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

[amazondoc]

Watch out with Layena in a mixed (laying and non-laying) flock. It should NOT be fed to birds that aren't currently laying. Birds that are not in lay very easily get kidney damage if they are fed a commercial layer feed, because of the high calcium levels.

 

[hcammack]

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Really even birds that are just molting? I guess I should switch over now to the other feed.
Henry

 

[amazondoc]

Henry, I don't know the exact time frame. I think I have read that it is relatively safe if the bird is within about 1 month of laying, but I can't swear to that. It's a big concern in roosters and young birds.

ETA: I always feed a non-laying feed, then offer oyster shell free choice. Chickens can self-regulate their oyster shell intake to match the amount of calcium they need.

 

[hcammack]

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I had no idea and now that I have rooster I will switch over soon I guess flock raiser is what you guys feed your birds?

 

[amazondoc]

That's what I use.

You need to remember that most commercial feed formulas were created by and/or for commercial poultry operations. So they are calculated to make maximum growth and/or maximum egg laying with minimal expense -- but they are NOT calculated to produce long term health! Commercial operations don't keep their birds around for more than a few months, and they certainly don't care what their birds LOOK like or how their birds FEEL -- so they don't CARE if a feed will encourage a bird to live a long life, or have shiny feathers, or any of those other things that we want for our birds.

And also remember that minimal expense part. Protein is expensive, so commercial feeds were created to contain the MINIMUM protein levels necessary to allow for the short term growth and/or egg laying that the commercial growers needed. They didn't care about things like feather picking or egg eating or cannibalism, all of which are made worse by low protein feeds -- they debeak their birds and use special cages to remove eggs, so the birds don't have a chance to do any of them. And when the birds are worn out after a few months, the commercial operations kill em. They're not worried about what those birds will do NEXT year.

Anyway, you get the picture. Commercial feeds were created for the commercial grower, not for us. We have very different needs, so we can't always follow the "standard" commercial guidelines!

Rant over!

 

[hcammack]

Ok I will be going to my feedstore this weekend

 

[drom]

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Good luck! I'm thinking happy thoughts, lol!

So what do you guys use for candling these dark eggs? I've used my maglite a few times. If the eggs are clear (not developing at all), I can usually see some light pass through tiny little specks in the dark finish, but if there is any development at all, I can't see a darn thing!

There's one person who sits the egg on top of a flower pot turned upside down or something similar with a hole in it. Puts a strong light under the pot and sits the egg over the hole so a beam of light shines up through it. Don't know how well it works but it sounds interesting.

 

[millebantam]

Thanks Drom. As far as feed goes, I agree 100% with your assesment of commercial layer feeds. They are designed for convenience, and geared toward commercial flocks. I feed all of my adult birds a quality gamebird/turkey grower with 23% protien. I also supplement feed a small amount of whole or crimped oats and a small amount of cracked corn, alternating every other day. I allow my laying hens to regulate their own calcium intake with free choice crushed ocean clam shells. If you look closely at my pics, you can see that all of my birds are housed in pens that have a thick layer of these shells as a base that they live on. The deep layer of shells provides an excellent source of calcium as well as fantastic drainage when it rains. I NEVER have any mud in my runs, even during the most miserable weather. My egg shells are super thick and the eggs nearly bounce without breaking, but the chicks hatch just fine. I average about a 90% hatch rate from my incubator without any special settings or care.

I begin feeding a higher protien diet immediatly after hatch. I don't use commercial chick starter. I use a good grade of non-medicated gamebird starter (26%). I don't use any form of medication in the water. I believe that the higher protein feed actually promotes better health. My average chick mortality is about 3 in 100. My chicks grow faster, and feather quickly on the higher diet, and I seldom have to deal with the "rangy looking" young birds that many breeders are still "waiting on to develop" well into the 8th month or later. I certainly do believe that first and foremost good genetics are the basis of healthy, fast growing birds, but a quality, higher protien diet seems to help get the most out of your good genetics. I hatch and cull a lot of chicks, so it benefits me to have them develop quickly, so I can see what I have at an earlier age, and not waste time waiting for positive development that may never show up. Culling earlier saves on feed costs and valuable time needed to produce improved birds from each new generation going forward.

These feeding practices work for me, and I can't guarantee that they would work for everyone, but it is my belief that it's beneficial to experiment and "tweak" the bird's diet if I want to see different results.
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What do you feed your hens Millebantam? They look really good.

 

[drom]

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Yes, I thought about that. I'm like Henry. I've been avoiding buying more containers for feed but the Roosters don't need the extra calcium. Between the horses and the chickens I've got quite a few containers.

 

[kathyinmo]

I'm on Day 20 hatching my eggs from Wynette, which contain some pretty dark eggs! I have pips on the Jersey Giants, but no action seen yet on the Marans. I have heard some say that they use higher humidity on Marans than others. What are your thoughts on this?
ETA: here is a picture of my eggs: