Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Cadeau]

Hi all!

Haven'tbeen around much b/c work has been insane...

Congrats to all on their hatches!! and so sorry to hear about the little silkie baby...

I finished out at 14 BCM, 1 duckwing, 2 blue (one silver and one navy), and 2 bantam cochins



Reading about these huge hatches begs the question:
What does your pen system look like? How do you house all these youngsters as they grow and how often do you hatch??

Can anyone explain the duckwing or salmon genetics to me? as in how did I get one from BCM or Blue Marans hens and a BCM roo??


Vicki - have time for another picture session, amongst your MANY projects?

 

[DMRippy]

Hi all!

Haven'tbeen around much b/c work has been insane...

Congrats to all on their hatches!! and so sorry to hear about the little silkie baby...

I finished out at 14 BCM, 1 duckwing, 2 blue (one silver and one navy), and 2 bantam cochins



Reading about these huge hatches begs the question:
What does your pen system look like? How do you house all these youngsters as they grow and how often do you hatch??

Can anyone explain the duckwing or salmon genetics to me? as in how did I get one from BCM or Blue Marans hens and a BCM roo??


Vicki - have time for another picture session, amongst your MANY projects?

My pens are in my siggy. I have some grow out pens in my shop too, they are here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/growout-pens-brooders. I have never hatched this many, but this is my first spring and I plan to sell a good chunk of chicks. I have a chicken friend that will be hatching with me and growing his out. I will be having some big hatcher for a few months I would think. Unless I can't sell them, then I guess I will have to give them away.

 

[gilavina]

Hi all!

Haven'tbeen around much b/c work has been insane...

Congrats to all on their hatches!! and so sorry to hear about the little silkie baby...

I finished out at 14 BCM, 1 duckwing, 2 blue (one silver and one navy), and 2 bantam cochins



Reading about these huge hatches begs the question:
What does your pen system look like? How do you house all these youngsters as they grow and how often do you hatch??

Can anyone explain the duckwing or salmon genetics to me? as in how did I get one from BCM or Blue Marans hens and a BCM roo??


Vicki - have time for another picture session, amongst your MANY projects?

Hey Katelyn!

You can shoot some pics over to me no problem. I'm not the speediest at the moment because of headaches really taking their toll, but I will get to them when my head stops killing me.

I have brooder bins I use for right now, but there is a 5 stack brooder unit coming over to me soon. So, for the first few weeks they stay in the brooders, then I have raised hutches (building more) and I cull as I go...people are always interested in chicks and young pullets and started pairs, so since I'm pretty picky...I only have a handful of grow out pens. I would say by the time that I'm to 10 weeks or so...I've culled or sold about half of each hatch. Might sound harsh, but I know what I like and what I don't like and can afford to be picky since I have stock I can just set eggs from my stock if I am not finding what I want.

I am also always re evaluating my breeder pens, so that helps to keep numbers down too. hatching for me depends upon where i'm at in a breeding program. the last two years I've been hatching tons, but now that I'm starting to make some really good progress I can be more picky and hatch fewer overall hatches. even if I were not to hatch anything else this year than what I just did. I think I have some really nice potential in these...definitely improvements on my stock in some areas.

 

[chickenlisa]

Please keep us up to date on hatch rate. I only got 2 live chicks out of 14 shipped eggs

I sure will! I hope I get most of them to hatch...I'm trying the dry hatching method to start with, but my 2 hydrometers both say "low" for the humidity level so I don't know what to do. It is very dry at our house, (steam radiators for heat) and am wondering if I should add some warm H2O to the incubator water tray to boost it up to 30% or so. I just put them in the bator this morning and will turn on the auto turner tomorrow (is that ok to already? or should I wait a few days?

)I'm so out of practice doing this....I was counting on 2 hens who seemed to be broody, but I guess they weren't serious, b/c they stopped sitting on the throw away eggs I gave them. Bummer!
I love seeing everyone's pics of cute little fuzzy butts! They are so adorable and I can't wait to have some here!

