BLUE ISBARS - Pictures and discussion

[lonnyandrinda]

Fed Ex answer: In the case of late delivery, they will only cover the cost of the shipping. In any case the insurance will NOT cover eggs for damage. So, we're pretty much back to USPS policies except they will pay for the cost of the shipping charge if the package does not arrive in time.

That stinks.... sorry...

 

[LadyCluck77]

For the experienced incubators, I'm hearing different humidity levels during incubation? I have a Brinsea, and the directions that came with it list 30 to 40 percent during the first part, and then 60 percent at lockdown. But then they go on to say that recent experiments find higher humidity can lead to an even better hatch.... ?

For my first run, I'm hatching RIR from a friend as a sort of test run, and then I'll be hatching Isbars and cream Legbars. Does the breed make a difference in the humidity level setting? Should I lower it for the Legbars and Isbars, or raise it?
From what I hear, they may also need more time...
Sorry for all the questions, I'm starting a hatch soon, so I'm nervous :/

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

For the experienced incubators, I'm hearing different humidity levels during incubation? I have a Brinsea, and the directions that came with it list 30 to 40 percent during the first part, and then 60 percent at lockdown. But then they go on to say that recent experiments find higher humidity can lead to an even better hatch.... ?

For my first run, I'm hatching RIR from a friend as a sort of test run, and then I'll be hatching Isbars and cream Legbars. Does the breed make a difference in the humidity level setting? Should I lower it for the Legbars and Isbars, or raise it?
From what I hear, they may also need more time...
Sorry for all the questions, I'm starting a hatch soon, so I'm nervous

I'm no expert, but I have good luck with my cabinet GQF running totally dry (20-24%) until lockdown at 65%. Last hatch on Wednesday was 100% chicks, which was great! Primarily I hatch Marans, which are a thicker shell like Isbars. When I did 35% RH for the first part of set and then 65% for lockdown/hatch, I had over 50% fully formed but non-hatched chicks. 22 dead, it was heartbreaking. 6 had pipped internally and drowned, the rest didn't pip at all. My Marans hatch at just about 21 days and same when I hatched some Isbars in December, but others are having them hatch up to 3 days late.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

For the experienced incubators, I'm hearing different humidity levels during incubation? I have a Brinsea, and the directions that came with it list 30 to 40 percent during the first part, and then 60 percent at lockdown. But then they go on to say that recent experiments find higher humidity can lead to an even better hatch.... ?

For my first run, I'm hatching RIR from a friend as a sort of test run, and then I'll be hatching Isbars and cream Legbars. Does the breed make a difference in the humidity level setting? Should I lower it for the Legbars and Isbars, or raise it?
From what I hear, they may also need more time...
Sorry for all the questions, I'm starting a hatch soon, so I'm nervous :/

I think it depends a lot on your local climate. Your best advice will come from someone who lives near you that hatches. In general anywhere from 20-40% humidity the first 18 days and then you want it higher, 35-60% for the last 3 days. It will take some trial and error to find the best setting for your incubator and climate. The size of the air cell is your best judge of humidity the egg needs to be roughly 1/3 air when it's time to hatch. Keep an eye on your air cells by candling every seven days and adjust your humidity accordingly.

 

[warbirds]

Interesting. I have not had that experience with our Marans. They hatch pretty much in 21 days. GQF 1266 (20 years old probably) that holds 99.5 degrees like a champ. The Marans chicks don't seem to have any trouble getting out. Our eggs average #5-6 on the Marans egg chart for color. I have some near-7 eggs in now.

Sorry, I probably should have taken the time to be a bit more descriptive. I too have Marans that hatch in 21 days. But, I also have older established Marans lines that lay large almost round eggs that take 22 - 24 days to hatch. Those chicks come out big - almost twice the size of other lines of Marans.

I use the GQF 1500 Professional incubator and the GQF 1550 hatcher for most of my incubations, but also use the GQF Genesis Hovabators for smaller sets, and often put Isbar orders in those to keep them from having issues with me pulling other chicks out of the main incubator.

I am also at 5000 ft. above sea level, so that has an affect on the development of all embryos, most especially the dark eggs and the very large eggs.

