Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Arielle]

I picked up some new Marans today..... From Ms. Becky, Thank you! And One of the Blue Cuckoo laid me an egg right after she got out of the box. Hubby, the enabler, asked was she with a roo? YES! Hatch it he said. BUT I didn't get them to breed!

What have I done?

OK so we are going to build me a new incubator this week. Hubby wants to make trays that hold 120 eggs each and 3 sets of trays, see what I mean the enabler. I can hatch every 3 days forever with that.

Can you say over run with chickens? I'm sure you have room for another breeding pen!

 

[DMRippy]

Well can't get the quote thing to work... I have a friend that wants to hatch more chicks too so I figured bigger would not be bad and it will be there when I need it....

I already have 5 doz of my egg waiting to go in the bator and I don't have room

 

[Christie Rhae]

I picked up some new Marans today..... From Ms. Becky, Thank you! And One of the Blue Cuckoo laid me an egg right after she got out of the box. Hubby, the enabler, asked was she with a roo? YES! Hatch it he said. BUT I didn't get them to breed!

What have I done?

OK so we are going to build me a new incubator this week. Hubby wants to make trays that hold 120 eggs each and 3 sets of trays, see what I mean the enabler. I can hatch every 3 days forever with that.

Lol! Oh yeah you have a serious enabler! Lol. You guys are in trouble with no brakes! Lol lol I love it!

 

[DMRippy]

Lol! Oh yeah you have a serious enabler! Lol. You guys are in trouble with no brakes! Lol lol I love it!

We have 63 acres to fill!

 

[Debbi]

We have 63 acres to fill!

Whoa! Chicken breeder + Enabler hubby + 63 acres = 10,000 chickens really quick if you are not careful!!

 

[DMRippy]

Whoa! Chicken breeder + Enabler hubby + 63 acres = 10,000 chickens really quick if you are not careful!!

I really am looking to have 6 pullets in most of my pens. some I need more like RIR NH Rocks and EE need 10-15 each. the specialy breeds Like marans will have more than 1 pen with 6. We will see how all that pans out. I have a feed store wanting some to sell. But that would be reg layer types.

 

[gilavina]

That is a great idea!!! No point in checking before 2 weeks.

I would think I could just open a fresh egg and look for the classic bulls eye and incubate a few a few days to double check.

Two years ago I lost a cockerel and kept collecting the eggs from the girls that had been running with him and set everyone of them in the incubator. I labeled all the eggs for each day and had eggs coming up fertile for 3 and a half weeks after I had lost him. I never put another rooster in with them during that time. So, I would say a month is not out of the realm of reason. I believe I hatched somewhere around 30 chicks from those eggs I collected after he died.

 

[gilavina]

sigh....so yesterday was a crappy day...over friday night into saturday morning we got dumped on with snow....so I couldn't get to work...and I thought 'no big deal, I can work on stuff around home' Well....less than an hour after thinking that...off goes the power, for 12 and a 1/2 hours. I covered the incubator with every spare blanket I could find and towels and a couple old coats and pillows over the top and the side by the wall. I am hoping I saved the eggs. When I took the cover off once the power came on I could see that the temp was at 72....so I think maybe the eggs will be ok, considering that's all it dropped after that long. Today is day 8...but I'm almost scared to look at them...in case they are not ok....

I also lost my internet for a couple of days as well...so those of you that I owe emails to, I will be playing catch up as quick as I can.

Also....in the morning starts the beginning of my two week stint with being on call for jury duty....I just pray it goes smoothly and at the end of the two weeks I'm really hoping my eggies will hatch.

 

[Arielle]

Two years ago I lost a cockerel and kept collecting the eggs from the girls that had been running with him and set everyone of them in the incubator. I labeled all the eggs for each day and had eggs coming up fertile for 3 and a half weeks after I had lost him. I never put another rooster in with them during that time. So, I would say a month is not out of the realm of reason. I believe I hatched somewhere around 30 chicks from those eggs I collected after he died.

DH pushed to get a coop ready for the 5 hens today, realizing I may need nearly 30 days to finish off the rooster juice. DH still needs to make the human door and the roost. But I figured the girls could cope for a 1 night, and that starts the count down. DH does such nice work building with pallets and scraps. Really keeps the costs down to a minimum. So , hopefully by March 5th, the rooster can go in.

 

[gilavina]

DH pushed to get a coop ready for the 5 hens today, realizing I may need nearly 30 days to finish off the rooster juice. DH still needs to make the human door and the roost. But I figured the girls could cope for a 1 night, and that starts the count down. DH does such nice work building with pallets and scraps. Really keeps the costs down to a minimum. So , hopefully by March 5th, the rooster can go in.

whenever you are ready you can put your guy in with the girls...just don't collect any eggs for setting til after the window of time passes. That's what I usually do.