Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Mountain Mel]

Quote:

I'm hoping that I can keep more than one Roo with my flock of 24 hens. So far, everyone is getting along

. Madison

has just "discovered"

girls

and has been very busy trying to cover

the ones in his flock that are currently laying

. He does not bother the younger birds.
I think that the first time he tries to cover "Bills' Daughter", whom I call Dolly, she will quite likely knock him for a loop

, tweak his beak, and send him to the far corner of the yard

. She is big enough that I would not put it past her.

Debbi, that second Rooster looks like he is going to trip over his waddles! Nice looking young Roos!

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
I just made a bachelor pad for my roos since the girls were starting to get threadbare. I just threw in there a Barred Rock, Orpington, Australorp and a 5 month old BC roo. The dynamics were so weird. The Barred Roo is the oldest and has always maintained his harem, though he tries to steal a shag from a girl that's not his own if one of the other roos isn't looking. But he's scared of the Australorp roo, who is, in turn scared of the Orpington roo (a big fluffy sweetheart), who himself is afraid of the Barred Rock roo. Sort of a self maintaining triangle. Everyone has someone to boss and someone to run away from. The BC roo is just a but(t)head, and isn't nice to the flock I had him with, so his brother got full rule of that roost and he's sorted himself out among the 3 kingpins in the bachelor pad. None of the three is very mean or aggressive, so he's been fine, just can't find anyone to be mean to now. They all get out for conjugal visits with their prospective girls, who come and visit through the fence (it's so funny!) but at least they're not repeatedly grabbing their girls throughout the day. My poor BC hens (the ones that aren't broody) look like they have strawberries on their backs from the bare skin on each wing that has gotten sun. Can chickens get sunburn?

The poor Orpington Roo has had all his girls taken by the other roos, just a tiny EE is loyal to him. But I had to put her in with the Araucanas because a BC hen was plucking her. The Orp stays right by the pen when he's out, and she sits for him at the edge of their run. He even tries to mount through the fence. So I take her out and she immediately runs over and they do their thing. But just once a day, so her feathers can regrow! It's like a soap opera out there! Hard not to feel sorry for the nice guys, who never get the girl.

Haha funny post. I know what you mean. I have the same kind of Roo drama going on here. Spring has only intensified it lol. I ended up with 2 roo bachelor pads and a few separate roo brooder pens. I really need to get rid of some roos or put them into freezer camp

I do believe chickens can get sunburnt. One of my girls had the same 'strawberry' patches on her wings and after the last few really sunny days they turned red. I made her an apron with wing protectors but the snaps wont stay snapped and one of the roos pulled it off grrr. So now I have to fix it.

 

[pinkchick]

Morning Friends!

Sounds like everyone had a wonderful day yesterday.

I wish I could till my gardens.

Debbi~ Those boys are looking great! I love them and as you know I am very partial to the darker birds and these 2 boys are YUMMY! And I think flgarden called it right when she asked if they were roosters or bouncers....I vote bouncers.

Mel~ Glad Madison is taking some responsibility and doing his manly chores. His splash brother that I kept has 2 girls and has been busy since you took Madison home, he wasn't wasting any time

. You should be able to keep 2 boys in with your 24 girls with no problems. I find that growing the roosters up together if you can, is the best way to ensure that they get along, but even then when the hormones are flying they will still scrap a little from time to time, but its not very often and they don't do any damage to each other. Now if I were to just toss Gnarles or Bill in with each other I think it might not be a sight I would want to see because Bill nor Gnarles have ever met each other and Bill would probably inflict some major damage on Gnarles. If I were to put the 2 together I would have to move Gnarles next to Bill for quite some time so they can play mirror mirror through the fence and totally tear up each others combs and faces on the fence trying to get to each other but eventually they would work it out and get to know each other, but still once they are put in with each other they will establish who is dominant. Bill would definately take the trophy home just because that's they way he is. When I moved my Wellies in next door to Bill, for weeks he and my Wellie Roo Odin did the copy cat thing through the fence for a couple weeks at each other and both of them tore up their faces trying to get each other through the fence. After the intial excitement of the newness they forgot all about it and now get along great through the fence and pretty much ignore each other. Silly Boys.

Math Ace~ Congrats on the pippers! How many did you set? Are they Blue or Black?

