Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Sea~ I NEED that first rooster!!!!!!!!

If I didn't know any better....on second thought it's possible that I don't know better

, but the longer I look at my Splash Rooster that I posted a photo of the other day......the more a little voice in my head keeps whispering Birchen-Birchen-Birchen because of his odd coloring. Never had a splash bird color out like this guy...never. I thought for sure that someone looking through this thread would have caught it and said "Uh-ummm Kim???.....Notice anything unusual about your boy there?" but no one ever did. Guess I'll just have to do some test mating with all of Bill's blue daughters and see what he throws.

 

[hippiehen]

Quote:
Congratulations.....Those first hatches are soooooooooo exciting.!!!!!
Good luck for many more.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! And chicks from Garry Farms to boot!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! As of this morning I have 1 wheaten hatched, 2 BC and 1 is coming out now that I think will be blue! And one that I think is white?? It doesn't look like the wheaten. I guess that could be a splash?

The ones that have hatched are hilarious - they follow me from one side of the incubator to the other! Great personalities already

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Lisa, I run about 30 of the baby chicks in each brooder. Soon as they are growing good I move them to the larger 8'x 10 stalls with a heat light.

I have had the brooder box in 4' x 8' but like the 2' x 4' much better with smaller groups. Don

How funny Don, I PM you a page or 2 earlier & here you are with some of the answers to my question & a picture too. That's great.. I tend to respond as I read so that can happen....LOL My incubator setup is 2' by 4' also & I can run 30 or so in one without any problems. I then divide them up & move them as they grow. Are the electrical cords in your picture to the GQC heaters you spoke of earlier? Your setup is much more user friendly than mine since I have to bend over into my 4' by 4' peach bin set up. I have hanging lights in them now but could easily convert to the heaters I think.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/67305_peach_bin_brooder.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/67305_brooder_3.jpg

Hi, yes the cords are from the GQF heater and they are prewired from the factory. All you have to do is drill hole for the cord and the adjustment screw situated to the left of the cord. This works good for me as the table is 30" tall and I go three high with the brooders. This height works best for me. Don

 

[ksf59]

Quote:
Mine useually lay at 5 to 5.5 months. my may born last years were a little longer, but whit short day in winter, i was not surprised. However my september october borns from last fall were right onschedule and did not have any extra light in late jan or feb. They had water heater bases and natural light in the growout pen, so was I suprised when the started at 5 to 5 .5 . With seven in that pen now , getting 4 to 6 eggs a day, and 2 are really dark. They were a blue copper roo over black copper hen. so I have blue and black copper pullets now covered by a blue copper.

 

[pinkchick]

Lifesong Farm wrote:
Jumping in with a question. How long does it take for Marans to hit maturity and start laying? Does color variety play a factor? I am expecting Blue coppers next month.

My Blue Coppers start laying the same as the Black Coppers and the Splash Coppers, right at 5.5 mos. with several that start laying sooner. Last fall one of my Black Coppers started laying shortly after she turned 4 mos. old, and one of her BCM sisters started laying just before she turned 5 mos. old.

But each bird is different and sometimes they can take longer. Alot can do with the time of year...if you use lights on them, if they are stressed out....if they are being rehomed/sold just before point of lay, the stress of a move can delay start of lay...etc....


Congrats on the birdies! I know you have been looking for them. Can't wait to see them!

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
Sea~ I NEED that first rooster!!!!!!!!

If I didn't know any better....on second thought it's possible that I don't know better

, but the longer I look at my Splash Rooster that I posted a photo of the other day......the more a little voice in my head keeps whispering Birchen-Birchen-Birchen because of his odd coloring. Never had a splash bird color out like this guy...never. I thought for sure that someone looking through this thread would have caught it and said "Uh-ummm Kim???.....Notice anything unusual about your boy there?" but no one ever did. Guess I'll just have to do some test mating with all of Bill's blue daughters and see what he throws.

I had to go back and check him out again. Is there such a thing as a Splash Birchen? His hackles do look a little Bircheny (Bircheny??

). Did you put the Splash girl in with him any way?

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Sea~ I NEED that first rooster!!!!!!!!

If I didn't know any better....on second thought it's possible that I don't know better

, but the longer I look at my Splash Rooster that I posted a photo of the other day......the more a little voice in my head keeps whispering Birchen-Birchen-Birchen because of his odd coloring. Never had a splash bird color out like this guy...never. I thought for sure that someone looking through this thread would have caught it and said "Uh-ummm Kim???.....Notice anything unusual about your boy there?" but no one ever did. Guess I'll just have to do some test mating with all of Bill's blue daughters and see what he throws.

I had to go back and check him out again. Is there such a thing as a Splash Birchen? (Bircheny??

). Did you put the Splash girl in with him any way?

His hackles do look a little Bircheny

Yes, there is Splash Birchen. There kinda has to be with the BBS thing.

His hackles, wing bow, shoulder and saddle area all look "Bircheny" to me but I can't figure out why he would show soooo much true copper color and not the muted yellowish silvery "gold" that split gold/silver Birchens can show.

I did put that Splash Copper Davis gal in with him and I also put little Baby Blue in with him and I am going to put a couple more of Bill's dark Blue daughters in with him.

 

[Debbi]

Kim,

Splash boy was by Bill, out of who? Blue x Blue, or Blue x Splash?

Also, remember that other Splash roo you had that you culled?? Seems to me he also had very red/copper wing bows? Do you still have a pic of him?

I can't remember this morning, is Bill a dark Blue Copper, or just a Blue? If he is dark BC, could it be he is throwing the mahogany gene in there, and it is being expressed in the diluted Splash as true copper?? Just a thought...such as my thoughts go!

 

[Lotsapaints]

Oh Pink I have some Splash Birchen in my brooder..me bad no pictures I had a great hatch I have mostly da blues one black I'm so hoping a girly looks like no feathers on the legs though.....I had 7 hatch from 10 eggs and I had my humidity too high so I had some sticky gooey babies....these are from Julie Gabbard the egg color was so so but I wanted to play with some blues and make some Blue Cuckoos....Yesterday I turned my Copper Splash Rooster out with his girls I'm calling him Splish Splash and he was doing the wing dance so nice for his girls later when I went back out they were all hanging out together and he kept calling them over for stuff he was finding looks like he's going to be a good man for them.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Yes, he is out of Bill...he is the product of Bill's big blue feather shanked daughter who was produced from a Black Copper Davis hen that I had 2 years ago crossed to Bill.

Yes I have a picture of that other Splash roo....he was a pure Davis boy, Gnarles' full brother. Too bad he had 'tude and started picking on Gnarles.


Gnarles' Brother

Bill's boy

Bill is a very very very dark Blue Copper and his copper is very dark. His daughters do not produce or show any copper but his son's will.

Bill at 4 mos. old

Bill at 6 mos. old

Bill last summer.

and a glimpse of his very dark copper.