Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Buckhunter76]

If you look back to the beginning of this thread, you will find many have been chatting here for years and are good friends.

I am grateful that the core group that keeps this thread alive and flourishing are willing to share their knowledge and tolerate my butting in.

I mostly lurk and learn.

Seems like that's what I need to do, lurk and learn.

. But the my thing is, what about the people that have questions, that get ignored? I'm confused how some can be so inconsiderate and blow on by the questions.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Ask with respect--this thread is noted for answering questions, even if respondes are not immediate. I know many of these folks have other jobs and don't spend all day here. SOme of us are newly into Buckeyes, others have been breeding for years, like Chris and Laura.

If your question is overlooked, quote it and say something like: I think this questions was missed, does anyone have a comment. You'll learn. Just be thoughtful of the existing thread members.

Edited: OOPs , sorry, apparently too tired!!! Chris and Laura live over on the buckeye thread.

Vicki, Debbi, Donna, Pink and others will help you out!!

 

[Raven1]

Ask with respect--this thread is noted for answering questions, even if respondes are not immediate. I know many of these folks have other jobs and don't spend all day here. SOme of us are newly into Buckeyes, others have been breeding for years, like Chris and Laura.

If your question is overlooked, quote it and say something like: I think this questions was missed, does anyone have a comment. You'll learn. Just be thoughtful of the existing thread members.

I think you meant Marans. HeHeHe

 

[snowbird]

To anyone posting looking for answers. I only answer a post for a critique if I have something that I see that should be mentioned on the forum. If the poster seems to have thin skin then the answer should be by way of a PM. If anyone would like a sugar caoted reply just state that in the post and I will not reply.

There is no quick fix to breeding poultry , just a lot of hard work and culling the faulty off spring. You can not breed to the APA standard and not be wiling to cull a high percentage of the young. If you are going about your breeding program right the culls should and will decrease each year. This does not mean you will not have a bad culling year mixed in with a bunch of good years as sometimes the matings will just not work.

 

[Debbi]

What age do I make note of final eye color? THese boys hatched last fall. Mid Novemeber, I think.

All I can offer up is what I have seen here. At 7 months, all of my birds either have correct color or not. Now, some varieties and other lines may take longer to finish up, but with my birds, 7 months usually tells the story.

 

[Debbi]

Funny story just a bit ago. Out back of my yard is the neighbor's pasture. Lately, there has been a small group of Jake turkeys walking through and dust bathing right by my back fenceline. Well today, Pip was standing there with some of the girls and saw the turkeys. He stared at them without moving a muscle for the longest time, and now they were staring back at him. All of a sudden, he puffs up his hackles, and jumps straight up in the air flapping his wings! What the heck?? The Jakes moved back about 10 feet then turned around and started staring again. I guess it all made Pip feel like a big man to run those Jakes back, so he drops wing and gives them one heck of a growly dance display!

Those poor turkeys must've thought, "hey, let's bug out! This dude is flippin' crazy!!" And with that, they all took off running. Oh what a proud moment for goofy Pip! I can hear Don's eyeballs rolling back into his head as I relate another Pip story!!

 

[snowbird]

Hey Debbi, better than what we have been getting on here today. weather has cooled down some today with coolor for a few days. Sure glad I am not working with a bunch of young fowl.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

LOVE the Pip and turkey tale! I'm going to have to try to get some video of my girls playing "ring around the tree" with the baby squirrels or of Jackson, my Blue Copper cock bird tearing into the cats for trying to spook my ladies!!

(Jack is the nicest cock I've EVER had around here but he has ZERO tolerance for cats!)

 

[Debbi]

Hey Debbi, better than what we have been getting on here today. weather has cooled down some today with coolor for a few days. Sure glad I am not working with a bunch of young fowl.

Thought we could use a little levity. Hot one here today again. We were supposed to get storms today, but there isn't a cloud in sight. It is far too dry for this time of year here, and everytime it gets like this, some yahoo decides it's a great time to burn off a pasture. We usually don't have to worry about fire season here till mid July, but it is very brown here now. Not good...

 

[gilavina]

To anyone posting looking for answers. I only answer a post for a critique if I have something that I see that should be mentioned on the forum. If the poster seems to have thin skin then the answer should be by way of a PM. If anyone would like a sugar caoted reply just state that in the post and I will not reply.

There is no quick fix to breeding poultry , just a lot of hard work and culling the faulty off spring. You can not breed to the APA standard and not be wiling to cull a high percentage of the young. If you are going about your breeding program right the culls should and will decrease each year. This does not mean you will not have a bad culling year mixed in with a bunch of good years as sometimes the matings will just not work.

Hey Don...did you happen to see my post I think yesterday (?), maybe, with my question on your perspective of the width of head and etc when breeding for a larger framed bird. I posted a pic of one of my biggest young cockerels, to see what you thought about how he's looking so far.