International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[OneMountainAcres]

Wow, I'm sorry, all of you! Fighting roos, agressive broodies, and bad incubator temps.... I hope things level out for you all soon!

 

[Hensndoes]

Well I checked on Queen to see how her new babies were doing. Apparantly she killed them all as they were hatching. They're all dead! She will never again be allowed to go broody. GRRR!!! I hate when they do that!! Chicken drama here too.. it never ends.

That sucks! You ladies make me glad I bought some faverolles on impulse

 

[KF0002]

They are something else! How many did you lose? Just checked the second incubator, keeps creeping up to 103, I am going to lose them too!

I've had temp spikes around 102-103 when I had a still air incubator and they still hatched but they hatched earlier on day 19. High temps cause early hatches. Low temps cause late hatches. Make sure the incubator is in a cool room away from any sunlight filtering through a window. You may need to adjust it down if if keeps going up that high.

Queen was sitting on 7 eggs, 2 eggs were bad so I lost 5 chicks. Not all hens make good moms, that is a fact. Our Games are great moms, but the Marans are hit and miss.. mostly miss.

 

[KF0002]

Wow, I'm sorry, all of you! Fighting roos, agressive broodies, and bad incubator temps.... I hope things level out for you all soon!

Me too! But such is life with chickens. It's like a never ending drama series. I'll tell you something else, I have a new BB Red Standard Old English Game trio I've had for a couple months. The hens have not laid one egg.. not one! But one of the hens went broody and was sitting on the golf ball in the nest. I just had to break her up last night. How in the heck does a hen go broody when she hasnt even laid one egg??


They're not eating eggs, I put some eggs from my layers in their nest last week for a few days to see. They never touched them. Crazy chickens!!

 

[chickengr]

That sucks! You ladies make me glad I bought some faverolles on impulse

I wish you luck. my friend's faverolles killed her chicks as well. but just one and he has had them for years. it is not about breed. as some women are not good mothers some broodies are not either.

 

[chickengr]

I've had temp spikes around 102-103 when I had a still air incubator and they still hatched but they hatched earlier on day 19. High temps cause early hatches. Low temps cause late hatches. Make sure the incubator is in a cool room away from any sunlight filtering through a window. You may need to adjust it down if if keeps going up that high.

Queen was sitting on 7 eggs, 2 eggs were bad so I lost 5 chicks. Not all hens make good moms, that is a fact. Our Games are great moms, but the Marans are hit and miss.. mostly miss.

my friend's marans are good mothers. my marans came from him. I hope to get some broodies.

 

[chickengr]

Me too! But such is life with chickens. It's like a never ending drama series. I'll tell you something else, I have a new BB Red Standard Old English Game trio I've had for a couple months. The hens have not laid one egg.. not one! But one of the hens went broody and was sitting on the golf ball in the nest. I just had to break her up last night. How in the heck does a hen go broody when she hasnt even laid one egg??


They're not eating eggs, I put some eggs from my layers in their nest last week for a few days to see. They never touched them. Crazy chickens!!

do they have a hidden nest? or something is eating their eggs?

 

[KF0002]

do they have a hidden nest? or something is eating their eggs?

No they're in a 4x4 pen. I've not had an issue with anything eating eggs. I think the hens are getting ready to start dropping feathers. There are several birds already starting to molt. It might be next year before I get any chicks off them.

 

[Red Banks]

I've had temp spikes around 102-103 when I had a still air incubator and they still hatched but they hatched earlier on day 19. High temps cause early hatches. Low temps cause late hatches. Make sure the incubator is in a cool room away from any sunlight filtering through a window. You may need to adjust it down if if keeps going up that high.

Queen was sitting on 7 eggs, 2 eggs were bad so I lost 5 chicks. Not all hens make good moms, that is a fact. Our Games are great moms, but the Marans are hit and miss.. mostly miss.

My BCM have been horrible mothers. The ones that managed to actually hatch the eggs then immediately killed the chicks scratching in the dirt oblivious to the tiny chicks trying to be with their mother. I had one Blue Marans go broody. I gave her 12 eggs and put her in a coop by herself. She hatched 11 chicks. She was the best mother. Taught them everything. Attacked me every time I went in to take care of the feed and water. Ran every thing off when we brought them into the real world. She was amazing.

 

[KF0002]

My BCM have been horrible mothers. The ones that managed to actually hatch the eggs then immediately killed the chicks scratching in the dirt oblivious to the tiny chicks trying to be with their mother. I had one Blue Marans go broody. I gave her 12 eggs and put her in a coop by herself. She hatched 11 chicks. She was the best mother. Taught them everything. Attacked me every time I went in to take care of the feed and water. Ran every thing off when we brought them into the real world. She was amazing.
View attachment 1404667

Aww she was a really good mom! Ive had a couple that have been good moms while others have been horrible. Now my game hens are the best moms but it takes them until their second clutch to figure it out usually.

This Game hen is a year old and is raising her first set of chicks. I didnt think she would do a good job so I just gave her 3 chicks out of the incubator I didnt care much about. She has kept all of them and is a good mom. And the rooster even helps her take care of them. Lol

Pardon her tail, its messed up from her sitting in the nestbox.