Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_condo.jpg
This is a 4 shelf unit I converted to a 3 layer brooder. I use the 4th shelf as the top of the upper brooder. The shelves are solid. This is a photo before I had it really finished.

I wrapped hardwardcloth around the sides and built in the doors.

I then wrap a cotton tarp around the whole thing,and fastened it to the unit with large clips with the opening in the front where the doors are so I just unclip the tarp in front of the doors a little when I want to open the doors to feed, etc. I pulled the tarp back to the sides to expose the whole inside.

I put 2 lights on each level in case one bulb burns out the other stays on for warmth. This shelf unit happens to have bars under the shelves so I could hang the lights from them. I first tried to tape them up with duct tape, but that didn't work. you can see the tape in the photo. Each light has a 90 watt bulb in it. If you put 2 lights side by side, it give them a pretty large size of heat to get under for warmth.

I'm in NY and it can get down to 20 below. Its in an unheated barn. I put the chicks in at 3 days old.

If you do something like this, but don't have a way to hang the lights, you can put a dowel in the hardward cloth holes in the front & back, going through the brooder,and attach the light from that...

I love this brooder. Very cool. I have some large old plant shelves that I normally hang lights from to start veggie seedlings. I bet one of them would work great for this.

ducklover: So sorry you had a bad hatch. I hope the next one goes better for you. Don't give up hope!!

gallavina: I can't imagine being able to harvest broccoli in July! Sounds like you are having a good gardening season this year. I dried a ton of dill, basil, bay leaves, and thyme the other day in the dehydrator. I have peppers and summer squash coming out of my ears and not much else right now LOL!

I stepped on a board with 3 long nails in it the other day and of course they all went through my shoe and foot! AND...of course, there was a fire ant hill under that board so they all crawled up both my legs and bit the $*%# out of me at the same time! Fun fun fun NOT.

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_condo.jpg
This is a 4 shelf unit I converted to a 3 layer brooder. I use the 4th shelf as the top of the upper brooder. The shelves are solid. This is a photo before I had it really finished.

I wrapped hardwardcloth around the sides and built in the doors.

I then wrap a cotton tarp around the whole thing,and fastened it to the unit with large clips with the opening in the front where the doors are so I just unclip the tarp in front of the doors a little when I want to open the doors to feed, etc. I pulled the tarp back to the sides to expose the whole inside.

I put 2 lights on each level in case one bulb burns out the other stays on for warmth. This shelf unit happens to have bars under the shelves so I could hang the lights from them. I first tried to tape them up with duct tape, but that didn't work. you can see the tape in the photo. Each light has a 90 watt bulb in it. If you put 2 lights side by side, it give them a pretty large size of heat to get under for warmth.

I'm in NY and it can get down to 20 below. Its in an unheated barn. I put the chicks in at 3 days old.

If you do something like this, but don't have a way to hang the lights, you can put a dowel in the hardward cloth holes in the front & back, going through the brooder,and attach the light from that...

I love this brooder. Very cool. I have some large old plant shelves that I normally hang lights from to start veggie seedlings. I bet one of them would work great for this.

ducklover: So sorry you had a bad hatch. I hope the next one goes better for you. Don't give up hope!!

gallavina: I can't imagine being able to harvest broccoli in July! Sounds like you are having a good gardening season this year. I dried a ton of dill, basil, bay leaves, and thyme the other day in the dehydrator. I have peppers and summer squash coming out of my ears and not much else right now LOL!

I stepped on a board with 3 long nails in it the other day and of course they all went through my shoe and foot! AND...of course, there was a fire ant hill under that board so they all crawled up both my legs and bit the $*%# out of me at the same time! Fun fun fun NOT.

Yikes!!!! 3 nails all at once? and then fire ants on top of that???!!! That seriously had to hurt! I grew up never wanting to wear shoes ever (still don't like them much) and stepped on nails all the time...and thorns from locust trees, but sounds like you had a doozy of a day...How's your foot feeling?

