Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

I am kicking my big batch of shipped marans babies outdoors next sunday. They will be 3 weeks old and I just cannot stand chicks indoors after 3 weeks. Our lows are 50 and average highs is probably 75. I am going to put a regular light bulb in the outdoor pen at night for a week or so to make sure they can handle. With 18 chicks I figure if it gets too chilly for them they can just huddle. lol

WOW... the weather here is like Hawaii.... only NOT Hawaii.....

 

[Cadeau]

Vicki - the Farmer's Almanac says Hot and Dry for you this summer...

I don't know how accurate it is, but it was VERY accurate for this past winter!


Over here in PA, we used to see the break in the weather and beginning of the thaw @April.
(not that I'm complaining!)

 

[DMRippy]

haha...yeah. My chicks are lucky if they get lights past 3 weeks....the bantams I let go a bit longer just due to their size and usually I do smaller hatches...but in the later spring, they are on their own after they start getting pretty active.

SPEAKING OF BANTAMS.... if I hatch some can they just go in with the others or should I keep them separated some how? I have never done batams....

and they have to be teeniny things....

BTW everyday this week between 80-82 days and nights 56-60.... hum... moving a lot this week....

 

[gilavina]

Vicki - the Farmer's Almanac says Hot and Dry for you this summer...

I don't know how accurate it is, but it was VERY accurate for this past winter!

yeah, I saw that. I'm so not looking forward to it. I think I'm gonna have to make some adjustments to my planting schedule and methods to combat the heat. Grrr

 

[gilavina]

SPEAKING OF BANTAMS.... if I hatch some can they just go in with the others or should I keep them separated some how? I have never done batams....

and they have to be teeniny things....

BTW everyday this week between 80-82 days and nights 56-60.... hum... moving a lot this week....

Its a hit and miss alot of times. Sometimes it works to mix them, sometimes it doesn't. I usually try to hatch enough bantams for their own brooder...just keeps me from worrying about them when I'm at work

 

[Cadeau]

I keep my bantams separate, especially from the Marans.
Once they're a week old, the bantams get their own tub b/c they get bowled over by the Marans.
I tried them together, but I find they do better separated from the LF.

BUT - mine are cochins, which are VERY laid back birds, so maybe a more active bantam would hold up just fine!

 

[DMRippy]

So far none have made it to lockdown... they are pullet eggs.... so I will just keep setting till I get some...

 

[Christie Rhae]

Of course there are places here in Hawaii that are warmer. I live at 3000 ft. elevation so it is cooler up on the mountain. My normal humidity is about 35 to 40%

 

[slick4591]

I know many pages back, there was some talk about twisted combs and I know it was recommended not to use them in breeding as it can be passed on to the offspring.  I ended up culling 2 cockerals last summer due to twisted comb and this past weekend I ended up culling 3 more cockerals because of this same issue.  The 1 cockeral whose comb looked the best at this point was given a stay- he was given the job of taking care of 20- 5 week old babies- so far he is doing okay with them but he isn't sure what he should all do, he's not sure he should share the food dish!

Thanks, Hens! For a minute there I thought I was invisible. Apparently, I missed the lesson on twisted combs. I was hoping they were a fault that could be worked with. Guess I'll just be breeding five less than originally planned. Hope your cockerel figures it all out!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Thanks, Hens! For a minute there I thought I was invisible. Apparently, I missed the lesson on twisted combs. I was hoping they were a fault that could be worked with. Guess I'll just be breeding five less than originally planned. Hope your cockerel figures it all out!

not invisible, this thread moves so fast some days in 20 different directions that it's hard to keep up . From what I have picked up it seems like problems with combs multiple so fast. You could always do a test mating and see what you end up with- it's hard to tell, I am still trying to find time to see if there are more articles that talk about comb genetics. Just not enough hours in the day!