Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

here's the sorting trays I told you guys about a while back for when I am removing chicks from the hatching trays and keep them sorted til I can get them ID'd. i think putting paper towels in the bottom of the dividers will work well.

I have two with four dividers, they are about 5 x 14 each section i'd guess and about 4 inches deep



this one has 20 dividers about 5 inches deep and should hold 3 or 4 chicks each for when i do smaller test matings.



by the way....the flooring these are setting on is the flooring I've been installing over the last month or two.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

I'm having a hard time being patient with this hatch already. I'm so pathetic....its day three...what the heck?

But, it'll be time to candle already over the weekend

Day 3 for me too!!! 12 Silkie eggs.

 

[flgardengirl]

here's the sorting trays I told you guys about a while back for when I am removing chicks from the hatching trays and keep them sorted til I can get them ID'd. i think putting paper towels in the bottom of the dividers will work well.

I have two with four dividers, they are about 5 x 14 each section i'd guess and about 4 inches deep



this one has 20 dividers about 5 inches deep and should hold 3 or 4 chicks each for when i do smaller test matings.



by the way....the flooring these are setting on is the flooring I've been installing over the last month or two.

I love your sorting trays. Good idea. I found some really cool boxes at Sams Club in the meat case that look exactly like nest boxes. It has 3 'nest boxes' in each case. They are really neat so I got two empty ones lol!. I set them out for my new layers (white orps and wyandottes) and they have been using them.

OMG speaking of nest boxes you won't belive this: We had a project a while back constructing one of those large cat house/tree type things that you build from wood and cover with carpet etc. This one has two towers with 3 rooms on one tower side then a large tube connecting them and a tower on the other side with a pagoda house on top. Sooo we never did get the carpet on it haha and it kinda got put on the back burner with all the coop building and other stuff going on. It is in the covered carport attatched to one of the outbuildings kinda forgotten about. Well, the other day I was out there and heard cluck cluck cluck coming from that cat house. I looked over there and there were marans roosters in each of the 3 rooms on the one side and the black birchen marans hen in the pagoda house!! She looked very happy in there and had a bunch of eggs she was hiding lol. Crazy birds!

 

[berkeleysprings]

 Hi Halo! Long time no see and great to have you pop back in!

Tough call on which bird to keep....do you have photos to share? Photo's may help get more opinions as to which boy to work with.

my ears are burning . someone is talking about me. did i saythe wrong thing? i often shoot from the hip and y exposure to outher wheaten marans is zero .
mysmall closed flock since almost 6 years has me way behind on the times and with out any outher people
im within 100 miles with wheatens. i am filaly getting eggs after the flock went on strike.for the normal winter rest the hens do

im afraid my old davis rooneeds viagra because hes not mounting the hens like he should ..
just wanted to check in and say hellow to pink .debbi . and many outhers

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Here's an update on my BC Marans pullet, who is pretty sick. She was prone and I thought already gone when I got back to the house with meds for her, but she perked up after I dipped her beak in the Amprolium laced water a few times. We are over 24 hrs since first treatment and she's been on her feet, chirping away and eating non-stop. She still has the Dracula thing going, wings dipped low to the ground and shoulders scrunched up. The excess eating makes me wonder if she could also have worms.

BTW. Going into Lockdown tomorrow with some B/B/S Orpingtons and Bantam Mille Fleur Cochins.

 

[wolftracks]

Can't stop sharing this egg I got today. This hen usually lays a round, dark egg, but this is the first egg from her in months. She's almost 6. Think maybe she's only going to lay one a year at this rate?

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Can't stop sharing this egg I got today. This hen usually lays a round, dark egg, but this is the first egg from her in months. She's almost 6. Think maybe she's only going to lay one a year at this rate?

If mine looked like that, I'd only lay one a year too!!!!

 

[wolftracks]

I can't believe this egg. She usually lays a big egg, but man! And I hope her color works better this season, cause she lays between 6 and a 8. I saw her in the box this morning and had to leave to pick up a roo. Called my daughter who was here and asked her to go get the egg before someone else laid and so I could mark it. She had to leave but was also waiting for the egg to get laid. I got home and went to check and she was still in the box. That egg took her at least 3 hours! My poor baby.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Christie - I looked at your pictures of your new coop and I'm so impressed. It's great. I may have to borrow your idea and plans for building a new one around here. I also love the idea of the little brooder box inside the coop where small ones can escape and feel safe.

I'm not sure if you said somewhere that it is a 250 watt bulb or if Debbie is just saying "if" but I totally agree with her. That's way too hot. Notice in the pic how none of them are laying directly under the light but off to the side. That's what I use as an indication. Whatever wattage it is, it is too hot or too close but if I'm using a heat lamp I never use a bulb over 100 - an that's regular household bulbs - those heat bulbs are even hotter (I use as low a wattage of those that I can find). As Debbi pointed out, they are a fire hazzard. The hay under it will dry out and start to smolder very quickly (I've had it happen here which is how I learned). I have an old thead on BYC called Journey Through a Different Way which orignally started with me posting about how I turn chicks loose at just a week or two old depending on temps with no heat or coop and how all the ages an sizes of different birds all get along here. At four weeks they are fine with night temps in 50s as long as they have that nice little place to cuddle under. If I were you, I'd just put a regular 65 watt household bulb in there and only turn it on at night for the next week or two so that they learn to come under there at night and it will provide the extra warmth they might enjoy.

Again, beautiful coop and I'll be watching to see how it turns out.

Thank you so much for the input. I really believe in not spoiling chickens with heaters, etc. I mean I built a totally open air chicken coop! lol But I thought they might need the extra heat for a little longer. I am going to take that lamp out tonight and put a low watt one in there for another week like you said. Actually.... they will be 5 week old tomorrow. Maybe I will not even put a light in unless it is gonna be real chilly. It is very damp and humid here but the pen is totally covered and then they have the little box.
I am going to go search for that thread you mentioned. I am always learning, always trying to glean tidbits of info that I think can help me.
My most recent new ideas I have added to the mix was from a video I watched on youtube about Korean natural farming. I am also in the middle of reading this thread.. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/615228/home-feeding-ideas-and-solutions-discussion-thread/100
Very interesting stuff. Might incorporate some of the ideas in my plans.

 

[flgardengirl]

Wow that's a huge egg! I bet that left a mark lol !!! Is it a double or a triple yolker?