When do Maran's typically lay?

[heath_elisha]

Thanks, Nicole. I feel like such an idiot!

Honestly it never occurred to me to research it because I only wanted a dark egg layer in my laying flock and 4-5 months seemed like plenty of time to be able to sex a Marans. Had I wanted to breed them I would have thoroughly researched the bloodlines and known *exactly* what I was getting, but I didn't bother for a laying flock hen... I just took their word for it. Up until very recently he was mostly black, even the hackles. The comb has only recently gotten large and it looked just like all of the marans hens I've seen. Blah. I sent photos of him and left a voicemail but haven't heard back. It just stinks because I paid a decent price and have been feeding him for months and now I find out he's a he. I'm just disappointed not to have a nice dark egg layer. The only thing I can think of is that they must have caught the wrong chicken when I picked him up, as I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Such is life.

Anyone need a super friendly FBCM cockeral?

Good luck to all who are awaiting eggs from your pullets!!!

I wouldn't be too harsh on yourself..... he is really black....

 

[Nicole01]

Quote:
I wouldn't be too harsh on yourself..... he is really black....

I agree. One thing to look for in the future are the back saddle feathers and the front hackle feathers. Compare them to the others. Thin saddle and pointy hackles should be present by then. Also, usually the comb is much higher in males. I don't know this particular maran color. I know that in other breeds different colors in the same breed have different traits with feathering and comb size.

 

[Dahlisgrams]

I agree.
One thing to look for in the future are the back saddle feathers and the front hackle feathers. Compare them to the others. Thin saddle and pointy hackles should be present by then. Also, usually the comb is much higher in males. I don't know this particular maran color. I know that in other breeds different colors in the same breed have different traits with feathering and comb size.

Agreed. He really is very black, even now! I look back on the earlier photos I took of him and he looks like most of the other pullets I've seen. Unfortunately when I purchased him I didn't really get to look at them as a group. He was the only one available of any age and they were not out to see. I saw him in a pen with one other cockeral of a different breed and it sure looked like a pullet to me! I really didn't see any need to question it. I'll definitely know the difference next time though!

 

[Dahlisgrams]

See, that breeder knew! Ugh! I'm so angry at those how purposely cheat others.
You could put an ad on CL and try to sell the roo's. Or you could eat them. If you can't process yourself, take the ones you want processed to a place near your home. I have no idea what the cost is.
I'm afraid your stuck with them.

. It's not fair since they knew they were boys! I just hatched 9 pure Amercuana's 2 weeks ago for my very first hatch and I have 2 boys out of the 5. Their feathers are skinnier and they are acting different then the rest, but I spend a lot of time with mine and I know their personalities too.
I bought a cuckoo maran at 2 weeks, by 4 weeks he had a pink comb, barring feathers/ skinnier feathers, thick feet and a big attitude. I brought him back and swapped him out for a female.

I really hope not. I guess I'm always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but an acknowlegement would have been nice. It's okay though. I think I found a new home for him along with 3 others in a 4H program which makes me happy. I like knowing he'll be taken care of and used for something worthwhile. He's such a nice guy he really deserves a good home. We've been calling him Zephry as he totally knows the sounds of his name.

I'd like to hatch a few Ameraucanas next year. The 3 going with Zephry are Ameraucanas and I like them a lot but I did not get them as young chicks so they're not as friendly as some of my others. I really think it makes a difference. I figured it would help him adjust to the new farm if he had his girls with him as you never know with a rooster, plus they fit into the program. I've heard that a move can sometimes trigger aggression and I really want him to stay as sweet as his is now so he can stay in the program. We had considered processing him and have plans to process some of the cockerals out there now, but I really bonded with him after thinking he's a she for so long and I don't know if I could bring myself to do it. I won't bond with the boys until I know there's a chance they could stay. I have a soft heart but also realize that I cannot be a hypocrite. I love my chickens and they are pets to a point, but they are also livestock and a source of food. I have too many to be able to call them just pets. It's just hard when you really let yourself love them!

Lucky you were able to swap out the cuckoo with an attitude! lol Are the cuckoo eggs as dark as the BCM?

