Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Bravo]

Since there's been a lot of talk about combs I thought I'd share my 6 month old...PULLET...with you. She should win an award for her SUPER, honkin', gigantor comb.

I've heard that birds in hotter climates tend to have larger combs, but I'm in the very temperate CA Bay Area where the weather has been extra cool lately. Her comb is probably close to to the size of my roosters! LOL

She's culled to my backyard egg flock due to a poor tail set.

 

[Debbi]

Wow!

Are you sure she's a pullet?? As in layed an egg yet? Those are some big honking wattles too!

I have one henny-roo right now. Looked like a pullet, I swear, 2 days ago, now they are 14 weeks today and, tonight, one looks like a roo! Hey Bravo, send us some of that coool weather, will ya? It's stayed in the mid 90s - 103 here since the middle of JUNE!! We did have a nice rain yesterday, but it didn't do much for the brown grass. On the plus side, I've only had to mow the grass 2x this month!

 

[ChicksterJo]

Huge comb and wattles!

My Marans bows to her...she's 22 weeks old and her comb/wattles are not anywhere near that size!!
I agree - are you sure she's a she and not a he?

 

[Bravo]

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I know, right!?!

I'm 100% sure she's a girl. She's been laying #7 eggs consistently for the past 2 weeks. I posted her first egg a few weeks ago but here it is because I love looking at them!

I need to take a pic of a group of her eggs before my husband eats them lol!

 

[Harris5]

WOW! She must give your roosters comb envy!

 

[BarnGoddess01]

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[Debbi]

Pretty egg Bravo, so you're pretty sure she's a girl then, right?

I'm getting frustrated here with sexing some of these birds. I've tried the feather sexing, that's a 50/50 shot. Tried the comb/wattle sexing at different ages, again 50/50. Some come out of the box and I know, some seem to waiver back and forth in what they look like, like they can't make up their minds what sex they want to be.

I'm starting to think it's due to the crossing of different lines. Different lines seem to carry their own sexual tip off tricks, so I guess until the "new line" is more settled, I'll be seeing this more? When these 4 BCM chicks were younger, about 4 weeks, I would've sworn I had 2 roos and 2 pullets. At 8-9 weeks, I got excited as it now looked like 4 pullets! Now, at 14 weeks, one is starting to look like a roo again? I'll have to see if I can get a pic of the bird in question today. Temps are going up again this week, as is the humidity.

It is already ugly humid here this morning

 

[gilavina]

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yeah...its stifling here today too already. I wont get home til 3 today from work.. its the worst time possible to be working outside, but my oldest brother is coming in from Louisiana to help around my parents place for a week by cutting down trees and etc. I'm pretty sure telling him that its too hot to work outside is not going to work on him since he works out in crap like this everyday in Louisiana.

I guess that just means I'll be taking lots of breaks and making sure I drink tons of water and make sunscreen my new best friend. I'm sincerely hoping we'll get lots of things done that I can't do by myself so that my parents don't have to worry about trying figuring out how to get things taken care of. Man, its hard watching parents getting older.

On the schedule for this week too is some severe culling. I'll be catching up birds tonight and tomorrow morning before work and while I'm working I have someone that can process them for me. We trade things back and forth, so it will be a real blessing to have them help me. My cockerels are starting to hit that age where they are squabbling and fighting, so it means its time!

 

[Debbi]

Morning Vicki,

Your brother will probably enjoy the break in the weather up there! I've been in LA in the summer, and it was horribly miserable. Hope you get lots done for your folks, I know they will appreciate it. Sure wish my kids lived closer to me.

 

[pinkchick]

Morning Everyone!!!!!! Beauty day ahead for us here...it might go over 80 degrees.

Math~ That girl has lots of ruffles on her pettycoat.

Love that!

WELCOME to the Marans thread new folks

Bravo~ She is still a very pretty girl who lays a very pretty egg.

So I waited for a few more eggs to put under my broodies and now both gals have decided that they tried long enough....so against my will I have now turned on the 'bator.and I wasn't going incubate anything for the rest of the summer.

Here's the little jewels that are a cookin'.......