Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

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Don't blame ya at all! Wish there was someone close enough by me that I could get eggs from. I don't think I'll make the NYD hatch this year since the girls I'm wanting eggs from are still in molt. Hopefully this means it will be ok to get an early start in the spring with hatching.

You know when I was collecting eggs all my Marans started laying at one time... once I got my eggs they slowed way down. It was like they knew what I was doing.

haha awesome. Its been strange here this year. With the weather holding out longer the birds waited to molt til now, so with this cold snap they sure have me worrying they are warm enough at night with as naked as some of the girls are looking these days. Good news is that I saw some pin feathers starting to show up when doing chores yesterday.

 

[gilavina]

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Good luck with the hatch my dear!!!

We will also be patiently waiting on pics and news of the new 'bator to be. Is it the style that has the glass door that we love to clean nose smudgies off of?

yes of course, what other style is there??

I'd love to know how to turn one of those into an incubator. You should do a tutorial on it and post it on its own thread!

 

[Hens and Roos]

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yes of course, what other style is there??

I'd love to know how to turn one of those into an incubator. You should do a tutorial on it and post it on its own thread!

DH was looking at how others had made theirs on BYC here. He is still developing how to put it together, will make sure that we take pictures and can share.

 

[pinkchick]

Have ya'll been up watching the moon? It's beautiful. It was so big, close and bright at 4AM and now it is like it is 20 billion miles away, small and kinda yellow.







Marans are my favorite chicken.

 

[gilavina]

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I'd love to know how to turn one of those into an incubator. You should do a tutorial on it and post it on its own thread!

DH was looking at how others had made theirs on BYC here. He is still developing how to put it together, will make sure that we take pictures and can share.

thanks! That'd be awesome! I see those wine fridges advertised from time to time and would love to use one as a hatcher to help out my incubator organization if possible!

 

[Hens and Roos]

I was awake at that time but didn't get up

If we have enough time today we will take some new pictures of the babies, I can see 1 boy so far. Had some feather in fast and some that are still poking along with feathering in- but not sure that is an indicator

 

[gilavina]

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NO...haven't consciously watched it. I know its been rather large lately, but been so busy that it hasn't really soaked in til you said something.

 

[Debbi]

Good morning all

A balmy 16* here this morning! I got to see the moon at about 5am when my old girl, Uma, decided she had to go out.

It was huge and bright, and there was supposed to be an eclipse, but not until 7 or so around here. I went back to bed!

Pink ~ Congrats on getting the Bill eggs!! Has she been breeding them for feathered shanks now? I keep watching Myron (dark blue copper cockerel by Bill), and he is getting bigger and better looking by the day. He is clean legged with maybe a few stubs, but I like his comb, albeit, it has a couple too many points, but it is a correct shape, smooth and not fat, and sits well off the back of his neck. He has sprouted one white tail feather, but these guys are getting ready to molt, so I'm thinking it will disappear in a few weeks. And he is a NICE guy! So Myron just may have to hang around here a while longer just to see what he can do. His dark coloring should add some lacing to the light blue girls here, and copper!

desertmarcy ~ You need to check the combs on your hens, especially the one from the KY breeder. I thought I saw one hen in there with a carnation comb, and it's probably the one from KY? Trust me, you are better off those eggs didn't hatch, I have some of his, my very first Marans, and they carry the gene for the carnation comb, and one of my hens has one! If you don't plan on showing or breeding to sell eggs to potential breeders, then it won't matter. Otherwise, those combs are a DQ, and will spread like wildfire! Go to the SOP thread, page 17, and see one of my birds from his stock! It ain't pretty! You also need to physically check the hens with the flopped combs for side sprigs, and possible carnations too. Flopped over combs on hens can hide all kinds of little nasties!

 

[gilavina]

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Mornin Debbi! I'll take that 16* over the 4* we got goin up here this AM....blech!

Got work later today, but hopin to get some more work on the breeding pens done before. Although it seems nothing quite works out the way I've planned lately.

 

[desertmarcy]

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Hi Debbi, would you mind sending me the link to that SOP thread, I can't seem to find it. I am new to this and haven't a clue

what side springs and carnations are! And when you say the flopped over combs can hide all kinds of little nasties, what do you mean exactly, that there are other genetic faults at play possibly? And while you are at it, could you send the link to the new Marans DQ thread: there are so many posts here, I've already lost it