Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Good morning all

Randy ~ It's all that country dancing that had your head spinning, not the beers

Keara ~ Yes, I bet broody is contagious! Mine are all molting now, so I'm not getting much in the way of eggs these days. Plus the heat is slowing everyone down...except for Pip.

We had a big storm last night. Lots of lightning, wind, and rain. Stupid chicklets refused to go in their coop when it started, and roosted on top of their coop all night. The little dingbats were no worse for wear this morning, and the hard rain really cleaned them up!

Pip was his usual, obnoxious self this morning, not the attacking velociraptor he was last night! It dawned on me as I came back to the house this morning, that last night I was wearing a red bandana over my head to keep the sweat at bay and out of my eyes. Hmm, maybe he saw me as a big, strange roo with a HUGE and bright red comb?? Guess I'll try to find the blue bandana...

Silkie eggs went into the bator at 7am. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I'm really excited about the itty bittys!

 

[flgardengirl]

My silkies have been laying for a few mos but none are going broody. I got them originally for broodies but now that I've seen what those crazy key west hens can do I am just raising the silkies for silkies LOL. Plus, silkies are so darn cute. I had one lavender one but that is the one (of course) that died of a head injury. They are sure more delicate than the Marans and other chickens breeds I have.
I found 2 KW hens the other day with 16 eggs each, trying to sit again. It was the same pair that raised thier babies together last time. Partners in crime!! I took thier eggs away again, boy are they mad! They fan up thier tails and run around at me actually hissing lol.

 

[Debbi]

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Oh boy!

this is what he should be doing than! I know what you mean-it's no fun having a rooster that isn't behaving!

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Isn't behaving would be a grand understatement! He was in full on attack mode. Lungeing with feet forward, hackles flared, and that fire in his eyes!

He was out for blood, and even after I smacked him once with the cane, he came back for more. He's lucky I only had the cane in my hand, and not a gun.

I'm seriously thinking it was my red bandana that set him off like that. This morning, he was just doing his usual growl and wing dance. Idiot roo...

 

[pinkchick]

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Then you should take some of mine... of the 12 or so laying hens I have right now 6 have been (or are currently) broody this year. I think it might be contagious....

I think you might be right......one of my Delawares...Hambone decided that she was going to go broody with everyone else. She makes my 7th broody this year, currently I have 5 gals sitting or brooding babies....(I broke 2 of them recently, thank goodness)............................and ya'll know how I feel about broodies.

I tried to put babies under this Dellie, but she is having none of that, so she sits on nothing.

 

[Debbi]

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You know, I never thought I would EVER see myself with Silkies. Seems like the more I looked at them, the cuter they got. And then there are the Showgirls, what a hoot! They are so ugly, they are mega cute! They remind me of something Dr. Suess would have drawn. I wonder if the original breeder of them got the idea from a Suess book??

At least when your KW hens get mad, well, they are little! I was so thankful this morning that my Clyde didn't react the same way Pip did last night, when I picked him up to put him in his overnight pen. He did give me a look, but a stroke of the wattles, and he just melts. Wish they could all be like Clyde.

 

[pinkchick]

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Sorry to hear about Pip Debbi.....I feel for ya....my Delaware rooster Steve was moved to the butcher pen yesterday, he decided that he was going to make his second fatal mistake and attack me......his first mistake was to attack #1 a couple weeks ago. I swear they don't think that I keep track of their offenses. He should have re-thought his position because now he is coming to our Father's Day BBQ.

 

[Hens and Roos]

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Oh boy!

this is what he should be doing than! I know what you mean-it's no fun having a rooster that isn't behaving!

]


Isn't behaving would be a grand understatement! He was in full on attack mode. Lungeing with feet forward, hackles flared, and that fire in his eyes!

He was out for blood, and even after I smacked him once with the cane, he came back for more. He's lucky I only had the cane in my hand, and not a gun.

I'm seriously thinking it was my red bandana that set him off like that. This morning, he was just doing his usual growl and wing dance. Idiot roo...

We have a rooster that would go after DH when he would feed the silly boy(he is in an individual pen), feet first. When it started getting nice outside we decided to combine pens and put him in the rooster pad- this rooster walked into the pen like he owned it- an hour later DH picked him out from under the feeder, carried him back to his own pen- the rooster never moved a muscle until getting in his own pen and so far hasn't gone after DH.

The other roosters quickly put him on the bottom of the pecking order and surprisingly with no damage done.

 

[berkeleysprings]

becareful with the bright colors , if i were my blaze orange out in my coop i get attacked by my nasty silkie roo but happy to say i never had a bad or mean wheaten and thats a good thing because they are big compared to silkiee

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[Debbi]

Pip has always been the lowest on the pecking order, even with the pullets. He was a lone chick to hatch, and other chicks I had at the same time were either 5 weeks older than him, or 5 weeks younger. It was a loooong process to get him to acclimate with the older birds, then when the younger ones entered the flock, the process started all over again. PIA for sure! Pip would come running to me for protection, and stand on my feet or between my legs, and give the others the

look, like, "Mom won't let you hurt me, ha ha!" So now, the little ingrate goes after me??? He has never attempted to breed, but he is the peace keeper of the bunch. If another roo is getting too aggressive with a hen, he will peck at them to get them off, then high tails it to safety, cause he knows he's going to get his arse kicked!

Now I've got another young cokerel in the same boat, (lone chick)

Don't know if I have the strength to do that again!

 

[Debbi]

Yes Randy, I think you're right! I totally forgot I even had it on until I got back in the house. I remember too that turkeys are the same way. No more red in the presence of Mr. Pip, for sure!!