I'm having an ok gardening year...the weather has been really strange, and the weeds are soooo out of control. I feel like that's all I do anymore is go to my job, weed and sleep. I'm behind on a lot of stuff mostly due to work issues and the weather...in fact...I've been holding off putting in my vine crops as long as possible because of squash bugs that are rampant here...and am going to be planting those this week finally. I've been killing off the adult squash bugs as I've found them and am going to be putting row cover over them while they are little and then I'll take the cover off and spray a mix of imitation vanilla and water on the plants...its a tip I found that helps to mask the smell of the plant from the squash bugs. I'm sincerely hoping that doing things this way will help to actually have a decent harvest.

how's those birchens coming along? I STILL have to get pics...between the heavy rains and then blistering hot days and the mess at my jobs...I never seem to have enough hours in the day. I do have a week off coming up tho while my brother's family is in town and that is going to be dedicated to working around home and goofing off with the kiddos. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Want to trade some tomatoes for summer squash ? ?

Tetanus.... when was your last shot?

 

[flgardengirl]

My foot is swollen as heck but I am hobbling around a little today lol. Yeah, it was quite something stepping on those nails and fireants and that's one moment I will remember staying completely sane and saying to myself 'Okay, you have to pull this board out so you can get these darn ants off NOW..and then doing it!'
Luckily, I had the hose running nearby and could wash off the bleeding foot and ants at the same time! Dh was sleeping because he worked the night before and the kids weren't home. I don't even remember getting into the house and turning off the hose on the way in LOL!

Ohhh I hate squash bugs. Suprisingly I haven't seen any here yet this year. Last year they about killed off everything. There are a ton of tiny baby lizards hiding in the long grass and weeds in the garden so they are probably eating all the bugs. See there...weeds are good and I have an excuse not to pull them LOL!
That's so cool about the imitation vanilla masking the squash odor. I've never heard of it and will defintiely try it next time.

The birchens are coming along okay. The mossy black birchen, that I was debating if it was a boy or girl...must be a girl after all. Her comb and face are still reddish but she has no comb at all when compared to the other blue male birchen. She does have an attitude like a roo just like my older blue birchen girl though but I really think she is a girl now. The blue birchen male is getting some coloration on his upper wings/back but it is more of a creamy off white than silver....Is that bad?
His hackles are silver still.

ETA: I had my last tet shot during Katrina (2005) so I should be okay for now lol.

 

[Debbi]

flgardengirl ~ Wow, talk about a bad day!

Lisa is right, get a tetanus shot! They say they are good now for ten years, but I have my doubts there.

Squash bugs ate up all my plants last year, and they are back this year! Joke's on them, no squash this year thanks to all the flooding!

Does DE work on them? I do have one pumpkin plant that managed to survive, that is if the chooks don't trample it. Nut Sedge has taken over my garden this year, I've almost given up. Just been weeding by the plants, then take the weed whacker to the rest. Too dang hot for me this year! Another heat advisory out for today too, up to 105.

We need to see some pics of those Birchens, ladies!!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
I'm glad that you were able to get yourself taken care of....that has to be strange not remembering some parts of it. Hope it heals up quickly for you!

I grew up around poultry and my dad was working on a project of birchen wyandottes. i know when you are backed against a wall you can work with a gold birchen and take a while longer with selective breeding to eventually work towards a silver birchen. The cream my dad would keep...and a portion of the offspring would come out a good silver color and those that didn't he would cull. He's always said...work with what you have and if something comes along that is an improvement, then snatch it up...but in the meantime...selectively breed and find out for sure what your different matings will throw... It may not be a super technical way of going about things, but it is a good way for me to work with what I've got.

well...off to work I go...luckily its not a super long day

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
promise...I'm gonna work on pics this coming week when I have time off!

oh....and DE sometimes works...but its been hit and miss for me with the squash bugs. I haven't figured out a good solution other that prevention like the row cover and vanilla to be honest.

 

[AyeUpChuck]

Howdy y'all!

