Marans

[Glutton4...]

My Marans are no bigger than my Batties, and are quite fine-boned. Pretty, but I won't be getting any more. I've got such a soft spot for my Batties.

[minskey]

Yup, Gro Bag that sums up my three Cuckoo Marans and my Speckledy for that matter. Just add lovely soft and cuddley [when you can catch them] with the brains to hop onto the top of the fence, walk along it until they can peer into the bathroom window and shout at the top of thier voices that you are taking too long to come out and feed them

[Hilary B]

Where is Corax when we need her? She's got loads of the things in all sorts of colours!
My (limited) experience of cuckoos is that tameness is a matter of what they are used to, but they tend to be flighty (as in easily excited), they lay reasonably well in their first laying year, then get less good as layers but better as broodies with each year that passes. That said, there will always be exceptions.

[kevnsue]

I,have been given 2 broody marans that have sat for 7 weeks on 2 seperate dozens of eggs and have not hatched one egg,they have either broke them or they have gone rotten,so today i have put them back with my other18 hens and 2 ducks.

[Gro-Bag]

Ah well, I have decided to go with it, and now my broody cream legbar is stitting on six lovely brown marans eggs. It amazes me that she didn't object to the swap - they look so different to her 3 pale blue eggs, but she seems very happy about it and is being a very dedicated broody, bless her. Given the range of experiences with marans from you all, let's say I await the results with interest!

[HayleyB]

Our two wheatens are big girls and very very friendly and regular layers. Our cuckoo is friendly (when she isn't broody) and is a regular layer. The three new Copper blacks are aloof at the moment but they are pols and will probably come around eventually.

[CoraxAurata]

I've got French copper black and copper blue marans large fowl. (palomino the french ones do have feathery legs) They are friendly, good about bed (but I always put my chooks to bed at dusk with some corn, they usually queue up to go in except the poots) but dont like to be handled, they sqwauk a lot..loudly. Not the biggest of my girls but I didnt breed them myself so not sure if that is normal. Also cuckoo maran large fowl, she lays the darkest eggs of them all (if egg colour is important to you only get eggs from a dark laying line as some marans lay lighter eggs than others) is also noisy to handle, but a good big girl. As for laying my cuckoo lays every other day which is average for most pure breeds I think? The others havent really got into a laying pattern cos of changing home, then too hot weather which has put most of mine off a bit. So I would say probably not as good but not really sure yet.

If you have a CB roo with her would you consider selling or trading some eggs - am trying to improve the strain of my Cuckoos....

[CoraxAurata]

Marans can be all of the above LOL I have Blues, Blacks, wheatens salmon cuckoo and a golden cuckoo(he a boy), the wheatens seem to be broody more often, the blacks and wheatens lay the darkest eggs, blues next my cuckoos egg colour is very variable, temperment wise I have freindly (to the point of pick pocketing and pecking my toes), to totally wild, and 'I love my house and am in bed an hour before dark to I-won't-live-in-a-house-thats-what-this-tree-is-for-and-15ft-up-you -can't-get-me... my smallest hen is about the size of an ISA/ or even a black rock, the largest is almost as weighty (though less fluff) as my young Brahma hens, and my Biggest Roo is huge (I might weigh him tomorrow now you've got me thinking...

I would say they are largely active birds, and need more entertainment than more placid types eg Brahma or Orps (but they all benefit from entertainent don't they ) I couldn't say one of my nearly 50 birds is Lazy though.... And the meat is unlike anything you'll get in the supermarket (whatever you pay)..

Oh also, I had one turn up a few days after several weeks of absense (mine - well hers too actually lol) with 9 chicks in tow - sadly I think the PineMartin or fox got her before I could but pretty impressive for a rubbish broody (first ever sitting for her too!)...

Hope this clears things up lol

[jessmorris]

Actually I'm getting quite fond of my boys now, but I wish they'd stop panicking every time I go to their pen! Mine have feathery legs (on the outside edge not the inside edge) and I have a light grey cuckoo and a dark grey cuckoo. They seem to have blunted the ends of their beaks on something, I'm not sure what....

[CoraxAurata]

Each other? Or a Mirror?

Meet my Golden Cuckoo roo and one of his girls....

[jessmorris]

What a handsome pair!
But hang on, the hen has head furnishings, I thought just the male had a comb?....maybe I have got a pair after all??? The dark one of mine I think is deffo a boy as he leapt up onto all my banties for the 2 hours he was allowed to free range. Possibly the light one is a girl?? They look the same except for colour though. If they would stay still and not hide I'd get pics....the light one has a dirty mark on her back - poss where her naughty brother has been jumping on her??
They're only 9 weeks old so I guess t'wil be a while before they develop enough to tell their sexes.............
When I can actually get ahold of the blighters they ARE very warm and cuddly, almost not like a bird at all.

[Gro-Bag]

"I-won't-live-in-a-house-thats-what-this-tree-is-for-and-15ft-up-you -can't-get-me... "


Yikes!!!

But yes indeed - very handsome!

I can't believe we are halfway through the incubation already. Mrs Broody still being very good, and I'm getting rather excited.

Glad you're getting to like yours now Jess

[CoraxAurata]

Yikes is right, I had to catch one a bit back, and as its not dark til 11.30pm my dog found it very entertaining watching me climb on the muscovy house weeve my way through dense branches (losing swathes of hair in the process) and stretching to reach said wild pullet with the two fingers that was all that could reach her without breaking my neck..

I'm so tepted to cut their favorite branch down to see if they will go back to house living.. but what if they just go higher !?!

[jessmorris]

Mine have gone to live with friends in South Cumbria now, where they will have grass between their toes and cream legbars and ex-batts for company. I did get quite fond of them - they're just so BIG! Note - mine are quite squawky and flappy with me - when my pal Ruth held the light grey bird she nestled into Ruth's side and closed her eyes and had a SNOOZE!! Harumph!

[Nicos]

I have the 5 chicks which must be about 12 weeks by now.
3 guys and 2 gals.
I've not really handled the guys that much as they will be for meat- but one of them is so very handsome (I'm sort of looking for a home for him)
As the gals hang around with their siblings, they too aren't being handled very much, but their behaviour to me seems much like the bantam chicks I've had.

I do need to catch one of the females to feed her extra at night as she has a very twisted beak ( and should in theory be a gonna in a few weeks..we'll see.)- she's not keen on being handled- but will eat from my hand once held

Huge? yup, certainly compared to my banties- already much bigger- it'll be interesting to compare carcass weight in weeks to come- and yup- in comparison munch an awful lot more than the banties.
I'm guessing that egg production: hard feed intake ratio that the banties are going to turn out better value, where as for meat, the Marans will be better- and I understand the flavour is supposed to be superb???...in what way???