Doc

 

[warbirds]

To me at least, green and olive are not the same. In fact when we created a standard for cream legbars in the us we allowed blue and green but specifically omitted the olive eggs allowed in the UK. Olive eggs are an indicator of brown egg genes and we want to keep the us cream leg bar lines as pure as possible. My Isbar eggs are definitely green. By crossing them with a marsns it would deepen it to a unique dark olive. I see the attraction in that.
X2. I set all my breeds together, Marans included. My Marans are 7-8 on the Marans scale. They are not the first to hatch but almost always done before my ibars start hatching. EEs are first always, then cream leg bar and Ameraucanas, in marsns, and then is bars. I do get a slightly lower hatch rate on my Marans (I'm talking fully formed chicks that fail to pip) but not on my isbars, they are fantastic hatchers and I rarely lose one during hatch.

I suppose I can see an attraction in that as well................that said, through selective breeding (applying same selections used in improving Marans egg color), nearly every mature Isbar hen I have lays what I would call a dark green olive egg at least once or twice a week, with lighter greens in between. Anything less, in my humble opinion, is a step backwards in Isbar breeding/selection, as the breed was intended to lay a dark green egg. Any hen who can't cut the mustard by the time she is mature, is not used for breeding.

Do you find that your Marans that lay 7-8 have a better hatch rate when they start to lighten up later in their laying cycle? In my breeders, it all depends on the line(s) the hens come from, at least that has been my long-term observation here.........again, I'm at 5000 ft. and that elevation has an effect on incubation/hatch as it is. I'm just always curious how other breeders' darker egg layers do in their hatch rates as they move along to the lighter end of their laying cycle. Every piece of knowledge is another piece of the total puzzle!

Doc

 

[warbirds]

for the record, i didn't "make" the isbar/marans crosses, i picked them up as pullets from a friend because they are pretty birds -- that was before i decided to focus on isbars as a breed. i actually like the lighter green eggs better than the olive, but these two are lovely birds, and i enjoy having them around -- there's no larger aim or goal to hatch their offspring or breed them back into isbars or etc.

Drats. I was interested in the goals/outcomes of such a project. I love learning about how the genetics all fall into line in various projects. I don't have the time to do every project I would love to do, so often "learn vicariously" through others.

but the olive color is a MUCH different green than regular isbar green.

How would you personally describe "regular Isbar green"? Light, medium, speckled with brown? I always believed that we breeders should strive for the darkest possible, just like Marans, most especially in the beginning of the mature hens' laying cycle..............always curious what others feel it should all be about.

also fascinating to read about the late hatches with isbars -- perhaps i did not give some of my eggs enough time before presuming they weren't hatching? i think i only waited til day 23, since the first one hatched on day 20... will be more patient next time.

I do think local environment has a lot to do with the time it takes an Isbar to get to pip. Here in the desert at high altitude (well, it USED to be a desert until the last two years!) most are on that 22-23 day mark..............also, I have found through the hundreds hatched that the nutrition of the hens has an effect. The better her daily/weekly buffet of nutrients, the better the chicks are, through hatch and beyond. I've learned to make sure they have the same daily meals as my large breeds (Sussex, Marans, etc) and I had much better hatch rates after those changes.

Doc

 

[lawatt]

I do not yet have any pure isbars that are laying (mine are all too young), so my only gauge if "isbar green" is from the eggs i've received -- which have varied from a lovely minty green/aqua to almost white, but have definitely all been light-colored. i realize it's not a representative sample!

and as i'm setting some other eggs in my incubator today, i've decided to include six of the isbar/marans girls' olive eggs, crossed with a pure blue isbar -- will see what the chicks are like!

 

[Ihilani Coffee]

Waiting for a pip from the one little Isbar egg that went on walkabout with the USPS for seven days with no tracking for the first four days. I still can't believe that it survived to lockdown.

The second batch will need a candling in a few days to see if any made the trip from Ramona CA to NW Oregon via Providence RI. Interesting routing, USPS...also 7 days in transit.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Wow...

Well I think I'm cleared from last year's Isbar infection fiasco! Both chicks from my first hatch are now about 7 weeks old (a black pair), and I have a set of 8 that are 5 weeks old. My "danger zone" last year was 3-4 weeks. Yay!!!!