Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[doubleleft]

Looks beautiful to me.

looks beautiful to me also

 

[JekkaLynn]

My Black Copper Hen. I know she isn't set up very well for the picture but I just needed a picture to show someone and I don't really know how to set her up for a picture.

 

[happyfrenchman]

2 questions for all.....

Is there any specific information about incubating BCM eggs? I only hatch about 25% of the eggs I set. I try to incubate the darkest ones I have, but those seem to have the lowest hatch rate. I run a small cabinet incubator out in the garage. Dry. No water at all... (This works better than anything I have previously tried). It seems to me, that the darker eggs are more resistant to the moisture loss that needs to occur for a successful hatch. Has anyone encountered this? I have tried the incubation threads but I think the dark coating is a moisture barrier. This is just my observations.

And the second question I had is this.... A few months back, a friend gave me some Blue Coppers that were from a fellow who had Wade Jean bloodlines. The chickens had green shanks which apparently means yellow skin. I was getting rid of all my blues to concentrate on the blacks, and I didn't want the yellow skin, so I gave them to another friend who thought they were beauties (They really were) . He is very happy with them. But these birds... yellow skin or not, lay darker eggs than anything I have managed to raise on my own. What is with that?

 

[GaryDean26]

The section below is the method that is most recommended for hatching Marans Eggs.

How To Incubate & Hatch Eggs Using The "Dry Incubation" Method

Note: The Marans eggs
1) have fine pores in the shell that make them hold humidity at lower humidity that other breeds. Yes I think your are correct about the darker the egg the less weight loss
2) have thick shells and shell membranes that make it harder for chicks to break through than other breeds. Only the strongest make it out
3) have are typically XL eggs and bigger eggs generally have lower hatch rates than smaller eggs.

I personally increase the temperature of the incubator a degree for hatching Marans Eggs. That seems to make a big difference in my Marans hatch rate. My humidity is about 30-35% for the first 18 days then gradually increased each day for a 70% humidity hatch.

As far as what's up with dark eggs coming from the yellow legged Blue Copper I can't say. I would assume that some good choices were made in choosing cockerels and hens that both passed dark egg genes. I don't think that you will find any linkage to yellow skin and dark eggs.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Gary... thank you for your reply. You have confirmed some of my observations and I appreciate it.

Gary wrote....

Note: The Marans eggs

1) have fine pores in the shell that make them hold humidity at lower humidity that other breeds. Yes I think your are correct about the darker the egg the less weight loss

2) have thick shells and shell membranes that make it harder for chicks to break through than other breeds. Only the strongest make it out. (I concur)

3) have are typically XL eggs and bigger eggs generally have lower hatch rates than smaller eggs. (I don't even bother trying to incubate the larger ones anymore. Better to make breakfast with them.)



I personally increase the temperature of the incubator a degree for hatching Marans Eggs. That seems to make a big difference in my Marans hatch rate. My humidity is about 30-35% for the first 18 days then gradually increased each day for a 70% humidity hatch.

(That is something I am going to try. My humidity is whatever the ambient humidity is outside. I used a styrofoam hatcher in the past but 3 or more days in the high humidity, I suspect was retarding the moisture loss at the very end when it is greatest and most critical. Perhaps I could take them out of the turner, leave them in the dry incubator until day 21 and then put them in the high humidity hatcher. I am going to try these things. Thank you Gary.)



As far as what's up with dark eggs coming from the yellow legged Blue Copper I can't say. I would assume that some good choices were made in choosing cockerels and hens that both passed dark egg genes. I don't think that you will find any linkage to yellow skin and dark eggs

(Yeah... whatever the outcross was..., I could not think of a yellow skinned bird that throws a dark egg gene. I am going to ask my friend if he has any more of them in the Black.) Perhaps a rooster from that line. I am ready to deal with the yellow skin if the eggs look as dark as those blues were laying.)

 

[ochochicas]

The section below is the method that is most recommended for hatching Marans Eggs.

How To Incubate & Hatch Eggs Using The "Dry Incubation" Method

Note: The Marans eggs
1) have fine pores in the shell that make them hold humidity at lower humidity that other breeds. Yes I think your are correct about the darker the egg the less weight loss
2) have thick shells and shell membranes that make it harder for chicks to break through than other breeds. Only the strongest make it out
3) have are typically XL eggs and bigger eggs generally have lower hatch rates than smaller eggs.

I personally increase the temperature of the incubator a degree for hatching Marans Eggs. That seems to make a big difference in my Marans hatch rate. My humidity is about 30-35% for the first 18 days then gradually increased each day for a 70% humidity hatch.

As far as what's up with dark eggs coming from the yellow legged Blue Copper I can't say. I would assume that some good choices were made in choosing cockerels and hens that both passed dark egg genes. I don't think that you will find any linkage to yellow skin and dark eggs.

That is interesting information about Marans eggs. I hatched out a dozen eggs with a broody in July. Four were Marans, four Welsummer and four EE. I weighed the eggs before "lockdown". The Marans had lost between 7 and 10% of their original weight. (The Welsummer eggs lost even less weight at an average of 7%) The EE eggs lost 11 - 14%. I noted one of the Marans eggs had a pitted shell.

In the end, they all hatched. The egg that had the pitted shell was the one that lost the most weight (10%). It hatched last and resulted in a sticky chick. The chick survived but is a very slow grower and isn't feathered out completely yet. She seems to be thriving though. The largest chick didn't make it (the broody culled it herself for some reason).

This was my first time hatching eggs, so I really have nothing to compare it to. I was concerned, however, by day 16 when the eggs were not losing enough weight. I was pleasantly surprised on day 21 when I walked out to a nest box full of chicks. In the end I learned to trust my broody. She is a BCM.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Ochochicas...

Nothing beats mother nature eh? That is pretty good. Nice looking bird. HF.

 

[GaryDean26]

That is interesting information about Marans eggs. ..... I weighed the eggs before "lockdown". The Marans had lost between 7 and 10% of their original weight. (The Welsummer eggs lost even less weight at an average of 7%) The EE eggs lost 11 - 14%.

I usually hatch all the brown eggs in one incubator and the blue & white eggs in another. The target weight loss is around 13%, so the EE eggs should have been right were they needed to be to have the best chances of hatching. I keep the brown eggs at 30-35% humidity and 100.5 deg and the Blue & White eggs at 40-45% at 99.5 deg.

Note: the heating elements in incubators are what dries them out. if you place an incubator in a cold room and the heating element has to run non-stop to keep temperature you are going to have really low humidity in the incubator. It you place the incubator in a warm room (this is my preference) you are going to have much more control over the level of humidity. The higher temp on the Marans eggs may just be lowering the humidity which may be why I have seen better hatches with that set temperature. If I have chicks sticking to the shells on hatch day I put a space heater in the hatching room and get it nice and cozy the last 3 days so the incubator isn't working as hard. It seems to help

 

[ochochicas]

Ochochicas...

Nothing beats mother nature eh? That is pretty good. Nice looking bird. HF.

Thanks! She was given to me along with a splash marans by a member of BYC. Now I'm hooked on Marans and want more! Fortunately there is a breeder in my area, so the next time she goes broody I'm going to get some BCM eggs. The chicks she hatched this time are Wheatens. I was hoping to get one nice Wheaten pullet and on rooster from her. The cockerel is looking gorgeous, but none of the pullets have feathered legs and their color is a bit off. The sticky chick appears to be a slow developer so I'm not planning to hatch any eggs from that one either.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Here's an update on the 2 BCM's I got as extras when I order my Buff Brahmas.

Pullet


Cockerel