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

[ruth]

I'm so excited - my first BCM eggs, from my own flock, have just started hatching and the first one out is a pure BCM feathered leg chick.

I was wondering what would pop out of these eggs since these are the very first ones they laid - most were found in hidden nests around the property and the BCMs all free ranged. However, one of the roos usually took 6 - 8 of the 8 females way off to the side pasture every day and kept them there. I have built breeder pens and they have been separated since Jan 1st. but it remains to be seen what will pop out of this first batch of free range eggs.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Clean legged Black marans chick. These are so lively and into everything! Boy are they energetic, lol!
I have 6 of these little guys that I am selling to make room for a pair of show birds I bought. PM me if you are interested. I can't ship them but I could possibly deliver them if you live between Atlanta and Gainesville, FL. as that is where I will have to go to get my new birds

 

[denasfarm]

Quote:
I would love to trade eggs for some Black Coppers. I have not "seen" Kimbo successfully breed yet, but I work insane hours and its usually dark when I am home these days. I am going to put some eggs in the bator in a few days and see what kind of hatchability I am getting before I ship.

PM me and we can talk more about trading in the near future.

 

[denasfarm]

I have been disapointed with the egg color so far but it seems to be getting darker and less blotchy as the days pass (It has only been a week)
You CAN tell they (6 of them) are darker than the Barred Rocks light brown eggs.

 

[tgcole]

Dena, that's VERY NICE egg color for Cuckoos!

I just sent pm about egg trade.

Greg

 

[tfpets]

Dena - the Cuckoo's lay a lighter egg, and do start out splotchy at first, I've noticed.....actually, now that I have two kinds of Marans laying, they all have!! I have noticed that the splotches eventually blend, and that becomes the overall color of the eggshell, for the most part....so hang in there!! Those are nice eggs! My cuckoo's started out smaller than they eventually got as well, and it's hard to close a standard egg carton on them now!!

Pumpkinpup! That is a real cutie! I love the little BC's too, they seem to be lively right out of the shell, dont they?? You can already see the copper on that one!

Ruth - your eggs and birds are lovely - Doesnt it feel great to hatch your "own" birds? You should be so proud! Look at those beautiful babies! I cant get my camera to focus on the bator that well. Since they are free range, and may be mixed, what are you going to do with them? Just curious, are they going to Freezer camp, are you keeping them for future layers, or short sale to the locals? Pretty babies, regardless of their potential outcome!

AngelzFyre those are some nice eggs, if I havent already said so!

I get behind on the thread, then catch up, then get behind, especially on the weekend! And woohoo, The Stockton Poultry Show is coming this weekend!! I get to see tons of chickens all in one place!! Other peoples chickens, not mine, and I dont have to clean up the mess!!! Yippee!

Tina/tfpets

 

[ruth]

Hi Tina - so far the ones that have hatched show no signs of being mixed breed. They look pure to me and have feathered legs and the same colorings as when their mama and daddies were babies. BUT, they will just join my flock of free rangers and I will enjoy adding their dark eggs to my baskets of eggs I sell and give away (which is whole reason I got them in the first place). I still have trays of BCM eggs in the bator from AFTER they were separated and those will go back into the breeding stock.

So far, I can't even bring myself to send any of my sorriest, meanest mutt roos to freezer camp or my deformed hen or anyone else. I'm trying to work up to that though.

 

[Katy]

Not all cuckoos lay a lighter egg. Mine at the start of their laying cycle lay a very dark egg. It depends more on the quality of the chickens...not the color of the chicken. I've seen pictures of some Black Copper eggs that are barely dark enough to qualify as Marans eggs.

This picture is from last spring when they started in laying again after their winter break.

 

[klf73]

Quote:
Katy, that is nice color

I haven't seen cuckoo's that dark yet

 

[hcammack]

here is a mixture of the eggs I got in the last three days the Marans are obviously the darker ones they are my cuckoo hens eggs.

Henry