Hi I got 7 cuckoo marans from Ideal in May. For the life of me I cannot find anywhere at what age they start laying. Certainly not the exact week I know that but round about. And if you have them do yours have yellow or white (pinkish) legs? Mine have both???? Just curious!
Thanks in advance
Marans? Anyone have them?
This link discusses leg color. I'm sure you can find more info about egg production here as well. Sorry I don't have any marans... yet...lol
http://groups.msn.com/marans/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=2688&LastModified=4675594661028838007
Julie
This is a blurb about starting to lay.... looks as if they are slow starters age wise.
http://groups.msn.com/marans/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=1954&LastModified=4675450611160045310
This message was edited Aug 7, 2007 9:03 PM
Well, I guess I won't rush those large nextboxes! Thanks!
Morans? Hey Lora...I know where you can find more if you want any! Hahaha....
Hey I married one of those!! LOL which brings up a question I have what does DH mean? Domestic Husband? Dumb Hubby? Darn Hubby? Disconnected Hubby? or just short for Dah
Domestic Hand, Domainated Husband, Desperate Husband, Doghouse Hubby, Do-it-now! Hubby
Hhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm I think it depends on your mood at the time....lol. Cuz I have very few ppl real world that I know who refer to the other half as "dear husband"
Julie
maybe it is meant ironically?
Hey, my husband built me a brand new coop this spring, he gets to be the dear husband ( at least on the chicken front) for a while longer :)
I have a maran, too, but she doesn't look anywhere near ready to lay. We'll be waiting on those eggs for a while, I bet!
I bought 8 cuckoo maran pullets last month and expect them to start laying at 6 months - very pretty girls with white legs...can't wait for the *chocolate* eggs!
Catherine
My girls are huge compared to everyone but the turkeys and when I open that door in the morning they are first out. I saw a pic of someone elses cuckoo maran roo and was huge and beautiful! I hope my roo gets close to that. I cannot wait for the chocolate brown eggs too!
I am going to look at everyones legs today, its raining so they are in right now. I got mine from Ideal and they say they are show quality so I think that why I might have got some yellow legs!
Thanks!
I won't have a DH until May 3rd...I think he is finally understanding what he got himself into! Poor guy...he is good...even let me bring the horse into the stall in the garage (dirt floor) last night because I thought she was going to pop. He said I can bring her in as ofter as I want...but dealing with the flies is all on me! HEY! I tried that fly catching idea! I didnt have the right stuff...so I put in fat free maple syrup (I wanted to get the dieting flies as well), then a TON of sugar...and immitation 7-up. It worked wonders! I hate at least 30-40 flies in the first day. So...I am making boat loads of them...and gonna put them all over! Thanks for the recipe Lora!
The Marans chickens do get larger than many breeds of Large Fowl chickens. They lay a medium to large egg of darker brown. I had a dozen of Marans but got to dislike them. They seem to eat more than they give. I recommend Welsumer chickens for even darker brown eggs plus they lay extra large sized eggs...... almost every egg. Last I checked the Marans are still not yet even considered a breed by the APA. There is a wide spectrum of egg color coming from these hens. You can buy "so-called" Marans that lay eggs that aren't even darker than what an Orpington lays. Tough to call them Marans if they lay a cream colored egg. At that point I call them Barred Rock or Dominiques. Welsumers are every bit as large or larger than the Marans. The roos come in the standard black breasted red with hens that are salmon .... no other color options. Best of all it is a breed that is recognized. Thus far the Marans is still someones backyard effort to create a breed from France. The Welsumer egg color is solid chestnut and shiny.
Ahhh the downside, its doesn't matter to me. I saw them, liked them and got some. I personally don't care if they eat 50lb of feed a week and I get no eggs, all my chooks are pets, even my guineas are. The turkeys are for family and friends for Thanksgiving. I have yet to find anything thing in the world that you break even on, I have 11 macaws (a whole range of types and a couple hybrids) (Banj, Ruby, Crackers, Crayola, Rocky, Jinxie, Sadie, Togo, Mickie, Saphie and Forest) , 4 umbrella cockatoos (Bradley, Gabriel, Brie and Brett), a rosebreasted cockatoo(Sydney), a bare-eyed cockatoo(Damion), a greater vasa (Bam-Bam), a yellow nape amazon (Doc), a yellow crown amazon (BooBoo) and a blue crown amazon (Frankie) and so far they only thing I gotten from them are chewed wood, poop, vet bills, destroyed wood work and carpet stains (our livingroom is getting tiled in the coming weeks!) I feed them, clean up after them, make them "toys", snuggle with most of them and love them. Yet they don't make me money nor do I do anything but spend money on them!
Most of us here it isn't about the money is hobby/habit. We enjoy hatching, brooding, cleaning, feeding, waterering, watching them and if we get some fresh eggs, well, thats the high point of our day!
Speaking of which I hear the Turks out front again I better run and chase them out of my flower beds, they have totally trampled what they haven't eaten! Those huge feet do a job on my flowers! Next year I am putting up a cute fence just high enough so they cannot walk into the beds!
And I forgot the thousands of dollars we spent on putting an extra room on the back of the house when we built it last year just for them, Thier very own birdroom!, then I spent $400 putting a matching screen door on it so entry doors are the same, then there is the exhaust fan to help them stay cool in the summer.
LoraK, Sounds like you adopted someone and are making them feel quite special at home. I'm a bit more dollar conscious ...... out of necessity. If I had more $$$ to flush .... it would be on poultry .... just like you're doing. Marans are big chickens for sure. I sold my last one just a few weeks ago. She was a pleasant bird but her egg laying was next to non-existent.
Photographer I am NOT flushing money I am enjoying my money! And enjoying life is how life should be! And if you just want to poo-poo (g--rated for the kids) my chickens and life style keep it to yourself I don't want to hear it, your opinion of my lifestyle and choices mean nothing to me.. I LOVE my life! And everyone and everything around me!! All I ever see you write is how wrong we are in our raising of chickens or our choice of chickens, why not write something positive once in awhile?