Incubator Humidity for French Black Copper Marans Eggs

[littlesparrow11]

I actually had not thought about it! LOL! I would be willing to. I have a pullet that is about 2 months old and the chicks that just hatched last week. I am not sure about shipping them (I have never sold any before and the French Black Copper Marans are certainly not plentiful around here!)!). I am in Plymouth New Hampshire. I am also getting 12 Marans eggs sometime this week that am going to incubator hatch. How many and what age are you looking for?
Melissa

I'm just looking for 2 or 3, I'd be interested in the ones that hatched last week Are the eggs they hatched from very dark? I am in Bradford VT, so not too far to come pick them up. How much would you ask for them?

 

[valleyhoneybee]

The eggs were between a 5 an 6 on the Marans egg scale (out of 9). They are from very good lines and also have recently imported Marans from France in their blood line. I would ask $20 each as they are very healthy and beautiful! I can not guarantee the sex of these but you can have your pick of 7 out of the 9 that hatched (1 is white and I am keeping that one and the other hurt its toe hatching and I would not sell a chick "with issues").

 

[madamiec]

My husband said that one of the long time hatchets he talks to said he sprays his eggs down with warm water from a spay bottle when he opens his hatcher,has anyone out there ever tried this

Spritzing with water seems to help with duck or chicken eggs that are thick. I do this but not with my "regular" chicken eggs because it just hasn't seemed necessary. I also dry hatch until lock down unless my air sacks are getting way off schedule. That only happened once in 8 years. I've used a Top Hatch and IncuView but now use those for hatching only and a Sportsman for incubating. Marans hatching right now in the IncuVIew.

 

[kissnpeeps]

Thanks madamiec and valley honeybee hope to have so many Marans soon that I am soon speaking French Lol

 

[valleyhoneybee]

LOL! Love it! or should I say "J'adore"! (okay that is officially all I remember from my high school french classes! lol!)

 

[kissnpeeps]

Then I too will exclaim"J adore"

because I simply do love it all ,gathering the eggs incubating them and seeing the lil baby chick come out and then telling my husband ....I AM GONNA KEEP EM ALLLLLLL

"

 

[valleyhoneybee]

LOL! Iagree! I love it all as well (says the woman with 20+ chickens in her basement, 9 two week old French Black Copper Marans chicks in an upstairs basement and 14 FBCM eggs in an incubator in the living room! My significant other has no comment at this time! LOL!)!

 

[kissnpeeps]

I have 25 barred rock babies one week old, 8 Olive eggers ,31 White Leghorn ,36 Buff Orpington, 5 Rhode Island Red 2 Ameracauna babies I hatched two days old

and about 60 babies out in my "playpen" that's my lil chicken pen my hubby made me and I simply love it and am after him to build me another one like it!!!! Yep I'm am rambling but I adore it and all my chickens

 

[valleyhoneybee]

I would love to see a photo of the play pen! I just ordered a portable wire dog crate to serve as a "chicken tractor" so I can move a few chickens around with me to different areas on my property. They get a "field trip" and I get to enjoy watching/listening to them while I work in the garden or orchard or flower bed (and they eat bugs!)!

 

[One Chick Two]

The eggs were between a 5 an 6 on the Marans egg scale (out of 9). They are from very good lines and also have recently imported Marans from France in their blood line. I would ask $20 each as they are very healthy and beautiful! I can not guarantee the sex of these but you can have your pick of 7 out of the 9 that hatched (1 is white and I am keeping that one and the other hurt its toe hatching and I would not sell a chick "with issues").

Congratulations on your little ones! Just wanted to add, that there is no need to put "French" in front of the name ...just BCM. : )

One other thing (which is a pretty important thing... depending on if you plan on breeding BCM in the future.). If you are just wanting BCM for pets or dark egg layers only, this won't make any difference... but, if you plan on ever selling birds, then the appearance of a white chick sport in BCM hatching eggs is worrisome. This points that there is a problem in the genetics. (Unless you purposely ordered a White Marans-unrelated to your chicks- otherwise, a sport being thrown is something to look at.).

Wheaten variety Marans being mixed into BCM is a huge husbandry problem in BCM. A white chick is a sign tells a breeder the flock they came from is not a pure or Wheaten tested strain of BCM. It's either a Wheaten split (1/2 BCM and 1/2 Wheaten variety) or a "Recessive White sport."

Both are derived from BCM being mixed with Wheaten Marans sometime in the past. Pure Marans chicks always have black and white penguin bodies- showing a small amount of white on faces. Also, BCM born with pure black faces (no white spots) should also at least be suspect for split genes. There are effective tests that can be done when they are of breeding age.

If the chick is a sport, I would certainly email the breeder with photos so they are aware of the problem. Don't be surprised if they deny that there is a problem, or blow it off as nothing. We once had a top breeder from an expensive show line sold us hatching eggs that threw a yellow shanked chick (there are no yellow shanked Marans.) and the others had missing or double toes- so none can ever be used in a breeding program. He told me that was the "risk" buyers take when buying shipping eggs! Genetic issues shouldn't be a risk- eggs surviving shipping should be the risk. Husbandry should show careful attention.

If you would like more info on how to test mate your youngsters when of breeding age to sort out the pure ones from the split young, let me know.

I highly recommend going to the Black Copper Discussion group, and to FB, Marans Fanciers group, and Marans Central as there is some great information and top breeders there.