Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Quote:
Can't blame those chickens..... Have you ever smelled a squashed squash bug????..LOL

Hahaha...nooo joke. Hopefully I can keep those pesky bugs under control this year. Last year was insane...they were everywhere.

Last year was the first time I ever had squash bugs! They dessimated my squash plants

. This year, I will be ready for them, the garden will get a good dosing of DE while I till and after. If that doesn't work, out comes the Sevin dust. There will not be any chickens in my garden!

 

[Debbi]

Wynette ~ You have a PM Please let me know if you got it, sometimes I think you may miss mine, I'm sure your box is always full!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
Hahaha...nooo joke. Hopefully I can keep those pesky bugs under control this year. Last year was insane...they were everywhere.

Last year was the first time I ever had squash bugs! They dessimated my squash plants

. This year, I will be ready for them, the garden will get a good dosing of DE while I till and after. If that doesn't work, out comes the Sevin dust. There will not be any chickens in my garden!

They are a real problem where I live...surrounded by crop fields. They like to migrate over and its been hard to control them. I found a suggestion from a lady that lives in the midwest that seemed to help when I did my second planting after they got the first round. I filled up a spray bottle with mostly water, then took imitation vanilla added it in and shook it up, then sprayed the squash, pumpkin, melon and cucumber plants. It really seemed to help. The smell of vanilla masks the scent of the plant. I just reapplied when it had rained or in a dry period, just sprayed about once a week. The imitation isn't very expensive and for some reason using the imitation vanilla lasts longer. And it doesn't pose a threat to the chickens, nor do they seem drawn by the smell of vanilla.

I'll be doing alot of preventative measures and have my garden layout already prepped with a solid border of companion plants to see if that helps at all.

edited for typos.

 

[Debbi]

gilavina

Thanks for the vanilla tip, I will try that! It just occured to me, that last year's garden was the first one I planted without planting my usual Marigolds in it. Maybe the Marigolds help to deter bugs too, I know they are full of pyrethrines, so maybe that keeps them at bay. Will be planting them this year for sure, I missed their little sunny faces.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha....indeed...I'm planting those suckers everywhere..along with nasturtiums and instead of planting patches of onions...I'm going to plant a solid border of them the whole way around the garden. I guess they are really good deterents too. I read on here somewhere that someone said their hens liked marigolds i think. Mine didn't touch them at all...so I'm going with the hopes that a fence and a border of marigolds outside it will keep the hens...and the pests at bay more...and if that's not enough...then the various onions right inside the fence the whole way around will take it a step further...

and I'll be covering my young vining plants with a breathable row cover...to give them a leg up.

 

[Debbi]

PINK ~ I forgot to tell you my funny the other day, all may get a chuckle too. I had told the Post Mistress I was very anxious to get these special eggs, and she said she could tell. When the parcel arrived at the PO, she brings me the box and scans it, then asks me, "do you really think that Flamingos will do well here with our weather??" Took me a bit to get my bearings, but looking at the box with the return address of "Pink Flamingo Farms", well then it clicked. I laughed aloud, and told her, "sure why not, these came from Washington".

I set her straight before I left, but really had her going there for a bit! I'm bad...

 

[Mountain Mel]

Quote:
Too Funny!!!

 

[chasehope]

I am REALLY mad at my broody hen! She just decided that she didnt want to sit on eggs anymore and got off of them a couple days ago. When I found them they were COLD! So I fired up the cheap-o incubator and stuck them in. 24 hours later I checked my cochin eggs that were in there too, and they were still alive and moving. I cant see into my marans eggs, so I will just have to wait and see I guess. I dont know when they are due to hatch, should be soon though! I have attached a photo of them in the incubator, they are from a blue copper hen that I got fro Pinkchick. The daddy could be my Gnarles son, or one of my Golden Cuckoo roosters. We shall see! There you go Pink, I posted an egg picture! Sorry, the eggs are dirty, but they have been under a broody for at least 2 weeks! the 5 on the right are new ones that I just started.

 

[marquisella]

I just locked down the 1st 2 of the real dark eggs.....pray!

Sue

 

[chasehope]

Good Luck!