Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[DMRippy]

Speaking of predators.... I stopped at the farm this morning and gave everyone the once over. Found a lavender Ameraucana chick out of the growout pen as I figured out where she came from I found a 5.5 ft long snake EATING my EE pullet. IN MY SHOP IN A PEN

SO the good news, I have been given the OK since I have an order for some NH chicks, to hatch some EE and my Wheatens laid me an egg too, so that will have to go in too.... he will never notice another blue egg or 2

I am good on Marans! Just to keep in on topic!

 

[gilavina]

Speaking of predators.... I stopped at the farm this morning and gave everyone the once over. Found a lavender Ameraucana chick out of the growout pen as I figured out where she came from I found a 5.5 ft long snake EATING my EE pullet. IN MY SHOP IN A PEN

SO the good news, I have been given the OK since I have an order for some NH chicks, to hatch some EE and my Wheatens laid me an egg too, so that will have to go in too.... he will never notice another blue egg or 2

I am good on Marans! Just to keep in on topic!

yikes! What kind of snake?

 

[snowbird]

x 2

Will explain this a little to the new poultry people. Barb, has had the Cuckoo and knows the darker chicks at this age are female and the lighter are mostly males. I have had Barred and Cuckoo in several breeds and this is easiest way to tell the sex

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: The kind that eats chickens.......

TinTennessee said it was a corn snake. The same kind that was eating my eggs the other day, but this one was a different color. I think they come in all kinds of colors. There was also another one the other day lurking at my breeding pens.... so we had to make a cursory look at them too before we left to do chores.

 

[gilavina]

The kind that eats chickens.......

TinTennessee said it was a corn snake. The same kind that was eating my eggs the other day, but this one was a different color. I think they come in all kinds of colors. There was also another one the other day lurking at my breeding pens.... so we had to make a cursory look at them too before we left to do chores.

boo for the snakes! hopefully you'll be able to get them out of there asap

 

[TinTennessee]

The kind that eats chickens.......    TinTennessee said it was a corn snake.  The same kind that was eating my eggs the other day, but this one was a different color.  I think they come in all kinds of colors.  There was also another one the other day lurking at my breeding pens.... so we had to make a cursory look at them too before we left to do chores.

Yes they come in a variety of colors, this will give you a few ideas of the colors [=http://www.cornsnakemorphgallery.com/][/]. When you get there just click the home button to see pics. I meant to ask did it by any chance have a checker board pattern on its stomach ? Alternating black & white. This is another good way to determine if it is indeed a corn snake.
By the way my cockreil finally has some copper showing.g on his hackles. Just to keep it marans related.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: I think it was just gray..... I didn't notice a pattern

 

[unkadan]

Will explain this a little to the new poultry people. Barb, has had the Cuckoo and knows the darker chicks at this age are female and the lighter are mostly males. I have had Barred and Cuckoo in several breeds and this is easiest way to tell the sex

thanks for the info, lots of us wade through the posts here learning as we go

 

[desertmarcy]

Yes they come in a variety of colors, this will give you a few ideas of the colors [=http://www.cornsnakemorphgallery.com/][/]. When you get there just click the home button to see pics. I meant to ask did it by any chance have a checker board pattern on its stomach ? Alternating black & white. This is another good way to determine if it is indeed a corn snake.
By the way my cockreil finally has some copper showing.g on his hackles. Just to keep it marans related.

Those corn snake pics are from captive breeding. People have been breeding snakes in captivity for all sorts of interesting colors and patterns NOT FOUND IN NATURE much like we are breeding all sorts of different colors of fowl, all starting from a few wilds. So the ones you find eating your chicks may have some variation in color, but not like that website photo gallery shows--those are strictly captive bred for generations to get those colors. How do I know all this, I kept and bred snakes in captivity for 30+ years, got out of that hobby and now I have different colors of chickens and turkeys instead

 

[TinTennessee]

Those corn snake pics are from captive breeding. People have been breeding snakes in captivity for all sorts of interesting colors and patterns NOT FOUND IN NATURE much like we are breeding all sorts of different colors of fowl, all starting from a few wilds. So the ones you find eating your chicks may have some variation in color, but not like that website photo gallery shows--those are strictly captive bred for generations to get those colors. How do I know all this, I kept and bred snakes in captivity for 30+ years, got out of that hobby and now I have different colors of chickens and turkeys instead

Sorry I should have placed that disclosure in my original post. Most of those colors will not be found in the wild. However just like chickens all those colors started from wild caught snakes, albeit many generations removed. I too kept reptiles for some years , not as many as Desertmarcy but I had my share.