The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I guess I "should" ask if those of you that had good experiences with them got them from breeder or from large hatchery?

And... @oldhenlikesdogs

The Marans have feathered feet, yes?  I was all set at one point to put in a few Marans but I'm gun-shy on feathered feet.  I think you have a couple breeds that are feathered.  Here's my concern.  I want my birds to be able to range without damaging their feet and ranging can be hard of the feet.  I've "heard" that feather-footed feet can have problems with broken, bleeding feather shafts, etc.  Your thoughts appreciated.

Most of my birds come from My Pet Chicken. I have in the past gotten some birds from a local guy who breeds for 4H shows. His birds are gorgeous but mostly worthless, and I found them to be very short lived and not very hardy.

I now prefer hatchery birds because they do seem more diverse and healthy as well as producing better and not as broody. I like a few broody hens but not lots of them. Some of my hatchery breeds still go broody.

I haven't had any troubles with feathered footed birds. We experience a full range of weather throughout the year, from cold, muddy and dry. I have read of people having troubles with mud, but I haven't seen any problems like that, so perhaps it's a certain soil type. I have cochins, both bantam and standard, salmon faverolle, bantam Brahma, a blue copper Maran, and d'uccle, which come a little closer to problems due to their foot feathers being more stiff and long, but even they have done fine. I have never had any with scaly leg mites, nor do I clean my birds. All my breeds get out and hustle up some of their grub during the summer.

My Pet Chicken now carries lots of various hatching eggs they claim are from good stock. I'm gonna try some heritage Orpington this year from them and see what they end up like.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My kindle does not take the best photos, but here's my blue copper maran. The leg feathers aren't much compared to a cochin. Maran come in cuckoo maran which should be clean legged, otherwise i believe all the other varieties have similar leg feathers to mine.




My 8 year old welsummer. She's always been one of my favorites. She walks around with attitude, mumbling and talking to herself. She has arthritis in her feet so she goose steps. She has always been a curious bird. The two younger welsummer make no trouble, but also don't stand out in my flock. They are both 5.

Let me know if you want better photos and i will get out the camera, which works better on constantly moving chickens.

 

[karenej]

I got my Welsummers from a local breeder. They did take forever to lay, like I said, but so far are doing an egg every day or every other day.

 

[GreatBreeder]

So they take a while to start, but lay an egg daily it every other day when they do? Well that seems fine, I think they're beautiful and so are their eggs.

 

[Bantambird]

Marans standard says lightly feathered shanks with only the outer toe feathered. My Marans are very hardy and put up with my Montana winters pretty well, are less noisy than my legbars and turkeys, and good foragers. I got mine from a breeder in Georgia 4 years ago. They tend to lay in cycles, taking breaks during times of stress, but I have yet to loose one to a reproductive issue. My alpha rooster, Jake, is a birchen Marans and is about as trustworthy as a rooster can get around strangers and children.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Wait, should I get Maran instead of Welsumer. Looking at two factors, production and darkness of eggs

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wait, should I get Maran instead of Welsumer. Looking at two factors, production and darkness of eggs

In my experiences both lay decently their first season, than drop off in the second and third season. Maran eggs are darker, the exception is the cuckoo Maran whose eggs aren't as dark and are probably about the same as welsummer.

All dark eggs slowly lighten up over the season, so they are darkest at the beginning of the season.

If you want a dark egg layer than pick the breed that is visually more pleasing to you.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Ok! Thanks for the advice!

 

[CuzChickens]

@CuzChickens
and anyone else that knows....

I had considered Welsumers at one point and it seems that folks kept telling me not to get them for various reasons.  I liked the dark eggs so that was my main reason - to get some variety in the egg basked.

Do they have feathered feet? 

No, if a Welsummer has feathered feet, it is not purebred. I have loved my Welsummers. They are friendly, but not overly friendly at the same time, lay gorgeous eggs. Out of my four hens I get 2-3 eggs a day, so they do not have excellent production, but its not horrible either. They are also very pretty birds.

I'm selling my Welsummers this weekend because I need to make room for new chickens, and since I didnt have a rooster of their breed to breed them to, they are the first to go, but I will miss them. Hopefully new chickens will include Black Copper Marans, so I'll get my dark eggs back.

 

[JanetMarie]

My best layers, and most hardy have been my mixed breeds and home-bred buff Orpingtons, and home-bred Production Reds. One home bred Production Red hen is going on four years old and laying an egg almost every day now. None have large eggs, which I do not want, since it is too stressful on the bird (I actually prefer pullet eggs).

The one pictured above is a buff Orpington rooster X Barred Rock hen. This is my favorite mixed breed.