Hatch assist marans- 1/2 success…

[LLvida]

I think I’m giving up on trying hatch marans. It’s just too stressful! Is it this way for everyone? This was a mixed clutch of fertile eggs I popped under my broody.

First babies completely hatched without me ever seeing a pip, right on day 21 (Saturday- out before noon). No movement or pipping or anything from the remaining 3 large maran eggs.

Day 23 was yesterday and I was so anxious I finally went into action (incubated marans last year and every one died in the egg fully developed and no pips- all other breeds hatched no problem).

Found one egg had finally pipped but no progress made all day. One egg was definitely stinky so I kept it out. Other egg I could feel tapping but no external pip.

Finally decided we had to hatch assist last night. Pipped egg was shrink wrapped and after several small spaced out assist sw we left her under mom last night and this morning she looks great!

The full assist baby made no progress over night and was still in membrane (air hole and shell half chipped off). She has so much yolk and is only gasping this morning, no cheeping. I was surprised she was alive. Pulled back the membrane gently, no bleeders, allowed her body more room and took more shell off but left her yolk in the bottom of her shell intacted. Interesting small amount of white webbing around her under the inner membrane. (I’m very curious about this veiny membrane)

I popped her back under the hen this morning , but she seems premature despite being so many days over due (today is 24). Checked on her later in the day and sadly she did not make it.

Makes me feel like maran eggs are just too hard! So sad to see gorgeous baby chicks that don’t make it. Proud that the one who popped but couldn’t zip was saved- she is pictured below

 

[NatJ]

This was a mixed clutch of fertile eggs I popped under my broody.

Were the eggs from your own flock? Or did you get them from someone else?

Day 23...full assist...seems premature despite being so many days over due (today is 24).

Is there any chance that egg was added to the clutch a few days later? (Maybe laid by a hen in your own flock.)

Or could it have gotten pushed aside in the nest, so it got chilled and developed slower?

I think I’m giving up on trying hatch marans. It’s just too stressful! Is it this way for everyone?

incubated marans last year and every one died in the egg fully developed and no pips- all other breeds hatched no problem

Makes me feel like maran eggs are just too hard! So sad to see gorgeous baby chicks that don’t make it

Did all the Marans eggs come from the same source? Was it the same source as the other eggs?

If the Marans eggs came from a different place than the other eggs, maybe the person with the Marans handles their eggs differently or they got mis-handled in shipping.

If the Marans eggs last year and this year came from the same flock as each other, maybe that specific flock has some kind of problem.

I don't know anything specific about Marans, and I have no direct experience with that breed, so I'm just thinking about what could cause eggs of one breed to have trouble while eggs of other breeds do not.

Proud that the one who popped but couldn’t zip was saved- she is pictured below

I don't see the picture. I'm not sure if that's a problem with my computer, or if you forgot to include it.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Im sorry about the ones not making it. Unfortunately for me my first broody hatch didnt go well zero made it. I got a incubator and have 3 out of the 7 hatched. And 3 more externally pipped. The Marans were second to hatch but the shells were definitely stronger.