ok so now about those Marans.... I posted this on the BCM thread but there's been very little action there of late, so I will re post over here and see what you folks have to say.
So I was processing some BCM roosters for freezer camp this past weekend, and I noticed something about their hackles. The underside of the copper hackle feathers is silver like a birchen. These roos were form two different lines... is this the norm for BCM roosters?
last night I took some photos in the coop of my rooster and found he also has this lighter color on the underside of his copper feathers. Here are some photos.
well Debbi....its looking like the forum or my internet....one of the two doesn't particularly feel like letting me load pics onto the thread. I've been trying since 9pm...and not any farther along than when I first tried. I didn't get pics of all three, but I was gonna get you a start with some anyways. I'll keep working at getting more pics and keep trying to load them up here.
I can't believe how hot it was again today...heat index was 113 here today....I feel so sorry for my birds and keep giving them fresh water, cool treats and really anything I can to make them more comfortable. I noticed my oldest chicks are starting their first molt now. I hope that I can get the rest of the pics before they start looking any more sparse.
I hope you and your animals survived the heat down your way!
Vicki, Clean your browser and history, that will help with the pics.
It was awful here again today too. Gave fresh water three times, it must've been 80* water or hotter when I got out there the first time.
Took the hose and soaked the run, but that made the humidity jump up around the coop, so not too sure that's too much help. Put the sprayer on a fine mist and held it over them. To my surprise, they all stood there and ruffled their feathers to let the water in. I guess they are finally learning that that's a good thing?
I've been doing a passive solar thing with the walk-in door and the nest box lid. Nests are on the east side, so I close it down in the morning. Come 1pm, they are in the shade, so I open the nest box lid back up, and close the door on the west side to only open about 4". Seems to be working at lowering the temps by about 5-7 degrees doing this. Yesterday, inside the coop was 104. Same time today, after closing the door, it was only 98. It may not sound like much, but it's better than nothing, and it keeps the sun out of the coop. Sure wish we'd get a rain, it's getting scary dry here, with no rain in sight for the next week, temps remaining in the upper 90s-103.
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Yeah...I cleared the browser and history...then even restarted my computer...and resized the photos to a bit small megapixels and all I get is *crickets*.
My computer is pretty quick...and is running quickly with every other function...i even sent some photos over regular email and it took about two seconds to load... who knows.
I wish my birds would get the misting them down as a good thing. So far...all I get is this look of "OH NO...SHE HAS THE HOSE....I REPEAT SHE HAS THE HOSE...BACK AWAY SLOWLY, THEN TURN AND RUUUUNNNNNN!!!" kind of looks. It made me just about die the first time I sprayed them...so now I just hose down a spot for them to wallow in and they take advantage of that...
Yeah...it is getting about the same here with the dryness...I'm just waiting for a break in the weather. I seriously don't do well with the heat...and I worry about my animals a lot too... That passive solar idea sounds like it is working really well for you! I hope we all can make it through with no problems!
Quote:
Yeah...I cleared the browser and history...then even restarted my computer...and resized the photos to a bit small megapixels and all I get is *crickets*.
My computer is pretty quick...and is running quickly with every other function...i even sent some photos over regular email and it took about two seconds to load... who knows.
I wish my birds would get the misting them down as a good thing. So far...all I get is this look of "OH NO...SHE HAS THE HOSE....I REPEAT SHE HAS THE HOSE...BACK AWAY SLOWLY, THEN TURN AND RUUUUNNNNNN!!!" kind of looks. It made me just about die the first time I sprayed them...so now I just hose down a spot for them to wallow in and they take advantage of that...
Yeah...it is getting about the same here with the dryness...I'm just waiting for a break in the weather. I seriously don't do well with the heat...and I worry about my animals a lot too... That passive solar idea sounds like it is working really well for you! I hope we all can make it through with no problems!
Yup, I know that look all too well. That's why they really surprised me by standing there and taking it in. Three of the younger ones have yet to see a rain, and that scenario is always good for a laugh! They all run around like Henny Penny, "the sky is falling!", then all pile on top of each other in a corner of the run...in the rain. They seem to totally forget the coop or the leanto on the back side of the coop as a possible escape from the falling demons!
Quote:
Yeah...I cleared the browser and history...then even restarted my computer...and resized the photos to a bit small megapixels and all I get is *crickets*.
My computer is pretty quick...and is running quickly with every other function...i even sent some photos over regular email and it took about two seconds to load... who knows.
I wish my birds would get the misting them down as a good thing. So far...all I get is this look of "OH NO...SHE HAS THE HOSE....I REPEAT SHE HAS THE HOSE...BACK AWAY SLOWLY, THEN TURN AND RUUUUNNNNNN!!!" kind of looks. It made me just about die the first time I sprayed them...so now I just hose down a spot for them to wallow in and they take advantage of that...
Yeah...it is getting about the same here with the dryness...I'm just waiting for a break in the weather. I seriously don't do well with the heat...and I worry about my animals a lot too... That passive solar idea sounds like it is working really well for you! I hope we all can make it through with no problems!
Yup, I know that look all too well. That's why they really surprised me by standing there and taking it in. Three of the younger ones have yet to see a rain, and that scenario is always good for a laugh! They all run around like Henny Penny, "the sky is falling!", then all pile on top of each other in a corner of the run...in the rain. They seem to totally forget the coop or the leanto on the back side of the coop as a possible escape from the falling demons!
haha...I've always thought it pretty funny that chicks do forget about any forms of shelter the first time it rains!!
Luckily they learn pretty quickly... (especially since I'm a softy when it comes to the animals and I'm out there running around in the rain putting them in the building... I'm sure my neighbors get a good laugh sometimes)