generation, then bred back to a pure blue amerauana to try to bring more green (the eggs of F1 were coppery/olive). These pullets are just gorgeous IMO, and should be recessive for blue, so I can't wait to hatch some of their eggs:

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff66/Wadamson/salesoliveeggers.jpg

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff66/Wadamson/salesoliveeggers2.jpg

Pretty Birds! My male looks similar to some of yours because he looks more ameraucana-ish than my female. I think I will have to cross my girl back to ameraucana roos also. I haven't seen her egg yet but I have a feeling is will be more brownish olive... What do you do with all the male OEs? Mine is just so sweet just like my blue ameraucana males are.
I think marans and ameraucanas make a nice combination.

Illia: those are some stocky girls you have there! I think I am in love with that light blue pullet in the center behind all the others LOL!
Your first pic with the New Hampshire x Marans cross: she really does look BCM!! How is her egg production? Better than a BCM? You might be on to something if it is

 

[Wynette]

Quote:

math, for one pen that I have, I use those plastic bins that are used for cement mixing - you can get them at Home Depot or Lowes. For that one pen, they are the perfect size. DH put me in some furring strips to rest them on, made sort of a frame and the lips of the bins rest on them. They are plastic, and I put shavings in them so the poo doesn't stick on the bottoms or sides. I don't have a pic but can get one tonight if I remember.

 

[Wynette]

flgardengirl - I have been very lucky with my olive egger cockerels and have given them all away to folks wanting pretty roosters for their farms. None have been sold to be eaten, although that doens't bother me so much, I just always hope it is done swiftly and with not much suffering. JMO.