“Spicy! One of our girls (Whiskey) is great, likes a little scratch now & then, relatively easy to handle (as far a marans go), and is much calmer than her “twin” once she’s been picked up. The other (Dixie)…is food aggressive and does not want to be handled AT ALL. Neither have laid yet as eggpected. Both are beautiful and if it wasn’t for the slightest weight variation, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. From a far, they are hilarious and a joy to watch. Both come eagerly when they see me but by far they are my feistiest flock members.”
We are happy that you are finding some enjoyment from your girls though it sounds like they may be in need to learning a few manners. Dixie may be the "top hen" in the pecking order and perhaps that is why she is seems to be more aggressive when it comes to sharing the yummy feed. There are a few things you can to do if she appears to be more of a "bully" than necessary such as separating her from the rest of the flock for a couple of days to allow the pecking order to be mixed up a bit and give her time to rethink her behavior. Some birds are not as friendly as others and it is just their instinct as prey animals; however, treats can help you become better acquainted and holding them - yes, against their will - with a towel to protect you from scratches will often help them realize you are not the enemy. Carry them around with you while you clean up their area or while you sit outside, gently petting them and speaking softly, and they often will come around. As far as the egg laying, the Cuckoo Marans are one breed that is signifcantly later than many others in that they typically will not lay eggs until they are between 6-9 months of age. We hope this helps a bit but please let us know if you have any questions as we are always happy to help.
“I received my golden cuckoo marans in a flock with five other chicks. During the first few days, my tiniest chick was crying a lot and not eating much, so I offered all of them some sugar water. Everybody has been fine ever since!”
Your little ones are so adorable! Thank you for sharing your photos with us! We are happy to hear the sugar water helped them recover after their journey and they are settling in well with you! Please let us know any time if you have any questions, we are happy to help!
“All eight (8) of my gals arrived happy and healthy!
First, I’ll give a little information on when they shipped/how long it took/etc… for those nervous folks like me! They hatched in Ohio on a Monday and by 4:30 PM, I received notification they were in route. They then arrived in Cleveland around 7:30 PM. I anxiously waited and never got another notification until I got a call Wednesday morning from my local post office. They evidently shipped from Cleveland late Monday night, but it took about 30 hours to make it to my local post office (Galveston, TX which is an hour south of Houston). I was able to pick them up at 8:30 AM from the post office. The total time in transit was about 40 hours give or take.
They are now one week old today, and all growing so fast. Wing feathers are developing nicely on all of them. They all eat like little oikers, and love to chase flies (a big problem on the Texas coast). I ordered one of each of a Silked White Easter Egger, Blue Splash Ameraucana, Lavender Dream Easter Egger, Blue/Black/Splash Orpington, Cuckoo Bluebar Blue-Egger, Golden Cuckoo Maran, Golden Laced Wyandotte, and an Olive Egger. The Silked and the Golden Maran both have feathers on their legs, so that is exciting for me! I am struggling telling the difference in a few of them. I know the Silked, the Golden Maran (she is brown and looks just like the photo), the Wyandotte (also looks just like the posted photo), and the Lavender Easter Egger. The Bluebar and the Olive Egger look almost identical, and the Blue Splash Ameraucana and Orpington are too similar for me to tell tight now. I’m super excited to watch as they grown to figure this mystery out!
Personalities are developing, but the Golden Cuckoo Maran is EASILY the more inquisitive and friendly. She runs up to the edge of the pen every time I unzip the top (which by the way they HATE when I unzip and zip up that top of the pop-up brooder). She also will jump in my hand and try to walk up my arm. She is going to be fun! The Golden Laced Wyandotte and the Lavender Dream Easter Egger can’t stand her getting all the attention, so they then come up to visit me. One of either the Bluebar or the Olive Egger is also pretty friendly. The other one will not get anywhere near me! After reading reviews, it might be the Bluebar. The Silked White Easter Egger, and the Blue/Black/Splash Orpington eventually come over as they see the others having fun with “papa”.”
Thank you for this wonderful review which is so helpful to your fellow flock keepers in what to expect when ordering their babies from My Pet Chicken! We are so happy to hear they are doing well and bringing you happiness! Please let us know how we may help you with your flock needs in the future!
“I received my day-old chicks yesterday. All arrived healthy and started eating and drinking right away. I ordered two Golden Cuckoo Marans and look forward to watching them grow. One is brown and the other black. I figured there were no substitutions and these two were the Marans. It would have been nice if there was something identifying each chick. The brown chick has a little blurred spot on her head. The black has a white one that is more defined. The head marking on each actually looks like a fishbone. I did a search on golden cuckoo Marans chicks to see what they look like and some of the posts I read got me thinking the black will be a roo. I read My Pet Chicken chicks are vent-sexed and so I hope they are females. These two were the smallest ones and seem to sleep more but when they’re awake they are pretty active. The brown one is funny to watch when she scratches—bedding flies everywhere. The black one is the loudest one of the six. Today was day two and their wing feathers are starting to fill in. This is my first time with chickens. I had to wash the brown one’s bottom today because she sat on droppings that dried and stuck to her bottom catching her own droppings. I’m sure she appreciated it when the torture was over as she got to preening herself.”
Thank you for taking the time to review your My Pet Chicken chick order! We are so happy to hear that the little ones are doing well and bringing you great happiness! Any time you have any questions or wish to add to your flock, please keep us in mind! We are always happy to help!
How adorable! We are so happy to hear that all of your babies are doing well and thankful for your sharing photos of your little ones and this thoughtful review! Many wishes for years of joy and happiness with your flock!
“This little gem is the most laid-back one of the bunch. At 3 weeks, Fanny likes her independence and can be a little skittish at times. We have another Cuckoo Maran with the same qualities and characteristics, but she needs a little more one-on-one time, but in time she'll be sweet bird.”