I can't remember what you told me you set.

flgarden~ I incubate refridgerated eggs as well and have no problems with them hatching. I have several birds outside that are laying up a storm in the laying flock that came from refridgerated eggs. Always amazes me when they have been chilled for a couple weeks and then still hatch.

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all

Glad I got to enjoy yesterday and get some work done. Awoke to thunder this morning and heavy rain. It is 40 degrees cooler today! More warm coming back towards the end of the week, with rain, but should be a couple of dry days in between. Need to mow!

Yes, the boys are the bouncers!

The real funny one is Pip, who has yet to breed anything other than the coffee can. He is, however, like the school hall moniter, and if he feels the boys are getting too rough with the girls, he will go over and peck the roo in question on the back, like, "look here buddy, lighten up!" The other dark boy will come to him and just "remind" Pip that he's the low man, so HE should butt out! For sure a soap opera... Now that they can free range, it seems to be helping with a slow down in the breedings, so maybe some feathers on the girls will grow back. Need to get some aprons for them.

Mel, Pink is correct about the roos growing up together. My two are brothers, and have always been together except for about 2 weeks. When they were about 8 weeks old, the two got into it. I mean pulling feathers, tangling and rolling on the ground, into it!

Got them seperated thinking they would not be able to be together again. Then 2 weeks later, put them together again just to see what would happen. Ever since, they've been fine together. Just like brothers, they have their little spats, but nothing like the one time. Usually a one time chest bump, and that's it!

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
YIPEE, I've got pipping on 3 of the 5 eggs. It is the 22 evening and these are my JUMBO Eggs. They normally take one day longer than normal eggs. . . .
Man I was really freaking out because there has been NO SIGN of activity! A couple of hours after I posted earlier. . . . I checked and 3 were pipping !

Go MARANS Go MARANS GO MARANS

Yeah you got babies (again lol)! I have often thought about getting a small wine cooler to store eggs in. It would be the perfect temp and I could put a small dish of water in the bottom for humidity. Its so hot here...hard to save eggs.

Lisa have you ever grown these peppers? I saw these peter peppers when I was ordering my son some thai hot pepper seeds (he makes awesome asian food) and just had to order some peter pepper seeds to grow for the chooks LOL!
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=slv8-tyc8&va=peter+peppers

 

[math ace]

Quote:
PEPPERS is the one thing YEAR after YEAR I try to grow with very little success. Jalepenos seem to do OK, but everything else is a crash and burn scenario.

I am trying again this year . . . . and we will see what happens. I have a couple of bannana peppers on the plants right now

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
PEPPERS is the one thing YEAR after YEAR I try to grow with very little success. Jalepenos seem to do OK, but everything else is a crash and burn scenario.

I am trying again this year . . . . and we will see what happens. I have a couple of bannana peppers on the plants right now

Try putting an old fashion match, like the matchbook kind, in each hole for the peppers. The one year I did that, I had tons of peppers, the next year I forgot, and not one.
Sue

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
PEPPERS is the one thing YEAR after YEAR I try to grow with very little success. Jalepenos seem to do OK, but everything else is a crash and burn scenario.

I am trying again this year . . . . and we will see what happens. I have a couple of bannana peppers on the plants right now

Try putting an old fashion match, like the matchbook kind, in each hole for the peppers. The one year I did that, I had tons of peppers, the next year I forgot, and not one.
Sue

really? do you know what makes the matches effective?

 

[Illia]

And gee, here in the northwest where Peppers are impossible to get fruit from or even to grow outside w/out a greenhouse. . . I've got year old peppers from last year, currently fruiting indoors, and about 200 peppers successfully planted and growing from earlier this spring.

Do you guys do hybrids, heirlooms, or new varieties? Perhaps that's one of the things. . . Another of course is the requirements for bell types vs chili types.


Anyway, Marans subject . . .

 

[AyeUpChuck]

Hey Pink,

It's Heather. I spoke with you earlier on the phone. I'd LOVE some blues and splash if you have them available. I can pick them up on thursday, which would be an AMAZING birthday present!

And I think if you have them I'll take 6..... just in case

DH can't get mad it's my 30th on thursday. They're just a birthday present right?!?!?!?!? Doesn't have to be thursday. Just let me know what would work for you! Can't wait to have those guys in the yard!

And I'm with you on the garden. I have everything started and waiting to go in the ground but its too WET to bloody till!

so my seedlings will have to make do until it holds off a bit!