Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[MellowBird]

Hey Everyone,

I was wondering if someone could answer my question....Or point me to a good website to help me figure this out. I have 2 really nice birchen marans, can I get a rooster for next year to get a mix of chicks like black cooper/ birchen split? Would I just need a black copper marans rooster? thanks for any answers!

 

[snowbird]

Here's my chicks

Chick #1











Chick # 2










Chick # 3







Chick # 4

Yes you have one male and the balance are pullets. Hope you are aware that they are clean leg fowl and the Sop requires feather legs and toes.

 

[laughingclown]

Have you tried going to doctors who specialize in pain management? We have a small group of doctors here that that's all they do, treat pain by various methods. Nerve blocks, pain pumps, various meds, etc. My dad had osteoporosis so bad that his spine was basically disintegrating and they kept him relatively pain-free... my mom has severe osteoarthritis in her cervical spine and they've kept her going... and when my husband had spinal stenosis they were able to help him til he could have surgery. Just different meds might help, for instance vicodin does absolutely nothing for me except make me sleepy, so when I need heavy-duty pain relief I have to take oxycodone. If you don't know of any pain management specialists, ask your insurance company or nearest teaching hospital for referrals.

I go to a pain management doctor. Nothing works that good. Thats where I get my shots and other procedures done. I have used vicodin for a long time. No choice. Even before this I have always been very drug tollerant. I dont think I would ever use oxy unless I was under med care at a hospital. That stuff scares the heck out of me.

 

[laughingclown]

Lc, the #5 male appears to be much better than the other. Could you catch up the Blue and take a picture of the wing open ? I fail to see a split wing from the picture.

I will have to try and do it tomorrow. I have nobody here to help me and he is fiesty. Does not like me pulling his wing out. When I pull it out it has a space in both of them. The other do not. Don could you please explain in detail all of the reasons your picking #5? I cannot learn unless I understand what your talking about.

 

[snowbird]

I will have to try and do it tomorrow. I have nobody here to help me and he is fiesty. Does not like me pulling his wing out. When I pull it out it has a space in both of them. The other do not. Don could you please explain in detail all of the reasons your picking #5? I cannot learn unless I understand what your talking about.

LC, First off always remember to use your own judgement when it comes down to who stays and who goes. The following is what I see.

Wing Carriage on #5 is great

Tail shape on #5 is ideal and angle looks to be real good.

#5 looks to have better shank and toe feathering

#5 has a really nice wide back and the length is also good, by having the wide back he also has nice wide front end.

#5 has really nice overall color for a Black Copper marans.

#5 looking at the head shows to be really alert.

If I missed anything let me know and will try and answer.

 

[Debbi]

I go to a pain management doctor. Nothing works that good. Thats where I get my shots and other procedures done. I have used vicodin for a long time. No choice. Even before this I have always been very drug tollerant. I dont think I would ever use oxy unless I was under med care at a hospital. That stuff scares the heck out of me.

I hate to sound glib, but have you tried the lesser evils of meidcation? My doc had prescribed me Celibrex when I first complained about my arthritis. That complaint came 20 years after I could not take the pain any more. Celebrex only worked for 2 months, at $90.00 per month out of pocket, then nothing. Started taking Alleve, which helped me more than any RX drug, but turns out I had an allergic reaction to it. I now take plain old generic aspirin, and on a limited basis. Trick is to only take when you absolutely need it. No side effects, and good for the heart too. Trick is to keep moving! Believe me, I know pain, my doc told me I'd be in a wheelchair in 2001. Eleven years later, I'm not, and doing much better. Some of it is mind over matter, some is making me do stuff I enjoy , like playing with the chooks, some of it is just going on past it all. I have no cartiledge left, or much bone for that matter, in both hip joints and both knees, Docs look at me and just shake their heads and ask me what I am taking to bear the pain. "Aspirin...period". That, and just Irish stubborn makes me refuse to give it up at this stage of the game! I will go until I can go no more on my own, and even then will fight an operation.

 

[Debbi]

I agree totally with Don on the Black Copper #5, he is the better of the two boys. The Blue seems to me to be lacking in width.

 

[gilavina]

Hey Debbi...are you supposed to get rain tonight? They are saying between 1am and about 10am tomorrow there is a 30 to 40% chance here and the temps are going down and the chickens and goats are jumping around and acting like a storm's coming. I really hope we'll finally get some.

I'm going to be working like crazy this week to be getting some pens worked on. I've got Monday and Tuesday off and think its gonna be too hot to get much done. I've decided I'm going to be doing modified cattle pane hoop houses and I have stacks of metal roofing that I can cut down and use to make a roof over each one and will do 2x4 supports. These will line the entire west side of the property on the fence line. I'm going with the wise saying that fences make good neighbors. We've got some serious overstepping of bounds lately and think a series of these 6' hoop houses will work great.

 

[Debbi]

Hey Everyone,

I was wondering if someone could answer my question....Or point me to a good website to help me figure this out. I have 2 really nice birchen marans, can I get a rooster for next year to get a mix of chicks like black cooper/ birchen split?   Would I just need a black copper marans rooster?  thanks for any answers!

Why would you want to breed these together?? If you want Birchens, you do not want to add the red/gold color from the Black Coppers. You will end up with smutty coloring, gold and silver combined, and that is NOT what you want. For the Birchens, you want ONLY silver hackles in the females, and only silver in the hackles/saddles, and wing bows of the males; NO red or gold. Now if you are going for Black Coppers, then cross them, and breed back only the darker marked birds; but they will still carry the silver gene. More folks will chime in on this, I don't do the Birchens...yet.

 

[Debbi]

Hey Debbi...are you supposed to get rain tonight? They are saying between 1am and about 10am tomorrow there is a 30 to 40% chance here and the temps are going down and the chickens and goats are jumping around and acting like a storm's coming. I really hope we'll finally get some.

I'm going to be working like crazy this week to be getting some pens worked on. I've got Monday and Tuesday off and think its gonna be too hot to get much done. I've decided I'm going to be doing modified cattle pane hoop houses and I have stacks of metal roofing that I can cut down and use to make a roof over each one and will do 2x4 supports. These will line the entire west side of the property on the fence line. I'm going with the wise saying that fences make good neighbors. We've got some serious overstepping of bounds lately and think a series of these 6' hoop houses will work great.

I've not seen anything about rain tonight, but I'd be just fine with the temps we had last night! No TV here since the lightning took out my antenna in April! Don't miss it much either, think of all the political ads I'm missing!!