Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[math ace]

Quote:
I recently found tapeworms in my birds poop. I normally worm my birds twice a year anyways.... so the worming has begun.
I wormed once with valbrazen...waited 10 days and hit them a second time with the wormer.

I have EGGS coming out of my ears. These girls are laying their butts off NOW. I have more eggs in the frig than I have had EVER and can not give a single one away because of the wormer withdrawal period. The wormer withdrawal period is 14 days AFTER the lasting worming.... I warned all the neighbors that it would be almost a month with no FRESH eggs. I betcha they are bumming as much as I am at the thought of tossing all these eggs!

So.... Mel you might want to do some poop inspecting and consider worming your birds

 

[stoopid]

I have been digging like a maniac thru the poop. Nothing, I think. Like I said, the bantams are laying like crazy, and they are very well mixed up with each other, so if someone has them, I would think they all would have it.

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
Boys should usually have a larger spot. Sometimes the males are more silvery colored and the females darker colored as well.

With golden cuckoos the males are usually lighter brown than the females

 

[flgardengirl]

Quote:
I recently found tapeworms in my birds poop. I normally worm my birds twice a year anyways.... so the worming has begun.
I wormed once with valbrazen...waited 10 days and hit them a second time with the wormer.

I have EGGS coming out of my ears. These girls are laying their butts off NOW. I have more eggs in the frig than I have had EVER and can not give a single one away because of the wormer withdrawal period. The wormer withdrawal period is 14 days AFTER the lasting worming.... I warned all the neighbors that it would be almost a month with no FRESH eggs. I betcha they are bumming as much as I am at the thought of tossing all these eggs!

So.... Mel you might want to do some poop inspecting and consider worming your birds

I need to worm mine as well. I think I am gonna wait and collect eggs for a week and then start the worming. Then I should have enough to get me through holiday baking (enough eggs that is, not worms LOL)

 

[gilavina]

Afternoon everyone! Thanks for reminding me that I've gotta get my chickens wormed later this week when it warms up a bit. Its been hectic around here preppin for winter.

 

[SaraT]

Hello all, I am new to Marans, I recently got 6 eggs for my broody Bantam Cochin to sit on after my other hen died. The chicks will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. Five are Black Coppers and I am almost certain 3 are pullets and 2 are cockerels. The pullets currently have a lot of white on their faces, small combs, long tails and a tiny bit of copper on some of their back feathers. The cockerels have slightly larger combs, shorter tails and green/blue sheen to the feathers on their backs. I also noticed a week ago that the cockerels' ear lobes seemed very red, maybe this goes along with the cockerels normally having redder combs and wattles?

The sixth chick is a Blue Copper Marans, but I really have no idea what sex it might be. At first I thought it might be a cockerel because its comb seemed to develop before the other chicks, plus its the biggest and bravest of all the chicks. Then I read that pullets usually grow in tail feathers sooner than cockerels, and this chick definitely grew in tail feathers before any of the other chicks. Plus, the only color I'm now seeing on this chick is some copper on the front of the neck. So, now I'm really hoping this one is a pullet, mostly because it's my favorite one personality wise! I guess my questions are, do you all think this is a cockerel or a pullet and when should I start seeing some colored feathers if it's a cockerel? Thanks so much! I have more pictures if anyone needs or wants to see anything else.

By the way, in addition to the Cochin hen the chicks are also being raised by a Silkie roo. The whole little family sleeps on the floor of the coop together and the chicks go under both the hen and the rooster!

Sara

 

[Debbi]

Math, Glad you brought up the worming, I've been meaning to do that for a week now! I'm using Eprinex this time, supposedly, no withdrawl time. Don't think it covers tape worms though, but that seems to be a rarer problem here. Round worms are most common. I did the Wazine thing this summer.

Mel, first, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DUDE!!!! Second, let me tell you I feel your pain about the eggs. Seems my girls tend to lay better in the winter though. The hens that started laying in Nov. 2010, layed all the way until Aug. 2011. Then they molted...just now getting eggs from them again, but I bet I'll have eggs all winter again. Don't get rid of the Marans, but get some other breed that may carry you over when the Marans aren't laying. Get a few Leghorns, they should hold you over?? That is one BIG BEAR!!!! Lawdy, I have nightmares about bears chasing me! I would've had a stroke seeing that one!!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha I don't know whether it is all the speed reading I did in grad school or what....its great, but does have some drawbacks at times. For instance...I ready your comment to Mel as "Happy FIRST birthday dude!" And immediately I

, then I realized my mistake

DOH!

 

[Debbi]

No speed reader here, but I am dyslexic. I may have read it that way too!

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
haha I have a touch of that too....my mom has it really, really bad...there are sometimes she gets me laughing so hard I'm crying over unintended sentences.