Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[ffamom3]

Donna ~ That spotted chick doesn't even look like a Marans to me. Different breed may have gotten in there? As for the Cuckoos, I don't do Cuckoo, but aren't the males supposed to have a spot on their heads? Or is it the other way around? Either way, I see a lot of spots, so that's either really bad or really good. Big help there, huh??

Chime in you Cuckoo folks!

Got some from OhBigMomma and she told me that is a homozygous white. Sort of like a Silkie paint. She said that it should keep its spots and not fade like splash sometimes do.

 

[DMRippy]

Debbi, I am sorry! That is awful! Broodies do scare me a little.... I never am sure what I will find when I look in.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Enamel White or Positive Enamel White? How old are the girls? When did you notice the white color change? Has it been there all along or has it just started?

 

[pinkchick]

Debbi~ Sorry about the broody. That stinks!

 

[Debbi]

Yes, broodies have always worried me too, I tend to be somewhat of a control freak?

Now I know why! I'm wondering if there isn't a connection with her color (Splash) and being a nut job? My Splash Marans pullet is beyond stupid! I named her aptly, "Dopey", and she truely is. Time to figure out now where to set up another brooder box, the Wheatens go into lockdown tomorrow...

 

[pinkchick]

Donna~ As to your question last night....I tried to answer but like this morning...the site is once again being very slow.


I personally will not use a mossy bird even if egg color is dark. I will choose to use a bird that does not have it and may have a bit lighter of egg color so that I can maintain current egg color as to not lose it and work on other things after that.

 

[heath_elisha]

I have had two different hatches do the same thing. My cuckoo's seem to have the boys feathering in slower than the girls. I hatched another group of Marans(non-cuckoo) and thought I had almost all girls but by 4-5 weeks old we started to see the difference and most were boys! I would give them a couple more weeks. Also if you post some pictures everyone will help you out

Went and took some pictures. They aren't the easiest things to photograph lol but managed to get pictures of the two birds that confused me. The black and white one has short wings, less feather growth all over, assumed to be a roo - but a small comb. The all black bird with minimal leg feathering has a much larger comb and lots of feathers coming in all over the body. This is what confused me...... lol. Looks like all the others that I guess as roos are turning out that way. 4 pullets and 3 roos.... in the bunch is my guess.

 

[pinkchick]

Debbi~ As much as I would like to blame idiocracy on something like the Splash thing here in my birds...I don't think it has any correlation . Most likely it is just the luck of the draw for who gets the brains and who doesn't.

 

[susanbird]

Hi, As you can see I am far behind in my reading of this great thread. Anyway, I have my chickens in dog kennels and for roofing use the old barn style heavy, wavy, corrugated metal. I got mine from posts on Craigslist. I answered posts and put one under Wanted. I usually pay $5.00 per panel. I have found that Metal Patch & Fill by Devcon, that I bought at OSH, works best for patching the nail holes. On the outside of the kennels I put the bamboo shading. It keeps the wind from blowing my birds away yet lets the breezes in. We have been having 98-100degree weather and the pens have not been horrid. Very few of my chickens pant during the hottest part of the day! Hope this helps.

About Marans. A friend took quite a few eggs to hatch for me but only five made it and he had to help them out. He told me the other day that none of the other eggs that he took hatched. He finally figured out the the sensor was not working. At least we got a few chicks and one of the hens hatched one of her own. I stole it !

I read the information that someone shared about hatching Marans and sent it to my friend. Thank you, I learn a lot here

Susan

 

[Debbi]

Debbi~ As much as I would like to blame idiocracy on something like the Splash thing here in my birds...I don't think it has any correlation . Most likely it is just the luck of the draw for who gets the brains and who doesn't.

Grasping at straws this morning, just trying to figure out the chicken brain. Funny though, how both Splashes, of different breeds, seem to have a short circut somewhere. Guess with my small number ratios here, I'm just lucky like that? Hey, look how many Carnations and sprigs I've had with small hatches, while others hatch thousands of birds, and have never seen it? Maybe the twice diluted gene has something to do with it. Maybe, I'll just apply for a grant and do a research project on Splash birds! Hey, the gov. does much sillier and downright idiotic research projects, maybe I should jump on the bandwagon?