Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Debbi]

One other piggy thing then I'll quit. Keep anything with an open wound away from pigs! They will eat ANYTHING, including you, with blood on it! That includes birthing goats, if they can get to them, it will be all over...for the goats!

 

[3riverschick]

haha - no where special - Pennsylvania!!

Good place to raise kids.We moved from North County San Diego to Ligonier in western PA in 1992 to raise our kids.
A great decision. Still here and enjoying the independent lifestyle of this region, smile.
Best,
Karen

 

[heath_elisha]

Elisha~ They are on their way!

Sorry couldn't log in yesterday afternoon or evening to PM or email you the confirmation number. Will do that shortly.

I am sure they will be just fine traveling with the heat....I would worry more about cold temps vs. the heat, but that is just me.


Meanwhile.....here are your eggies.

Ahhhhhhh!!!! Those are beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

And two dozen!!?!??!! Woohoo! Better the chances of getting a good hatch! I just love the how dark they are!!!

 

[DMRippy]

About eggs, I sometime set all as I have mostly dark layers, only 1 or 2 that lay on the light side and they are covered by a roo who's sisters lay very dark eggs. Sometimes I really just set the darkest eggs I have. My goal is to have the darkest layers I can, but my main goal is to breed nice birds. The egg color will improve as I will only keep the darkest layers. It is all baby steps for me.

The more things I can tackle the better but this year my goal was to increase my pullets, select only the best for breeding and keep only the darkest layers. If I can do that every year, everything will come together. Since I am new to chickens my goals are small.... only improve every year. I hope when I get my flocks up and get some nice quality I will focus on certain breeds each year and really work on them.

 

[Raven1]

Works a Treat!
My FIL is from Ireland and he has said that before. Just made me think of him and wondered if you were from the Emerald Isle maybe.
Pink maybe you should try a Heritage type: Red Wattle or Large Black they are suppost to be excellent when pastured.

 

[Debbi]

Just read this scary little ditty. Another great reason to raise and butcher your own chickens! I think the FDA needs to GO!

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blog...on-risk-women-122809803--abc-news-health.html

 

[snowbird]

About eggs, I sometime set all as I have mostly dark layers, only 1 or 2 that lay on the light side and they are covered by a roo who's sisters lay very dark eggs. Sometimes I really just set the darkest eggs I have. My goal is to have the darkest layers I can, but my main goal is to breed nice birds. The egg color will improve as I will only keep the darkest layers. It is all baby steps for me.

The more things I can tackle the better but this year my goal was to increase my pullets, select only the best for breeding and keep only the darkest layers. If I can do that every year, everything will come together. Since I am new to chickens my goals are small.... only improve every year. I hope when I get my flocks up and get some nice quality I will focus on certain breeds each year and really work on them.

Donna, sounds like a good plan for the egg color. Remember also to try to stay within the same line of Fowl if at all possible. Anytime you out cross it will usually take 2-3 years to get the egg color back to where it was at the time of crossing. I also set all the well formed eggs myself, they were all sisters and basically had the same genes in action.
Most know that I have always used the Hillbilly genetics when breeding fowl, meaning I do not use the Xs and Os just what has always worked for me in the past.

 

[Cadeau]

Works a Treat!
My FIL is from Ireland and he has said that before. Just made me think of him and wondered if you were from the Emerald Isle maybe.
Pink maybe you should try a Heritage type: Red Wattle or Large Black they are suppost to be excellent when pastured.

haha - caught in the act!
My grandparents came from Eire!!

 

[Raven1]

Don I had no choice but to cross my Wade hens with my Davis roo. So far the egg color is very good in the new layers and I like how they are looking. I am very scared now after you said that. Do you think when the others start to lay it maybe a different story? In other words do you think so far I have just been lucky? (not that I can do anything about it)

 

[LaLobaBlanca]

Once I ordered Blue Copper eggs and several of the cockerels were split to Birchen when I grew them out.....they were pretty so I took them to the auction even the pullets of course now I have Birchens though those birds didn't have the type either of a good Marans and clean legs if I remember right. Yours might have a wavy comb and the tail is pinched. the back should stay wide all the way back and it looks like the tail is already too long like a game birds a Marans tail should look short. It seems that the ear lobe has white. How old are these birds? If they have all these things showing up it will make it hard for you to breed anything with better type wise unless you just want a dark egg.

Lotsapaints, if you are talking about the pics I posted the birds are 13 weeks old. Do you have a picture of what my Marans cockerels should look like? The one with the thin tail has nice feathers on his feet which is the main reason I was considering keeping him.