 

[Nicole01]

I didn't realize he was darker then usual, I do try and give others the benefit of the doubt too. I just was scammed twice with hatching Ameraucana's from buying on ebay. My first batch was sold to me as a mix and this second batch came to me in a very filthy egg carton with filth, bugs and cobwebs. I had 5 blood rings in the first 3 days and 4 infertile. Only 3 are currently viable in the incubator. I'm just angry at this. I've always been so honest with others, especially rehoming chicks(for free so far). The first batch eBay fully refunded me. This second batch the seller admitted to the faults and offered me a new pack, but I have to pay full shipping costs. Your seller should of gotten back to you since they were sold as females. It's wrong of her not to. It's hard rehoming roosters.

I spend a lot of time with my chicks and adults. I can clearly see the difference in feathering of my two cockerels of the 9 I hatch(local eggs). 11 pipped, but 2 died from pipping upside down. I had one quitter. I'm obsessive trying to figure out the sex of the chicks. There are many things to look for and by 4 months you definitely can tell. Especially with the early development of the comb.

We had to cull once. It was an internal layer. It took my husband and I 2 weeks to mentally prepare. It was not easy and my heart sank, but it was for the best.

If any of these cockerels I have show any aggression, I will not rehome them, I'll have to take care of them myself, which I hate doing, but it's the right thing to do. My neighbor had an aggressive cockerel and she gave him to a family member. If they are currently nice(once hormones kick in), they will most likely will not show aggression going to a new home. My neighbor picked up a new rooster for her flock. He was about a year old at the time. He's very sweet.

My cuckoo maran came from the hatchery. Her eggs are not chocolate brown.. They are pretty dark, but not near the color I was hoping. I was warned by the owner before I bought her that it's happened in the past. I wouldn't trade her for the world though. Since the day she laid that first egg, I've gotten one everyday since! She's the sweetest hen ever!(once she started to lay). My maran will find me whenever I step foot outside to be pet or picked up. She follows me everywhere.

About 1/2 of my Ameraucana's are a little flighty, but I heard its the color. I have blue, black and blue splash. I do hold them everyday. They should settle down once they start to lay. There are about 3-4 that are very calm. I will be honest when someone comes over to look at them on which ones I believe are boys. I'll know for sure here in a couple weeks by looking at their comb. I'm 99.999999% sure right now just by attitude and feathering. Both those two have 3 rows in their combs and the females have no combs yet. I'm hatching Ameraucana's for my girls to show. If the 4 I picked doesn't work out, I'll rehome them all and start over by using the breeders list next spring.

Here's my cuckoo marans egg. Her egg is a little bigger now then this photo from my iPod touch(sorry for the poor quality photo)

 

[Dahlisgrams]

I didn't realize he was darker then usual, I do try and give others the benefit of the doubt too. I just was scammed twice with hatching Ameraucana's from buying on ebay. My first batch was sold to me as a mix and this second batch came to me in a very filthy egg carton with filth, bugs and cobwebs. I had 5 blood rings in the first 3 days and 4 infertile. Only 3 are currently viable in the incubator. I'm just angry at this. I've always been so honest with others, especially rehoming chicks(for free so far). The first batch eBay fully refunded me. This second batch the seller admitted to the faults and offered me a new pack, but I have to pay full shipping costs. Your seller should of gotten back to you since they were sold as females. It's wrong of her not to. It's hard rehoming roosters.
I spend a lot of time with my chicks and adults. I can clearly see the difference in feathering of my two cockerels of the 9 I hatch(local eggs). 11 pipped, but 2 died from pipping upside down. I had one quitter. I'm obsessive trying to figure out the sex of the chicks. There are many things to look for and by 4 months you definitely can tell. Especially with the early development of the comb.
We had to cull once. It was an internal layer. It took my husband and I 2 weeks to mentally prepare. It was not easy and my heart sank, but it was for the best.
If any of these cockerels I have show any aggression, I will not rehome them, I'll have to take care of them myself, which I hate doing, but it's the right thing to do. My neighbor had an aggressive cockerel and she gave him to a family member. If they are currently nice(once hormones kick in), they will most likely will not show aggression going to a new home. My neighbor picked up a new rooster for her flock. He was about a year old at the time. He's very sweet.
My cuckoo maran came from the hatchery. Her eggs are not chocolate brown.

