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Hi ajcress, and welcome to the Marans thread!
first off, how old are the hens? Are they molting now, or just coming out of molt? Worms can be had and not seen, so unless you do stool sample testing, they may have worms, and you are just not seeing them. Get some Wazine 17, and add it to their water in the run, first thing in the morning. It helps to withdraw all water from the run when you put them up at night, so they are very thirsty in the morning and drink the wormer water. Egg withdrawl period is 2 weeks, but since you aren't getting eggs anyway, you won't miss it. If you are looking to breed, you will need a roo. If your goal is Blue Coppers, the quickest way to get there is with a Splash roo. Many are willing to give away roos, but be careful what you introduce to your flock! If you are just breeding for the color of birds and the egg color, it won't matter. If you want to eventually sell eggs/chicks for potential future breeders, do more research! Learn the Standard of Perfection for the breed, and read, read, read! A lot of good discussions are right here in this thread, go back and read. Marans aren't Leghorns, and don't lay nearly as many eggs. I find mine tend to lay better in the winter, but they are still sporadic. Hope this helps some, if you have any more questions, just post away!
I bought them late this summer and they were a little over 1 year. they did lay when i got them but started molting one by one and haven't laid since. I did talk to the gentleman I bought the bcm's from yesterday to see if he was interested in selling his sportsman incubator and he told me he bought the eggs from a lady in Ca. they were very early spring and were around a 7 on the scale.. so I am going to do a little research on the lady they came from. I think I would like to get the same roo.. if they are going to pick back up with the laying. But would love to try this summer with a splash roo for the blue..I am really not in this to make any money.. I just love the look and character of these birds and not to mention the eggs when i got them but i would like to stay close to the standards. my 2 sons are so excited about these hens so hopefully With the wormer I will see a change. they are the real reason besides myself I want to start raising these. it is all fun and teaches them responsibility to care for things and the rewards they get from hard work. I am in need of a roo now so if you know of anyone who would like to rehome one that is close to breeding age please keep me in mind. I will get some wazine 17, and try this. Thanks for the advise and if you have any more tips please let me know!!
Hi ajcress, and welcome to the Marans thread!
first off, how old are the hens? Are they molting now, or just coming out of molt? Worms can be had and not seen, so unless you do stool sample testing, they may have worms, and you are just not seeing them. Get some Wazine 17, and add it to their water in the run, first thing in the morning. It helps to withdraw all water from the run when you put them up at night, so they are very thirsty in the morning and drink the wormer water. Egg withdrawl period is 2 weeks, but since you aren't getting eggs anyway, you won't miss it. If you are looking to breed, you will need a roo. If your goal is Blue Coppers, the quickest way to get there is with a Splash roo. Many are willing to give away roos, but be careful what you introduce to your flock! If you are just breeding for the color of birds and the egg color, it won't matter. If you want to eventually sell eggs/chicks for potential future breeders, do more research! Learn the Standard of Perfection for the breed, and read, read, read! A lot of good discussions are right here in this thread, go back and read. Marans aren't Leghorns, and don't lay nearly as many eggs. I find mine tend to lay better in the winter, but they are still sporadic. Hope this helps some, if you have any more questions, just post away!
I bought them late this summer and they were a little over 1 year. they did lay when i got them but started molting one by one and haven't laid since. I did talk to the gentleman I bought the bcm's from yesterday to see if he was interested in selling his sportsman incubator and he told me he bought the eggs from a lady in Ca. they were very early spring and were around a 7 on the scale.. so I am going to do a little research on the lady they came from. I think I would like to get the same roo.. if they are going to pick back up with the laying. But would love to try this summer with a splash roo for the blue..I am really not in this to make any money.. I just love the look and character of these birds and not to mention the eggs when i got them but i would like to stay close to the standards. my 2 sons are so excited about these hens so hopefully With the wormer I will see a change. they are the real reason besides myself I want to start raising these. it is all fun and teaches them responsibility to care for things and the rewards they get from hard work. I am in need of a roo now so if you know of anyone who would like to rehome one that is close to breeding age please keep me in mind. I will get some wazine 17, and try this. Thanks for the advise and if you have any more tips please let me know!!
