Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

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I am finding cayeanne and tomatoes just about every where right now. Our WAL MART has had the BIGGEST Selection and BEST prices.

They had Celebrity (my favorite), better boy, big boy, heritage, roma, etc.

Don't give up on that hatch yet. I thought I wasn't going to hatch anything on my last batch of shipped eggs. 1/2 showed no signs of developement and did not even make it into lock down. NOTHING was happening on Day 20. I egg pipped early Day 21. NOTHING FOR OVER 8 hours. Then another egg pipped and zipped BEFORE the first one made it out of the shell. A couple of more hours later the first one finally hatched. NOTHING for another 8 hours. Almost at the end of Day 21, the rest of the eggs hatched. It was incredible.

This was the hatch where two of the eggs in lock down were cracked and had tape on them!

 

[gilavina]

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Aww Debbi, I've been in that place with hatches too...and it is no fun at all

I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you

...with all they have been through, it may take them a few more days to get going... this might be weird, but I do this all the time with hatches...do you have a small radio you could play softly next to the incubator? I've noticed when I use one it helps the first ones to pip...I don't know if the singing simulates other chicks pipping or what, but my hatches are accelerated drastically using one.

Hmm...I've never had a problem with root rot in seedlings. Do you start them in the ground or in trays under lights? Do you use the seed starting soil mix? Basically what do you do? I might be able to offer some suggestions....I can try anyways, I have a pretty particular method of starting I use that has worked really well for me. If you lived closer to me I'd say I'd start seeds for you since I've got about 30 tomatoes to choose from and about 10 kinds of peppers including cayenne. I've got two other people's gardens I'm growing for and always have room for more

I might whine about the seed starting, but it really is pretty satisfying to see all the hard work pay off.

 

[math ace]

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X 2

 

[seabreeze]

Well, we still have one more batch of the *bump* Roo as sire that will go into lockdown in another 2-3 days along with the midget turkey eggs. Then after that, will be some eggs from Cindy

and there hopefully will be a couple of cuckoos in there as well as BCMs. Then some blue Orp eggs are supposed to arrive soon! I really do want to find a breed that loves to be broody and the Orps were highly recommended by quite a few people! Anyway, I love blue

For some reason, my faithful, laying-every-day Leghorns once we moved them to another small barn over a month ago, have stopped laying and they are not molting. So I don't know what's going on with them, silly girls! If they don't lay soon, its freezer camp for them!

 

[Debbi]

Lisa, I've got to say that the plants I bought from Wal-Mart last year were great! I'd had real bad luck with their plants in the past, but last year their Beefsteak and Romas were great! Added lots of humas to the soil with each plant and had bumper crops! Can't wait to grow some pumpkins this year too! Been a looooong time since I've grown them, but the chooks loved the one I got for them so much, I figured I'd plant a small plot. Need to make a raised bed this year too, as I want to plant some garlic and some herbs.

 

[gilavina]

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Nice! Not long now til your next hatch

I like the Orpingtons too, but I've got a big ol' soft spot for the wyandottes...alot of my childhood was spent helping my dad cull and work on his breeding program. Just seems natural that I'd go back to them since working with them is like second nature to me. Between those and my Marans I'll have my hands full for a while

Although, I could be persuaded to expand if some Lavendar Orps just happened to show up one day

 

[jlgoinggreen]

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That's awesome. Congrats!

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Aww Debbi, I've been in that place with hatches too...and it is no fun at all

I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you

...with all they have been through, it may take them a few more days to get going... this might be weird, but I do this all the time with hatches...do you have a small radio you could play softly next to the incubator? I've noticed when I use one it helps the first ones to pip...I don't know if the singing simulates other chicks pipping or what, but my hatches are accelerated drastically using one. Hmm...I've never had a problem with root rot in seedlings. Do you start them in the ground or in trays under lights? Do you use the seed starting soil mix? Basically what do you do? I might be able to offer some suggestions....I can try anyways, I have a pretty particular method of starting I use that has worked really well for me. If you lived closer to me I'd say I'd start seeds for you since I've got about 30 tomatoes to choose from and about 10 kinds of peppers including cayenne. I've got two other people's gardens I'm growing for and always have room for more

I might whine about the seed starting, but it really is pretty satisfying to see all the hard work pay off.

The incubator is right next to the living room, with a TV and conversation going all the time. Hmm, maybe the eggs are sick and tired of hearing about Charlie Sheen??

I have plans to move the whole hatching operation out to my shop room this spring, once I get it cleaned out some. That's where the brooders are, so the hatch/brooder room will be handy for sure. There is a radio playing out there 24/7, and it's right off of my kitchen so I can talk and crow to them all the time. Hmm, maybe that's why I have 7 week old crowers??

At least all of them crow the way I teach them, except for my avatar, Clyde. He has a crow with the decibals of a 747, and sounds like he's going to crow out a lung! Gosh he's loud!! All of my roos do the birthday song type crow, but Clyde's sounds like he's doing it backwards? A dyslexic crower??

I can't remember the last time I started my own seeds; probably at least 15 years ago? Used the heat tapes/cables, seed starting soil with vermiculite mixed in. Set in front of natural daylight window on the south side, with added grow light for a few hours after the sun passed the window area. Misted with water as needed, once a week with Miracle Grow diluted in the mist water. May have to try again as I want some of the heirloom type tomatoes that you can't get around here as started plants. Funny thing is, I used to work for the Conservation Dept. State Forest Nursery, and I worked in their green house all the time with all types of tree seeds and did a lot of tree grafts with much success. Maybe I should try grafting some tomatoes on some walnut tree saplings??? Don't know how those would taste, might be kind of wangy??

 

[jlgoinggreen]

Quote:
Nice! Not long now til your next hatch

I like the Orpingtons too, but I've got a big ol' soft spot for the wyandottes...alot of my childhood was spent helping my dad cull and work on his breeding program. Just seems natural that I'd go back to them since working with them is like second nature to me. Between those and my Marans I'll have my hands full for a while

Although, I could be persuaded to expand if some Lavendar Orps just happened to show up one day

I've been debating between Orpingtons and Wyandottes. Do the Wyandottes lay year round?

 

[pinkchick]

Debbi~

Don't you dare give up hope on those eggies yet sister!!!!!

It's only day 20 lady.

Do you remember whose eggs you have in that 'bator?

Oh..btw....I would be tired of hearing about Charlie Sheen too......play them some Ray LaMontagne....they love Ray!