Black Copper Marans - boys or girls!?!

[Elclavel]

Have any of the chicks hatched? I'm so new at this, I don't have knowledge to be much help other than moral support.

 

[GaryDean26]

I can't be much help either on the hatch. The chicks have to hatch on their own. We just provide the conditions for them to develop.

I monitor the humidity and keep it at 35-42% (the darker eggs do better at 35% since they seem to lose less water than lighter colored eggs) for the first 18 days and on day 19 add water to additional trays to bring the humidity up to 45-50%, on day 20 I start to close the vents part way to bring the humidity up to 50-60% and on hatch day I add more water through a straw if needed to keep the humidity at 70-75% (if it goes to high I open the vents all the way up to keep condensate from forming). I make sure to not open the incubator while the egg are hatching. Opening up the incubator can hit the chicks with dry air and they can stick to the inside of their shell making it impossible to move around and hatch. Also if the humidity is too high during the first 18 days of incubation the air sac won't grew large enough (it should be 1/3 of the egg on day 21 for them to get out of the egg with the least difficulty).

 

[pipchick1]

I have my humidity at 62, is that ok? And my temp is at 100.

 

[GaryDean26]

I have done successful hatches at 60-65% before. I prefer 70-75% though. It seems few chicks get stuck in their shell at the higher humidity. About the highest humidity I have tried on Marans eggs for days 1-18 has been 50%. The 50% was a really low hatch rated (like 10%). I get more to hatch with the humidity below 40%. I think the Marans shell are just too thick and too non-porous to lose the required weight if the humidity is over about 40%. You can check to see how the egg is doing by candling the eggs prior to hatch day. The air sac should be about 1/3 of the egg on hatch day.

As far as temperature goes, 100 degrees is right where you want it. I have gone as high as 102 and as low are 99, but 100 degrees is the ideal setting.

 

[pipchick1]

Thanks for the advice! Anymore advice

 

[GaryDean26]

Think like a broody hens????

What day are the eggs on? You should see the eggs start to pipe on day 20 and hatch on day 21 with the late hatchers on day 22. We have has a few come really late on day 23, but that is pretty rare.

If you saw eggs shaking then I assume they piped through the shell. If they just shook and never pipped try cheaping at them. If they are still alive they will cheap back. In the broody hen's nest all the eggs have to hatch together so that they hen can leave and go get food for the newborns. They know it is time to hatch when they hear the other chick chirping. The sound of momma and the bothers and sister encourage them what they are working to break open the shell.

you might try moving the egg around to. Don't open the incubator, jut push a chop stick or skewer through the vent hole. Sometimes all the progress in on the bottom of the eggs where we can't see all the work they are going to break open the egg.

If you have any pips that don't progress in about 12 hours, you can help the egg. If you help the chick hatch if many not be strong enough to survive for more than a few days so this is normally discouraged, but sometime works out. To help the chick put it out of the incubator and pull back the shell to where you are seeing wet chick down (a chick that has been stuck for 12 hours will have fluffy dry down at the open in the shell). Then use an eye dropper to wet the inside of the eggs with 100 deg water (i.e. the same temperature as the incubator, not cold water). Once the dry portion is removed and the inside of the shell is removed the chick might be able to make it the rest of the way out by it self. The more work it does its self the better.

Note: Don't open the incubator up to help a chick while other chicks are hatching. If would be better to let them hatch before going into rescue.