Incubating French Black Copper Marans

[Farmer Viola]

I like to candle on day 7, 10, 14, 18, and from there daily until they hatch... the internal pip should be happening around day 19, but if you had lower temperatures or high humidity it could delay the process and you might see the internal pip on day 20,21...

on candle day 7 and 10 I don't remove them from the incubator, I leave them upright and just put the light inside the incubator to check viability. I dont want to swish them around too much (I usually get shipped eggs which are sometimes damaged) or turn them upsidedown/sideways. I treat them very gently if they are shipped/damaged. I toss clears on day 10 and I toss obvious early quitters at day 18.

I also am trying something new with this hatch... on day 17 today. I am taking the lid off the incubator for 10 minutes per day to let them cool down a little bit (my house is 75F). I had chicks hatch 1 day early last time, so I am thinking if i I can slow down the "cooking" process a little bit by imitating the mother hen, maybe they will hatch on time? a mother hen will get off the nest every single day to poop, eat, and drink. it's a test, so we will see! I also feel less worried about candling since it is during their designated cool down time anyway.

for lockdown, it is safe to remove the lid off the incubator until you get an internal pip. once you see an internal pip (from candling) OR an external pip on the shell, don't open the incubator anymore. opening it will cause a sudden humidity drop which can dry out the membrane and make the chick's head get stuck to the membrane where it's open to air. here is a picture of an internal pip on a white egg:

 

[MrsEllis11]

for lockdown, it is safe to remove the lid off the incubator until you get an internal pip. once you see an internal pip (from candling) OR an external pip on the shell, don't open the incubator anymore. opening it will cause a sudden humidity drop which can dry out the membrane and make the chick's head get stuck to the membrane where it's open to air. here is a picture of an internal pip on a white egg:

With the dark eggs do you think I'll be able to see an internal pip? Hoping I will just concerned about the darkness of the shell pigmentation. My husband has a really bright flashlight that I can use but I'm worried maybe too bright? Kristie

 

[Farmer Viola]

With the dark eggs do you think I'll be able to see an internal pip? Hoping I will just concerned about the darkness of the shell pigmentation. My husband has a really bright flashlight that I can use but I'm worried maybe too bright?

Kristie

hmm that's right I forgot you were looking at Marans eggs... maybe just increasing the humidity on day 19 would be best in that case!

 

[mattsinger]

Kristie.. did you ever get any eggs set?

 

[MrsEllis11]

Kristie.. did you ever get any eggs set?

Hi Matt!

I just picked the first set today (buff orpingtons) and the marans I'm picking up tomorrow so it will be tomorrow evening. How are yours doing ?

Kristie

 

[mattsinger]

Today is day 17...havent looked at them since day 10. Im a bit nervous... Hoping for a decent hatch. Tomorrow night is lockdown.

 

[8isenuff]

Starting reading this thread as I am hatching my first set of eggs....15 marans and 21 others mixed. I have a homemade incubator and am so nervous about the right temp and humidity! My temps are staying pretty good...I think...between 99 and 100 at the center. The back gets down to 98-99...so I have rotate the front and back dozen twice now... Will that work out ok? My humidity is where I am having trouble...I have a fan and a pan below with a folded wash clothe in it. I can get it to 40-45 (although it likes to climb to 50), but it drops overnight to 16-20!!!! I added a gel bottle from my husbands humidor and this morning it was around 30 instead of 16... I think if I add a cut sponge in the pan in lieu of the wash clothe it might hold better? Will the first few days of humidty levels all over the place hurt?

I didn't realize maran eggs could be more difficult...is it just the darker shell that makes for harder candling?

The marans and another dozen crosses were local pick up. Rested for a day before incubating. The other dozen are from my hens. Up to ten days before incubating and one was in the fridge for a day before I pulled it out, so we'll see!!

I set on 2/5 noon. So, I guess I'm looking at a 2/26 hatch date!

 

[MrsEllis11]

Starting reading this thread as I am hatching my first set of eggs....15 marans and 21 others mixed.  I have a homemade incubator and am so nervous about the right temp and humidity!  My temps are staying pretty good...I think...between 99 and 100 at the center.  The back gets down to 98-99...so I have rotate the front and back dozen twice now...  Will that work out ok?  My humidity is where I am having trouble...I have a fan and a pan below with a folded wash clothe in it.  I can get it to 40-45 (although it likes to climb to 50), but it drops overnight to 16-20!!!!  I added a gel bottle from my husbands humidor and this morning it was around 30 instead of 16... I think if I add a cut sponge in the pan in lieu of the wash clothe it might hold better?  Will the first few days of humidty levels all over the place hurt?

I didn't realize maran eggs could be more difficult...is it just the darker shell that makes for harder candling?

The marans and another dozen crosses were local pick up.  Rested for a day before incubating.  The other dozen are from my hens.  Up to ten days before incubating and one was in the fridge for a day before I pulled it out, so we'll see!!

I set on 2/5 noon. So, I guess I'm looking at a 2/26 hatch date!

How exciting! I love the Marans eggs. They are extremely difficult to candle so this time I'm going to weigh them also. I am going to set the eggs tonight.

I don't think the up and down in humidity the first couple days will affect them at all. I can see it being a problem the last 7 days but not first.

The temperature is perfect that you have the incubator set. How is the humidity now?

Kristie

 

[MrsEllis11]

Today is day 17...havent looked at them since day 10.   Im a bit nervous...  Hoping for a decent hatch.  Tomorrow night is lockdown.

I'm so excited for you Matt! Are you going to candle them or anything before lockdown? Where's your humidity now and for lockdown?

Kristie

 

[MrsEllis11]

I think if I add a cut sponge in the pan in lieu of the wash clothe it might hold better?  Will the first few days of humidty levels all over the place hurt?

I didn't realize maran eggs could be more difficult...is it just the darker shell that makes for harder candling?

Another thing I don't know that it is the thickness of the marans shell or pigmentation that makes them difficult to candle because by EE eggs were light in color and they were just as hard to candle my last hatch.

You would think that the marans eggs would not be any different than any other egg but I had better luck with the other breeds in my first and only other hatch had one marans hatch out of 7 fertile eggs.

I've heard that using a cut up sponge works well regulating the humidity.

Kristie