International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[moving coops]

Here's last year during hatching. I incubate and raise the cream legbars and Marans together because they look so very different at hatch sorting isn't a problem. Notice the jumpers on the back of the incubator! My dad and I fixed the jumper issue and have since retrofitted my old sportsman cabinet. I acquired two of them, and one has become a hatchet, the one with the plexiglass door! I can sit and watch them hatch for hours.

What is the jumpers and jumper issue you fixed on the hatcher?

I have the same cabinet hatcher.

 

[KF0002]

I think Amanda had 3 or 4 hatch when she bought LP eggs. The rooster she gave me is the only one she got. Now at Christmas Brenda auctions off eggs, that is the time to get them. Have you been to her MEWE page?

I think we are lucky to have the chickens we do. You have such nice pullets and cockerels. You are very good at the breeding/record keeping stuff. Next year I will be saying, I wish I had some of Kayla's birds!

I haven't been on her MEWE page. I will have to check it out. But I'm fine with what I have.. and soon I will hopefully have plenty of Marans chicks to feed my addiction.

We are very fortunate to have the birds we do. I love my Marans.

Your birds are lovely too.. I would love to have as many Marans hens as you. I would be in heaven!

 

[KF0002]

What is the jumpers and jumper issue you fixed on the hatcher?

I have the same cabinet hatcher.

The chicks jumped out of the hatching drawer. We had the same issue in our old sportsman and my husband made a wire cover for it to keep chicks from jumping out. It is so annoying for a chick to jump out and be all the way in the back of the incubator. They are hard to get out. lol Sportsmans are large cabinet incubators.

 

[moving coops]

Okay I was thinking that it was that!

But here is my question! We have the cabinet hatcher. And you can hatch on many levels!

Each tray has a wired cover lid that goes on top. But it is sooooooo annoying because the chicks can barely stand and then they squish each other. But most annoying is when lots have hatched and dried enough and you want to get them out so others have better room and not picked on you have to pull whole tray out into the shocking cooler room to take lid off and take chicks out. Put lid back on and get tray back in fast! But really can only be so fast and other eggs tool around like crazy trying to get back in and bang and clang as not easy to get those tray in and out of the sportsman hatcher.

Soooo I would love to leave the lid off but yes then they can jump out to the bottom or next tray, etc and hurt themselves bad plus mix with other chicks hatched in other levels and you then can't tell apart which is not good.

So I was wondering somehow to build high walls around so can't jump but you can still get tray out and pull chicks out without removing tray?

 

[KF0002]

Okay I was thinking that it was that!

But here is my question! We have the cabinet hatcher. And you can hatch on many levels!

Each tray has a wired cover lid that goes on top. But it is sooooooo annoying because the chicks can barely stand and then they squish each other. But most annoying is when lots have hatched and dried enough and you want to get them out so others have better room and not picked on you have to pull whole tray out into the shocking cooler room to take lid off and take chicks out. Put lid back on and get tray back in fast! But really can only be so fast and other eggs tool around like crazy trying to get back in and bang and clang as not easy to get those tray in and out of the sportsman hatcher.

Soooo I would love to leave the lid off but yes then they can jump out to the bottom or next tray, etc and hurt themselves bad plus mix with other chicks hatched in other levels and you then can't tell apart which is not good.

So I was wondering somehow to build high walls around so can't jump but you can still get tray out and pull chicks out without removing tray?

The chicks in the hatching trays are fine with a cover. You have to think, when a hen hatches chicks she is sitting on them and they are under her. Them being squished under her is not much different than being in the hatching trays. I wouldn't open the incubator until you are satisfied the hatch is done. I don't remove chicks from the incubator until the day after the first chicks start to hatch at the earliest, or the day after the eggs are due. If there are a few pipped and unhatched eggs when you take chicks out, remove the chicks and lightly mist the remaining eggs to get the humidity back up quick. Maybe try not loading the trays with as many eggs. Possibly space the eggs out a little more to give the chicks more room as they hatch and fluff out.

Otherwise you could use small gauge wire to build up the sides of the hatching trays. Like what folks around here call rabbit wire.. 1/2 x 1/2 inch square wire. You could also use 1/4 x 1/4 in square wire. We buy rolls of it to use for chick brooders and things like that and you can get it in rolls 3 feet high. You can always find use for a roll of wire when you have chickens.

 

[KF0002]

Chicks can survive in the incubator for up to 3 days without food or water, so leaving them in the incubator for a day or two after they are born will not hurt them. Prior to hatching a chick draws its yolk into its abdomen and that sustains the chick for 3 days. A hen will stay on the nest for a couple days while her chicks hatch to ensure they are all done hatching and up walking before she leads them out of the nest.

 

[moving coops]

Yes, I know they have no problem staying in there! But honestly after tons of observation all the extra shells and extra chicks that move around like crazy which they can't jolt that hard and that many at one time when under a hen. They are more limited in movement under hen! So they send they eggs rolling across whole pens many time which it does not do! And then crowds the eggs into areas and pips to the bottom then liquid can gather or they just get so dizzy they drown and die or quit and dry out getting stuck in pip opening! I am all for leaving but I. This situation I have seen it actually hurts to leave them all together and I loose more!
Under the hen they could never send egg roll that many times that fast and that far! Or get the crowded in a corner all sudden with pip opening stuck down after tons of rolling!

 

[Bantambird]

I have seen people use little baskets with mesh sides as dividers in hatchers mine is really a converted incubated with a hatching place at the bottom, and since I usually only hatch 20-30 a week during hatching season, I just took out the bottom drawer of the hatchet and put them on the bottom in the hatching " tray". I line it with paper towel and mist the towel lightly before putting them in, so they don't roll so bad and so they get good footing, and they don't fall off the back anymore. I put my temp sensors in front and back a bit away from rear vents and humidity in front.

 

[Bantambird]

Trying to get good pics of the ladies of Jake, but the sun is already down and lighting isn't good. I'll try later!

 

[KF0002]

Yes, I know they have no problem staying in there! But honestly after tons of observation all the extra shells and extra chicks that move around like crazy which they can't jolt that hard and that many at one time when under a hen. They are more limited in movement under hen! So they send they eggs rolling across whole pens many time which it does not do! And then crowds the eggs into areas and pips to the bottom then liquid can gather or they just get so dizzy they drown and die or quit and dry out getting stuck in pip opening! I am all for leaving but I. This situation I have seen it actually hurts to leave them all together and I loose more!
Under the hen they could never send egg roll that many times that fast and that far! Or get the crowded in a corner all sudden with pip opening stuck down after tons of rolling!

Yes that does happen unfortunately. It's almost like they play soccer with the unhatched eggs in there. lol I hear what you're saying. I keep a spray bottle by the incubator so I can mist the eggs if I have to open the incubator during lockdown. I have done it many times and rarely get shrink wrapped chicks. During lockdown, misting the eggs lightly boosts the humidity back up in no time

You could try building up the sides of your hatching trays with wire to avoid the aggravation of the lids also that way you can get the incubator closed faster after you remove chicks. You just have to tweek your system until you find what works best for you.