Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

Can you feed the chicks too much boiled egg yolk? I just put some in their brooder and all hell broke loose! These things got crazy over it and even a few fights broke out, but they were mostly climbing on top of each other to get at it. They are now looking at me like where's the rest?

The little oinkers! How much did you make, for how many? I don't give mine eggs but maybe once a week, and then I mix it in with their chick food so it goes farther. Best to make only as much as they can eat in one sitting, you don't want it to sit and spoil. Mine like it too, so do my Quaker Parakeets, and the big chooks, and the dogs, and the cats...

I've been picking some greenage for my penned up Silkies. This morning I picked some red clover leaves and a few small flowers, some fescue seed, and some timothy seed. Holy cow! The whole lot of them went nuts! Now when the roo sees me coming with my cup, he gets all excited and starts calling the womenfolk and the babies, and by the time I get to their pen, they are all standing in a line by the gate!!

One of the new chicks, like 3 days old, grabbed a clover leaf and ran around with his prize in his mouth for the longest time. "MINE, MINE, I SAY!!!"

They are such funny little things!

 

[Debbi]

Silkie chick update! (sorry, no Marans chicks yet)

As of this morning, I have 6 on the ground, and one more was zipping away! I'm pretty sure now I have 2 Splash, 2 Whites, and 2 Partridges. All I need now is a Pear tree!

Oh, but to make it somewhat Maransy, poor Olivia stands on the outside of the pen watching the chicks, and you can just see the "mommy pangs" in her eyes. She had been sitting on 13 eggs, then got booted off. I can see right now I'll have to make some sort of broody pen too...

 

[calamityfarm]

Dang, I hope I get this right. I sent some photos and I'm not sure where they went so I'll try again. I am new to Marans and am trying to understand what I'm seeing in my chicks that I hatched 15 weeks ago. I am concerned about eye color. Some of them look too light to me. They are not yellow as they appear in these photos- just light.

I am also assuming these pullets have too much color, what do you think?

Does this one look okay to you?


How do these cockerels look to you at their young age?


Thank you all so much!
Ann

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Silkie chick update! (sorry, no Marans chicks yet)

As of this morning, I have 6 on the ground, and one more was zipping away! I'm pretty sure now I have 2 Splash, 2 Whites, and 2 Partridges. All I need now is a Pear tree!

Oh, but to make it somewhat Maransy, poor Olivia stands on the outside of the pen watching the chicks, and you can just see the "mommy pangs" in her eyes. She had been sitting on 13 eggs, then got booted off. I can see right now I'll have to make some sort of broody pen too...

Poor Olivia. I feel her pain ...

(Congrats on the Silkies!)

 

[Buckhunter76]

Love the name, I have a Pit named Rambo, lol

Another picture of Rambo taken yesterday. Im digging my Marans!

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
What a riot!!

 

[Debbi]

calamityfarm

Your birds all look great to me! The eye color will get more of a reddish-bay as they age. They should all nice eye color by about 7-8 months old. The 2 girls that you asked if they have too much color; from what I can see, they look very nice! Now, if that copper color extends done into the breast area, then yes, that is too much. They should have a nice copper collar, and too many of them don't. Quite a few of mine have none, so if you don't like them, stick them in a box and send them to me!

 

[Arielle]

Here is my question of the day. I have read a couple threads now about chicks not thriving. A couple out of a whole batch. ANd most times it has been marans.

I'm wondering why this is and how can I as a breeder help make sure my chicks stay healthy when I sell them. Has anyone else noticed chicks not thriving, eating and running but not growing as well as the others??

 

[Debbi]

just sold EIGHT Silkies for a nice chunk of change!! The gal I sold them to says she knows a lady that WILL want the rest of my Partridge flock too! I see open pen space in my near future!!!

 

[gilavina]

just sold EIGHT Silkies for a nice chunk of change!! The gal I sold them to says she knows a lady that WILL want the rest of my Partridge flock too! I see open pen space in my near future!!!

awesome! So happy for you Debbi!