I'm FINALLY finished with that crazy wedding!!!! Here's a picture of the three tier cake I made. Not the best but all I had at the time. It's the back side of the cake because it had too many flaws to be the front but I wasn't about to attempt to turn that bad boy around.

On the Marans front. I've had a rather disappointing hatch this time. I had one little black copper hatch out on day 21 but that was two days ago. I pulled him out really quickly last night and put him in the brooder with the other babies. I have to tag him as he's already somewhat hard to tell apart from the others. I'm going to let the bator ride for another day or two and hope that at least another one or two decide to join the party. There were at least 6 viable before lockdown so

I need to get some more pictures of the juvies in the yard. It's CRAZY how fast they change in their coloring! I'm amazed at my two BCM roos. They're looking like they're going to potentially sire some really lovely offspring. Well I have to run but y'all have a wonderful day!

 

[marquisella]

Quote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/22072_condo.jpg
This is a 4 shelf unit I converted to a 3 layer brooder. I use the 4th shelf as the top of the upper brooder. The shelves are solid. This is a photo before I had it really finished.

I wrapped hardwardcloth around the sides and built in the doors.

I then wrap a cotton tarp around the whole thing,and fastened it to the unit with large clips with the opening in the front where the doors are so I just unclip the tarp in front of the doors a little when I want to open the doors to feed, etc. I pulled the tarp back to the sides to expose the whole inside.

I put 2 lights on each level in case one bulb burns out the other stays on for warmth. This shelf unit happens to have bars under the shelves so I could hang the lights from them. I first tried to tape them up with duct tape, but that didn't work. you can see the tape in the photo. Each light has a 90 watt bulb in it. If you put 2 lights side by side, it give them a pretty large size of heat to get under for warmth.

I'm in NY and it can get down to 20 below. Its in an unheated barn. I put the chicks in at 3 days old.

If you do something like this, but don't have a way to hang the lights, you can put a dowel in the hardward cloth holes in the front & back, going through the brooder,and attach the light from that...

I love this brooder. Very cool. I have some large old plant shelves that I normally hang lights from to start veggie seedlings. I bet one of them would work great for this.

ducklover: So sorry you had a bad hatch. I hope the next one goes better for you. Don't give up hope!!

gallavina: I can't imagine being able to harvest broccoli in July! Sounds like you are having a good gardening season this year. I dried a ton of dill, basil, bay leaves, and thyme the other day in the dehydrator. I have peppers and summer squash coming out of my ears and not much else right now LOL!

I stepped on a board with 3 long nails in it the other day and of course they all went through my shoe and foot! AND...of course, there was a fire ant hill under that board so they all crawled up both my legs and bit the $*%# out of me at the same time! Fun fun fun NOT.

Its no joke when something pierces your feet.

Last year I was wearing plastic crocks the cheap kind with the holes, and decided to walk into a pen. I usually wear Birkenstock heavy plastic clogs, but didn't want to change, too lazy.
Anyway, I stepped on a piece of wire, it went though one of the holes, and into the base of my big toe. Yeah, covered in chicken poop....

I hoped it would be ok, but of course, the next day,, my foot was red with an ugly red line running up the foot towards my ankle.

Went to Urgent Care and they put me on antibiotics, but told me to come back anyhow the next day so they could check it out, and I might have to go into the hospital for IV antibiotics....

I went back the next day, but it was not much better. There was a different doctor on and she put me on another antibiotic that she though more appropriate with instructions to come back again the 3rd day so they could check it out.

Luckily, the 3rd day there was improvement, so I didn't go to the Hospital, but I was sweating it!

Puncture wounds can be very dangerious....don't fool around, be safe and see a doctor. Thank goodness I had had a tetanus shot a year before, so that wasn't an issue.

Sue

 

[gilavina]

marquisella, how on earth do you handle collecting eggs in the morning with eggs as dark as that in your avatar? I'd be either freaking out or would just plain pass out! haha They are truly lovely times 100

Do you sell ever sell hatching eggs? I bet if you do your wait list is long!