Day 19 and Worried - NOT worried anymore!

[MaransGuy]

Actually, I have been trying to figure out how to do that but can't find a way to edit the title. Is there a way?

 

[Katy]

Richard.........I have one copper chick...came out of what was supposed to be a blue marans egg, but oh well. How soon do the rooster start getting more coloring on their neck? This little girl/guy has the flecked copper on their neck. It's 8 weeks old today. It looks more like a pullet than a roo to me. One of these days I'll have to figure out how to post pictures on here!

 

[MaransGuy]

Hi Katy,

When you are dealing with blue you can get black as well. Regarding the coloration, here is a pic of my roo at 12 weeks:

The most recent photo of him is at 6 months. They start out slowly and then color up fast. Unfortunately, the amount of color can vary from bird to bird, especially when dealing with the blue lines. If he is a rooster you should be able to tell soon. Mine developed pretty quickly and I could actually tell he was a roo as soon as he came out of the egg! His leggs were huge and his comb was actually folded over!

Richard

 

[Katy]

I'd say I've got a pullet then. She certainly looks more like your picture of your hen. On one hand I was kind of hoping for a roo.....could introduce more of the copper blood into my flock instead of just having the one hen and her eggs. At first I thought it was gonna be black which didn't surprise me, but then the copper started showing up in her neck. She's a sweet little girl. Do your coppers lay darker eggs than a cuckoo? Cuckoos are what I've got now.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Richard, Did you hatch out your chicks in cardboard egg cartons cut out?.......Curious is all as to how you did that and if you liked the idea.......Thanks

 

[KKluckers]

Quote:
Go back to your first post and hit the edit button. You can add to the title then.

 

[MaransGuy]

Thanks Christina! Got it changed. Regarding the egg cartons, yes that it what they are hatching in. I hatched the eggs this way because they were not drying down properly (see 1st post) and wanted to prevent drowning any way I could. Luckily, they did dry down enough that it was not a concern by the time day 21 came. The chicks don't have any problem hatching in this position and it also helps prevent the unhatched eggs from being rolled all around by the earlier hatching chicks. I can also arrange the eggs in such a way that the spot that they will pip is facing me so it is easier to monitor them. I used to use the racks from the turner but they get too dirty and it is a pain to clean them. The cardboard does not affect humidity. As long as I fill the trays below with water the humidity will stay between 70% and 75% during the hatch. Once everyone is out I can just throw the whole, nasty mess out!

Richard

 

[MaransGuy]

Hi Katy,

Sorry, I misread your post and thought you said you got a black instead of blue. I was up too early watching chicks! (the fluffy kind) Regarding the egg color vs. cuckoo, it all depends on the line. From what I understand, the copper blacks have had better color set than the cuckoo but unless you can see a sample of the eggs from a particular breeder, you never know what you will get. Unfortunately, hatchery stock can be very disappointing. This is really frustrating, I think, as they will still advertise them as dark egg layers and beginning poultry keepers (their biggest customer group), won't know any better. I just hate to see people be disappointed as I have been there myself. In any case, the dark eggs always seem to be a holy grail that anyone working with the breed is striving for. Even hens that lay good color go up and down in intesity. My avatar shows average egg color from my hens next to a RIR egg. Sometimes they are darker, sometimes lighter. It is always a matter of hatching out the darkest and choosing the most consistent dark laying hens.

Richard

 

[skeeter9]

Beautiful babies, Richard! How are the rest doing?

Some of the Cuckoo eggs I'm incubating right now are very,very dark, so I'm hoping that I'll end up with some hens that lay true Marans eggs. It's kindof a slow process. . .

Love the pictures. There's nothing prettier than a roo in all his glory!! (Well, except maybe a stallion, but I won't go there on this forum!!!LOL!!!)

Good luck with the rest of your egg.

Lori

 

[Katy]

The cuckoo marans that I have, I got from a breeder who's no longer alive. The copper one is also from a breeder..... the only one to hatch out of some eggs that were lost in the mail for over a week. I've read more than once that copper have a darker egg. I guess if I have a pullet I'll find out eventually. Over all I've been happy with my hens egg color, although it does vary. I really think that as a whole my welsummers lay a more consistant dark egg. I really like my marans' personality....not only their egg color. Have you found your marans like to go broody quite a bit after they're over a year or two old? Mine seem too.