. They are pretty dark, but not near the color I was hoping. I was warned by the owner before I bought her that it's happened in the past. I wouldn't trade her for the world though. Since the day she laid that first egg, I've gotten one everyday since! She's the sweetest hen ever!(once she started to lay). My maran will find me whenever I step foot outside to be pet or picked up. She follows me everywhere.
About 1/2 of my Ameraucana's are a little flighty, but I heard its the color. I have blue, black and blue splash. I do hold them everyday. They should settle down once they start to lay. There are about 3-4 that are very calm. I will be honest when someone comes over to look at them on which ones I believe are boys. I'll know for sure here in a couple weeks by looking at their comb. I'm 99.999999% sure right now just by attitude and feathering. Both those two have 3 rows in their combs and the females have no combs yet. I'm hatching Ameraucana's for my girls to show. If the 4 I picked doesn't work out, I'll rehome them all and start over by using the breeders list next spring.
Here's my cuckoo marans egg. Her egg is a little bigger now then this photo from my iPod touch(sorry for the poor quality photo)

I would have been flipping mad over that ebay egg situation, no doubt. Some people just don't care. I do care and am honest in my dealings with others, and it makes it even more aggravating when others aren't. I would also never rehome an aggressive rooster but I know there are plenty out there who do, for whatever reason. All of the cockerals I've rehomed were adopted out and I can only hope they are in a good situation for as long as they're good natured. I'd never blame anyone for culling a mean one.

I'm sorry about your internal layer. That's really sad when it's for something like that. I think it's fair to give the cockerals a chance for a good home though, because there are definitely some nice roosters in the world and they could be one of them. We have a cockeral pen and I list them on Craigs list and have had pretty good luck so far, though it's taken a while sometimes. I always panic a little when I give out our address though. I'm sure it'll get easier.

Your cuckoo sounds sweet! Her egg is pretty even if it isn't terribly dark. I think I'd rather have sweet hens than darker eggs, IF I had to choose between the two. I like variety in the egg basket and it's neat how one can tell each hen's eggs from the others. Maybe I'm just easy to entertain but I find chickens to be fascinating animals. They have their own language and rules they abide by. I think sometimes people want their roosters to be TOO mellow but in nature, that's not what a rooster should be. It'd be neat to be around in another 100 years to see what our selective breeding has done to the chickens in the world then.

I get a little obsessive about chick's sexes too! It's hard not to actually. I'm watching for their tail feathers, combs, etc and it's not hard to get a good idea pretty quickly. Some breeds are trickier than others though, for sure. Bredas are the hardest for me since they don't even have combs!! We have lavender, blue and black Ameraucanas and the lavender was the slowest to feather and the most difficult to sex in general. They are technically easter eggers since it's still a project color, but they sure are beautiful. I'll be glad to get more and have the opportunity to socialize them from day one! Good luck with yours!

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Just wanted to add that the breeder did get back to me. They went on vacation. She is going to replace him! I had a feeling there was some reason she couldn't get back to me as I had a good feeling about her all along. I'm so glad there are some honest breeders out there.

The marans cockeral is going to his new home this week, so it's all good!

Has anyone started laying yet??

 

[Nicole01]

Just wanted to add that the breeder did get back to me. They went on vacation. She is going to replace him! I had a feeling there was some reason she couldn't get back to me as I had a good feeling about her all along. I'm so glad there are some honest breeders out there.

The marans cockeral is going to his new home this week, so it's all good!

Has anyone started laying yet??

Yay! I'm so happy for you!

 

[Dahlisgrams]

Yay! I'm so happy for you!

Thank you!!

 

[chicken pickin]

This is a fun thread. I liked reading about all the Marans and seeing the egg colors. Im a ways off from getting my dark eggs. I have four 6week old Marans. 1 FBCM roo, 1 FBCM pullet, 1 Blue Marans pullet and 1 unrecognized color Marans

. I hope more people post pics of their marans and eggs as they lay. Im so excited to hopefully get some dark eggs

.