Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Yes, seems it doesn't matter where you go any more, there is always some disaster hanging over your head! I've lived on the east coast (hurricanes and floods), in CA. (earthquakes I never could learn to handle!), Michigan (cold and LOTS of snow!), New Mexico (crazy sand storms and crazy people! No offense to anyone from NM, this was in the 70s! LOL), and now Missouri with tornados and the potential for earthquakes!

I guess we'll never find paradise until we die? Until then, at least in MO, I can afford the taxes...barely!

I will sell a bunch of stuff if I have to, but by gosh, I WILL have a storm shelter by the end of the year, if not before!! I'm getting too old and tired of this crap...

 

[DMRippy]

Yes, seems it doesn't matter where you go any more, there is always some disaster hanging over your head! I've lived on the east coast (hurricanes and floods), in CA. (earthquakes I never could learn to handle!), Michigan (cold and LOTS of snow!), New Mexico (crazy sand storms and crazy people! No offense to anyone from NM, this was in the 70s! LOL), and now Missouri with tornados and the potential for earthquakes!

I guess we'll never find paradise until we die? Until then, at least in MO, I can afford the taxes...barely!

I will sell a bunch of stuff if I have to, but by gosh, I WILL have a storm shelter by the end of the year, if not before!! I'm getting too old and tired of this crap...

We are planning to build one into our new house... if we ever get to build

 

[Debbi]

We are planning to build one into our new house... if we ever get to build

If nothing else, build a small, reinforced concrete safe room in the middle of the new house. Right now all I have is standing next to the fridge, and hanging onto a big dog....and lots of prayers! I could see the path of this storm this morning when greeted by my irate feral roo, Pip, who was soaking wet and POed at me! Yeh, like I brought on the weather! LOL! He roosts on my front porch at night, which faces due south, and he was soaking wet this morning, as was the porch. Same direction that the gas station had damage. Any other time, the damage would've come from the west, and that station would've only had roof damage. As it was last night, it blew in the whole front of the south facing wall, and tore off the south portion of their roof half way back into the building. Wow...

 

[gilavina]

anyone else not able to post photos tonight?

 

[Country Chickens]

Hello Marans folks!

Glad all of you have made it through the storms, albeit a bit wet! I have been a chicken person for awhile, had guineas for the last couple years and been working on my silkie lines for about the same. Now we have 20 french black copper Marans coming early next week! Whoopee!

These are from a fellow BYCer and Wade Jean lines so I'm super excited! I am trying to get ready for them, so looking into any traits of the breed that might not be what I'm expecting. First question, how fiesty are the chicks? I have an hour old guinea keet fluffing in the hatching bator and a small batch of silkies that are just starting to pip. Do you think these guys and the Marans chicks will do okay together? Guineas are small and don't try to boss, and silkies aren't too peck-happy, so I'm hoping they can be brooder buddies for this first while.

Anybody have any other advice for a noob? I've read around in the thread a bit...enough to make me feel silkie genetics are simple, anyway!

 

[Christie Rhae]

Here are my babies 15 minutes after I picked them up from the post office! They were hungry hungry hippos! I had to run back to work. I left my client sitting in the chair ( I own a salon). Everyone knows how chicken crazy I am so they understand, lol!
Tonight they all seem happy and content. I have not harassed them again to inspect them closer. There are BCM, 2 splash, some blue copper and I think two solid blue. Oh the genes I will get to study with these babies!!

 

[stoopid]

Welcome, Country noob!
You have quite the brooder there.....I had Guineas ONCE. Never again

those things are crazy!!
All three have their own traits, my biggest concern would be the Silkies. If you got some good ones with the vaulted skulls, they are very subject to brain injuries if they get pecked in the head.
I would really watch them closely for the first few days.
My Marans chicks are pretty mellow, I would think the Guineas would be the troublemakers. They used to pull the other chicks around by their toes. Wormies!! Yum.

Good luck with them, Roberta

 

[stoopid]

Christie, beautiful babies

 

[Hens and Roos]

Here are my babies 15 minutes after I picked them up from the post office! They were hungry hungry hippos! I had to run back to work. I left my client sitting in the chair ( I own a salon). Everyone knows how chicken crazy I am so they understand, lol!
Tonight they all seem happy and content. I have not harassed them again to inspect them closer. There are BCM, 2 splash, some blue copper and I think two solid blue. Oh the genes I will get to study with these babies!!

Yeah the babies made it,safe and sound! They look to be doing well and very cute! Glad to hear your client was understanding

 

[Hens and Roos]

Hello Marans folks!

Glad all of you have made it through the storms, albeit a bit wet! I have been a chicken person for awhile, had guineas for the last couple years and been working on my silkie lines for about the same. Now we have 20 french black copper Marans coming early next week! Whoopee!

These are from a fellow BYCer and Wade Jean lines so I'm super excited! I am trying to get ready for them, so looking into any traits of the breed that might not be what I'm expecting. First question, how fiesty are the chicks? I have an hour old guinea keet fluffing in the hatching bator and a small batch of silkies that are just starting to pip. Do you think these guys and the Marans chicks will do okay together? Guineas are small and don't try to boss, and silkies aren't too peck-happy, so I'm hoping they can be brooder buddies for this first while.

Anybody have any other advice for a noob? I've read around in the thread a bit...enough to make me feel silkie genetics are simple, anyway!

Welcome! Are the Marans chicks going to be a day or two old when they arrive to you? If so your other chicks hatching now will be a little older which might help especially if they are smaller. Best thing is just to watch them once all are mixed together and make sure that everyone is getting along. My Marans chicks seemed mellow and we had 2 bantam leghorns in with them- all hatch mates and they got along even as the Marans got bigger than the leghorns. The mellowness of the Marans seemed to ware off on the leghorns as they are super friendly and want to be picked up! Good luck with your hatch and new one arriving! We like pictures