Any advice is welcome!
lisa

 

[gilavina]

I sure will! I hope I get most of them to hatch...I'm trying the dry hatching method to start with, but my 2 hydrometers both say "low" for the humidity level so I don't know what to do. It is very dry at our house, (steam radiators for heat) and am wondering if I should add some warm H2O to the incubator water tray to boost it up to 30% or so. I just put them in the bator this morning and will turn on the auto turner tomorrow (is that ok to already? or should I wait a few days?

)I'm so out of practice doing this....I was counting on 2 hens who seemed to be broody, but I guess they weren't serious, b/c they stopped sitting on the throw away eggs I gave them. Bummer!
I love seeing everyone's pics of cute little fuzzy butts! They are so adorable and I can't wait to have some here!

Any advice is welcome!
lisa

what kind of humidity tray are you using? You could always set a sponge upright out of the pan and it will wick up water and releases the water quicker raising your humidity.

 

[Cadeau]

Thanks Vicki! Donna - the page says unknown URL...

Vicki - how can you tell ALREADY!? They are only 4 days old!!
I'm happy with myself that I can tell I have 7 boys and 8 girls!

I'll work on those pics this Sunday, if the weather is good. Going to the Horse Expo Fri-Sat, if I can kick this cold.
Also going to look at Border Collie and Corgi puppies this Friday! (anyone know someone linked in the herding world??)


Questions about Bantam BCMs - I have 2 little girls whose combs are starting to pink up, but they are still on the tiny side.
Think they will catch up or are they really "bantam?"
They are the size of my bantam cochins, however, they are @4mths old. (no chance of fence jumping!

)

 

[gilavina]

Thanks Vicki! Donna - the page says unknown URL...

Vicki - how can you tell ALREADY!? They are only 4 days old!!
I'm happy with myself that I can tell I have 7 boys and 8 girls!

I'll work on those pics this Sunday, if the weather is good. Going to the Horse Expo Fri-Sat, if I can kick this cold.
Also going to look at Border Collie and Corgi puppies this Friday! (anyone know someone linked in the herding world??)


Questions about Bantam BCMs - I have 2 little girls whose combs are starting to pink up, but they are still on the tiny side.
Think they will catch up or are they really "bantam?"
They are the size of my bantam cochins, however, they are @4mths old. (no chance of fence jumping!

)

haha...the color, the leg feathering, the consistency of heft and size, the shape of their heads, etc. Don't you worry, there still will be ones to cull, but there are things you can see when you are working with the same lines for a while that indicate improvements even at a young age. Can't forget too that these came from the best colored eggs I've had so far too

 

[DMRippy]

Thanks Vicki! Donna - the page says unknown URL...

Vicki - how can you tell ALREADY!? They are only 4 days old!!
I'm happy with myself that I can tell I have 7 boys and 8 girls!

I'll work on those pics this Sunday, if the weather is good. Going to the Horse Expo Fri-Sat, if I can kick this cold.
Also going to look at Border Collie and Corgi puppies this Friday! (anyone know someone linked in the herding world??)


Questions about Bantam BCMs - I have 2 little girls whose combs are starting to pink up, but they are still on the tiny side.
Think they will catch up or are they really "bantam?"
They are the size of my bantam cochins, however, they are @4mths old. (no chance of fence jumping!

)

IDK ... hum... it is one of my articles you can look it up on my page. Just turn off everything BUT my articles and you will see it.

 

[Cadeau]

it says unknown URL b/c the change to the new system and to report it....??....


Vicki - well...all have really nicely feathered legs, most down to the toenail, and some are going to be street sweepers!!

What are you looking for in color?

For size - you mean culling out the littlest ones? or just keeping the big hunks?
( I have pretty consistent size with 5 big hunks)

as for head shape - that's going to take a while LOL!!



Feel better - I'll work on those pics soon, just didn't want to bug you if you were too busy!
(wish I had today off - it was GORGEOUS!!)

 

[Zanna]

Advise needed for single matings........ Do you remove the roo every couple of days for a day or two to give the hen a break or do you put several additional hens in whose eggs you will not collect for hatching? Or, do you not worry about it and just leave the one roo and hen together for your designated breeding season?

Any of you using the Styrofoam incubators........What do you clean them with between hatching/before storage? Dust/hatching fluff in the fan, compressed air spray like used for computer fans?