Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

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Yay!!! congrats! I love that second boy! he is shaping up nicely..keep us posted on the chickers and if they get birchen coloring!

hope you have been well...haven't talked to you in a while
Vicki

 

[AyeUpChuck]

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Love that first boy! Can't wait to see how they turn out!!!

 

[seabreeze]

Thanks Lisa and AyeUp. I've posted here a couple of times, Don responded and I'm awaiting his photos of rodent bait protection but otherwise, just enjoying everyone's photos and posts. I'm hoping to get some pics someday of the BCMs I got from Copper Hackle Coop, I *think* some are pretty nice but haven't examined them closely, hard to get free rangers to sit still for pics and ID. First time ever though, I have a couple of *rumpless* ones, first time I've been exposed to that as well.

But my broody turkeys and chickens seem to be do a vastly superior job to my pathetic attempts at bator hatching

. My Narangansett hen hatched out 10, 8 survived and we are waiting for the bronze's babies to start arriving very soon.

Its a truly GLORIOUS day today, the sun is out and I hear its supposed to get to 80 degrees on Saturday

I'm judging a match (dogs) on Sunday in Salem and hope its cool enough

, I don't do heat real well

but I'm tired of being soggy too

 

[AyeUpChuck]

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You'll never be homeless Mel! Heck if it comes to it you can bring your birds on down to Oregon and set up camp at the Lazy Excess Ranch! We're laid back down here. We like to enjoy what life we have which means growing our own food, watching and breeding cool birds, foraging for truffles and mushrooms, making homebrew and shine and making HUGE bonfires to enjoy it all by at the end of the day!

Hang in there! And seriously you've got friends mate and in my book that's family!

I'm really glad that there are others trying to live as sustainably as possible...and enjoy doing it. I feel so much more alive doing this kind of living than any other. What kind of veggies do you have in your garden?

it's more like what am I not planting! Some of that sadly has been decided by this stupid weather.

Still will give a few things a go and see what happens. I've got albino, golden, chiogga, detroit(red), and lutzsadal beets, three types of chard, 10 lettuce varieties, 3 spinach varities, favas, tongue of fire, black turtle soup, bianaca grande and vermont cranberry for beans, triple play, brocade and true platinum sweetcorn, 22 varieties of toms, 8 different chiles, 2 varities of tomatillios, three types of eggplant, won't even get into the summer and winter squash and melons I think I have about 15-20+ different types of those, carrots, parsnips, 10 types of potatoes, broccoli, cauli, romanesco, radishes, leeks, onions, cabbages......... I THINK that's about it..........

 

[gilavina]

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I'm really glad that there are others trying to live as sustainably as possible...and enjoy doing it. I feel so much more alive doing this kind of living than any other. What kind of veggies do you have in your garden?

it's more like what am I not planting! Some of that sadly has been decided by this stupid weather.

Still will give a few things a go and see what happens. I've got albino, golden, chiogga, detroit(red), and lutzsadal beets, three types of chard, 10 lettuce varieties, 3 spinach varities, favas, tongue of fire, black turtle soup, bianaca grande and vermont cranberry for beans, triple play, brocade and true platinum sweetcorn, 22 varieties of toms, 8 different chiles, 2 varities of tomatillios, three types of eggplant, won't even get into the summer and winter squash and melons I think I have about 15-20+ different types of those, carrots, parsnips, 10 types of potatoes, broccoli, cauli, romanesco, radishes, leeks, onions, cabbages......... I THINK that's about it..........

haha...that makes me feel less like a garden freak hearing your list. I've gotten some strange looks when people hear that I garden. I know I'm not the typical looking gardener for around here, but I grew up living on a small farm that was pretty sustainable and so it comes naturally.

How much square footage do you have for your growing space. I pack all my veggies plus my red raspberries and strawberries in a 3,000 sq foot space. And it sounds like we are growing quite a few of the same varieties! Yay! We'll have to compare notes on how things grow with this crazy weather. Do you do lots of preserving?

I don't even know where to start with a list of veggies....um...let's see
3 kinds of cabbage, 4 kinds of cauliflower, 3 broccoli, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, leeks, 3 kinds of peas, 4 kinds of carrots, 4 kinds of radishes, 8 kinds of lettuce, 2 kinds of chard, 11 kinds of onions, 4 kinds of potatoes, sweet potatoes, jicama, ground cherries, 17 varieties of tomatoes, 11 kinds of peppers, 3 kinds of eggplant, 2 kinds of okra, sunflowers for the birdies, tons of herbs, parsnips, fennel, garlic, celery, 3 kinds of corn, 10 kinds of bush beans (half dry beans -ie...kidneys, pintos, etc, and half green). for pole beans I think I have about 15 varieties...both greens and dry...and one fresh one I'm excited about...chinese red noodle beans. I think they are beautiful. I also have quite a few varieties of cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins, watermelon and cantaloupes. I'm so excited about this growing season.

crap...I forgot 3 kinds of beets, spinach, asparagus, and all my fruit trees and bushes.

 

[seabreeze]

AyeUp, what type of soil do you have there in Beaver Creek to plant carrots or do you do raised beds?

 

[math ace]

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Pink, I am having a rough time with dad today. . ..Every time I turn around he is doing something STRANGE.... He has taken the remote control for the TV outside I don't know how many times today! I have to watch where he goes with it so that when he turns his back, I can retrieve it . I am telling you this because I keep having to leave the computer to chase after him......

It is absolutely NOT BUMBLE FOOT! He does have a gash just below the knee cap. I didn't look close enough for swelling. This is the heaviest feather cockerel . . . so it is really had to tell anything in the thigh area.

He is the biggest of the cockerels and looks like he will end up being bigger than daddy roo. Daddy weighs in at 8 3/4 lbs. The son is only 18 weeks old.... so he is not any where near that weight, but he is the biggest of the hatch - - - the biggest of 11 cockerels.

They are in a brooder with a ramp in and ramp out. It is about 3 - 4 feet above the ground. The roost in only 4 inches off the bottom of the brooder / coop floor.

They would never be jumping off anything 5 ft above the ground, UNLESS MY SON WAS INVOLVED. Originally, I thought maybe Ds had picked him up and mishandled him.... Even though he swore he did not . . . Since finding the cut on the injured leg, I am now thinking the cockerel injured himself in the palmetto bushes.

 

[AyeUpChuck]

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Nope we have a fairly clay soil but I had some crazy compost along with sand delivered. The beets, onions, parsnips, leeks and carrots all like little to no food and a heavy sand so I ammended their section with 3yards of sand and little to no compost

My plot is 145' x 30'

And yeah gilavina I think our gardens sound almost identical! I forgot aobut the kholrabi and sprouts and I won't even go into the soft fruits

...... aronia, beautyberry, white, red and black currants, raspberries, salmon berries, blueberries, strawberries and yeah few fruit trees! That's a different garden for me though.

 

[geebs]

She is a gardener fer sher!!! Eden in the sky!!!

Seabreeze: RAts and mice are allergic to Peppermint.. If you are worried about poisoning and you are needing an immediate solution... Get some peppermint oil from the health food market.... (the real deal) and put it on some cotton balls.... Throw it down the holes... Spray some on the walls down low... It will make your coop smell nicer... Cats don't like it though....

 

[math ace]

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I just made my second batch of blackberry jam. I now have 18 jam jars on the table. That is from blackberries grown in my own backyard. I am making blueberry jam tonight.....

So does this count?