Marans Thread for Posting Pics of Your Eggs, Chicks and Chickens

[drom]

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Oh, so nice to finally see pictures of your birds! So maybe you can clear this up. When BCs have Wheaten genes can they throw both sports and birds that hatch looking exactly like wheatens?

In other words, I am assuming the sport would be born black and white like BCs and would mature in to a BC but would have a wheaten characteristic or two rather than being born looking like a wheaten. I'm confused about this because people are discussing both.

Oh, by the way, in order to get the images to appear on your BYC page you need to delete the "IMG" and the brackets on either side of it from the beginning and the end of the picture link.

 

[hcammack]

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I am so sorry about your blue copper guy my EE was taken by a hawk oh I still have the two little mixed of wheaten ameraucana girls they will just be broody LOL I really hope your little guys get better.

Thanks, Henry. He died today while I was at the doctors. My only roo from Peachick's eggs. And what a doll-face he was- inside and out

I will miss him so much.

~4kidZ

I am so sorry I wish I were closer I could get you another little guy I had some extra's I hope you have another little roo for those pretty ladies?

 

[Solsken Farm]

Great Pics, Greg! What gorgeous babies you have. I love my wheatens. They are hovering under a heat lamp in the barn. It is almost zero and the wind is whipping. It is supposed to get down to minus 29 degrees with the wind chill tonight.

I think I just sold my millies and my wellies.

I am jealous of your green grass, Chef.

4kidz. I am SOOOOO sorry about your sweet roo. I wonder what happened? Is everyone else ok?

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Yeah, New Englanders, button down the hatches, it is dang nasty out there tonight. Brrrr....

I'm already tired of winter and it just began.

 

[4kidZ]

I don' t know what happened. Here's the story.
Last night, I was cleaning their chicken tractor/coop and let them out to forage for their first time. They did so well...stayed close to me, everyone followed me around when I went to get them water, fed the other chicks, etc.

BTW-I have a bunch of different chicks in that pen as they were all born at approx. the same time...about 1 1/2 months ago;
There was the trio of blue copper babies (PEachick), black copper baby (Peachick), 2 blue swede/rouen ducks, 1 little oegb, 2 silkie chicks, and 5 sizzles.

So, they were just having a blast foraging and playing, and actually Buddy (blue copper roo) was especially funny- doing that funny thing where he stampedes running head first toward everyone and stopping mid-stream, turning and running toward me. Hard to explain, but trust me, it was the cutest thing and he was the only 1 I've ever seen to this. Then he decided to dig a hole next to the waterer, splash water out into the hole, and make mud pies, getting everyone's attention and eventually everyone had muddy feathered feet all because of him!

They all went to back into the tractor about 7pm .. all tuckered out.
I got up this morning, thinking I would let them out to forage again because they enjoyed it so much. I have to lift the tractor to get the waterer and feeder out (made of pvc and poultry wire), and when I do this, everyone goes ballistic cause they are so excited!

But, Buddy was just sitting in the middle of the mayem, kinda fluffed up, eyes closed. I slapped a the cage a couple of times and tried to make him flinch...nothing. A few of the birds had brushed against him and he just barely moved forward and his eyes flickered open and then back closed.
Oh...my heart just dropped.

I got him out immediately and his body was cold. He was breathing steady, I checked his whole body, in his ears, beak, checked his crop. Checked everything I had ever read that other people had done when their chickens had gotten sick. I tried to give him water with that Poultry RX stuff that I had in the cupboard since I got my first birds (and had never had an instance to use). I rubbed it under his wings, put some on the outside of his nostrils, etc .... it is like a eucalyptus and other homeopathic tincture.

He was just not interested. Made up some water w/ electrolytes and vitamins. Got him to let about 2 drops get into his beak. I couldn't get his beak open to give him anything. He never pooped, so I couldn't check for cocci, etc. I put him in a little dog taxi with a heating pad on the bottom to keep his little body warm. I went on to take care of all the rest of my flock. I kept checking on him and every once in a while I noticed that he had moved a bit, so I'd try to give him water again...nothing.

I had to go to a doc's appt and my husband called me at about 2:30 to let me know he had died. And apparently when he died, he made a gutteral sound and sort of toppled over in a heavy way. Enough to get DH's attention. He thought he was flapping in there.

Poor little guy. DH was devastated...as he was hooked on Buddy, too.

Wow...guess I needed to vent a little. Does it EVER get easier!?

Thanks ... bet you're sorry you "wondered what happened." LoL.
Have a happpy New Year,
~4kidZ

 

[onthespot]

That is so sad. What is your weather like? Any chance he got wet, chilled, hypothermic?

 

[4kidZ]

Thanks for the thoughts onthespot,

I'm in FL. It's been getting down to about mid-50's here..but that's about 3am-5am, then nice and warm all day long and decent the rest of the time.
I have kept little sterlite bins w/ hay in there at night, but they all prefer to "pile" on eachother in a corner as soon as the sun goes down. I used to have a bulb on them, but they piled in the opposite corner when I had the light on them!

I wish I had the money to have him autopsied (or whatever it's called-nacropsy?). We have already buried the little guy.

 

[ruth]

Gathered my darkest egg today (it was a lot darker before I scrubbed it to get all the poop off it) and my most unusual egg today - looks like someone's paint shoot malfunctioned.

Here's a pic of one of the roos that I was able to capture - they are always on the move. We are almost done with their new coop. Got the coop mostly closed in and door put in today and need to put up fence around the run tomorrow then the BCMs will be moved into their new home.

 

[hcammack]

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Beautiful!

 

[Solsken Farm]

Gosh, 4kidz. I wonder if he got into something when he was foraging? Low 50s for a 6 weeker should be okay......but I wonder if he was too cold?

I don't think it gets easier. I feel terrible every time we lose a critter. They are all precious. Again, I am so so sorry.