Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[dvoice]

What humidity do you hatch BCM eggs at?

I just changed mine on this last hatch to 43-45% and 55% for lockdown and had 20/22 hatch of the fertile BCM. My best ever!!!

 

[bahamabanty]

My chicks hatched shortly after Christmas. I am still waiting for an egg eventhough they have completely feathered and have wattles etc. They look like full grown hens. I have had red sex links and leghorn crosses they all started laying around 4-5 months.
Is this normal for BCM's?

Also, this may seem like a dumb question, but when they refer to the "copper" of the bird, what do they mean...the amount of red or the amount of green beetle sheen. Thanks.

 

[musinglew]

We haven't done mailed eggs in a good while. My first go at that was abysmal. Then after i bought a real incubator and learned how to calibrate a humidity meter We usually got 8 or 9 eggs per dozen if the shipper sent good, fresh, fertile eggs. Hatching of our own eggs we usually do between 8 and sometimes as many as twelve per dozen. We also drop the temperature just slightly after day 18. Here is about the best online guide I have found concerning this:

http://www.grit.com/animals/incubating-chicken-eggs.aspx

Laterz,
Lew

 

[curious chickee]

I run 35-40% incubation and 60% hatching, I have 85 -95% hatch rate

 

[musinglew]

Mine started laying at 6 or 7 months.

 

[chickengr]

My chicks hatched shortly after Christmas. I am still waiting for an egg eventhough they have completely feathered and have wattles etc. They look like full grown hens. I have had red sex links and leghorn crosses they all started laying around 4-5 months.
Is this normal for BCM's?

Also, this may seem like a dumb question, but when they refer to the "copper" of the bird, what do they mean...the amount of red or the amount of green beetle sheen. Thanks.

mine was 8-9 months old when started to lay. copper is red on their necks (hens) and neck and wings (roos).

 

[NatureChica]

There really isn't a humidity that works better for Marans eggs over another kind of the same size and my humidity here is totally different here (NC) than it was when I hatched in Wisconsin. it's also different now for me than it was in November. I wouldn't venture a guess what will work for anyone else. I simply follow my air cell growth and adjust accordingly.
Air cell getting too big=increase humidity

Air cell too small=slightly less water until air cell growth matches average timeline

 

[BertandMary]

We hatched 11 of 12 with 35 to 45% the first 18 and nearly 80% the last 3. We go in and out of the bator a lot so we keep it high at the end.

 

[gotro17]

I just changed mine on this last hatch to 43-45% and 55% for lockdown and had 20/22 hatch of the fertile BCM. My best ever!!!

Yeah- we've been thinking we were going to go high on the next one. We had a crushing result with our last hatch...not one Marans (we did have a severe temp spike though and aren't sure for how long it had been like that). Humidity was around 36%. My first two hatches humidity was around 40-43% and were much more successful.

 

[marchick]

Don, These are not good pictures but the best I could get! The sun was going down and the wind was blowing. I am liking the Blue copper that is getting some nice copper. What do you think so far?