International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[wrathsfarm]

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So it's a little dirty right now because I don't spend a lot of time in there June through November, I'm about to do the big mouse cleaning again. It's probably the original house on the property. The brick was not reinforced, it was bowing out badly and needed repoinring among other things. It was a one room house, no electricity or water. It still has no water but we wired it. To save the structure, we built a wooden reinforced frame around the outside, then spray foamed it with a rigid structural foam that also insulated it. Then we put the steel siding over the top of that. It used to have windows, but those are all covered because the weak points were all at the windows on the original brick structure. The door on the outside is original. Dad framed a little ante-room to help mitigate drastic temp swings in the hatchery room itself, snd to serve as tack storage and other stuff storage. He framed the hatchery room for wiring, as the original walls are straight up plaster over brick, no lathe or anything, so needed a space for wires. The incubators are old gqf cabinets from I think the 80s, I got them from my great uncle. My dad and I modified them to be digital and put readouts to the outside so I can monitor at a glance. Modern incubators already have all this, so if you can afford a modern one, you ate already ahead there. While I do have a propane heater, I had a hard time keeping the nozzles clear during hatching time because chicks and poults release A LOT of feather dust when hatching and fluffing. Don't underestimate how much feather dander those little guys produce! I tend to use coil heater more due to this, because the Littles gunk up propane heaters and the flame didn't always stay lit. There is a vent in the ceiling. I don't shut it off during hatching time. Fresh air is important to babies, even if you have to be constantly heating it. If you use propane heat, you will definitely require good ventilation. The baby brooder is an old sears catalog Farmall broiler tower, I pretty much just use the top. It's from 1944 so it's had some adjustments but it functions quite well for what it is. Found it in the back of a neighboring ranchers old storage barn and he knew I'd use it. Heck yes, I use it.
There is a small old dest in there. I can keep essential record keeping supplies close to the hatcher and baby brooder. There's enough room in there for all the little medical things, bands, all the old calenders, and numbers. It's from my great grandpa's farm. Keeping a desk nook right there can help encourage good record keeping and you can have a work space when working with wiggly new chicks, too, if they need medical care or a place to take their pictures. The room itself is pretty small, say, 8 by 8? 8 by 10? I'm not sure. Every vertical space not otherwise used has storage, either way.
When it does get really cold, I lay an old ratty towel down to cut down on drafting, but the fan will still draw fresh air in.
I guess that's a tour, right?

That is a very cool hatch room you repurposed and keeping the original door intact. Lots of info I can use especially the flame heat. I've got electric heaters I can use instead. I think 8x8x8 would be minimum size to go but when the time comes I'll lay it out, I don't want to be in a cramped room and having the desk would be really convenient for record keeping, tagging, medical. That's lots of great info. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

[wrathsfarm]

added 2 more breeding pens ,one a BC rooster with parasitic white on his long tail penned him with Splash copper hens haven t finalized the number yet choosing the dark eggs layer .they are separated in different cages to see witch one i laying dark eggs , expecting all Blue copper . this CB rooster loves the splash girls he doesn t like the blue or black hens he chases them away ,never seen that before .
second pen is a BLC rooster Conan son with 4 blue copper hens 2 have copper Mesha and Copper Neck the other 2 without copper .Matanushka and Big sasha . all great type .
I ll post photos of them tomorrow ,
now I have 5 marans breeding pens and one F1 olive eggers . enough for now all my best hens are penned now for breeding .
chooks man

I don't recall you updating this with pics. I would love to see your breeder pens and how you have separate cages set up.
If I'm understanding this you have each hen in a small 'coop' with a nest box inside this breeder pen?

Do you then release each hen separate for a certain time with your Roo?

And if I'm test mating all my hens to Kong should I do individual hatches?
I feel like I should because I have no way of keeping eggs/hatches separated in the incubator. Unless I modify a cardboard divider for it.
With 2 dividers I could hatch 7 eggs from 3 hens -21 eggs
(22 egg capacity)

So many questions I have, I'm sorry. I just don't want to make mistakes here or get too overwhelmed.
Taking all expert advise here to get this right from here on out.

Last question for now. How does everyone mark their eggs? I use a permanent marker (anything wrong with that?)
I just date and mark the breed on eggs and keep pointy down, unless I know exactly who layed it then I date/name them.
Thank you all for any advise.

 

[Chooks man]

I don't recall you updating this with pics. I would love to see your breeder pens and how you have separate cages set up.
If I'm understanding this you have each hen in a small 'coop' with a nest box inside this breeder pen?

Do you then release each hen separate for a certain time with your Roo?

And if I'm test mating all my hens to Kong should I do individual hatches?
I feel like I should because I have no way of keeping eggs/hatches separated in the incubator. Unless I modify a cardboard divider for it.
With 2 dividers I could hatch 7 eggs from 3 hens -21 eggs
(22 egg capacity)

So many questions I have, I'm sorry. I just don't want to make mistakes here or get too overwhelmed.
Taking all expert advise here to get this right from here on out.

Last question for now. How does everyone mark their eggs? I use a permanent marker (anything wrong with that?)
I just date and mark the breed on eggs and keep pointy down, unless I know exactly who layed it then I date/name them.
Thank you all for any advise.

my friend take it easy chill out ,you just crucked me up .
breeding is fun when you start making it complicated than it is not enjoyable any more .
your first question about my hens been in separate cages ,I was refering to a splash hens I have many of them and most of them come from Sydney farm I did not know them well who is laying what ,so I had to put them in separate cages to see the eggs they are laying only needed to keep them in there for few days each till I found the hens I was looking for dark eggs layer .after that I penned the best 4 hens to a Black copper rooster to produce all Blue copper .
I have been too busy so I haven t posted much too many thing going on in the new farm ,the heat than now the rain ,chicks hatching .lot fertiles eggs from different pens need to be collected ,marked and stored .. firing 3 incubator 49 eggs each every 10 days ( 147 eggs total ) from 5 breeding pens .
I marke the eggs with a pencil very sharp does work well and will not go away till hatch day .
because I m working with 5 different rooster so I make the top of the egg by the first letter from the rooster name like ,P for paul, C for Conan the colorfull , y for yellow Emperor etc ...and I put the name of the hen side way length of the egg .
hatching eggs in a separate compartewmnet i made my self so the chicks don t get mixed up when they hatch .
here a photo of the hatcher with a divider

the letter in each case is the name of the hens , DA Dark Angel , H ,halfcomb etc...........
chooks man

 

[wrathsfarm]

my friend take it easy chill out ,you just crucked me up .
breeding is fun when you start making it complicated than it is not enjoyable any more .
your first question about my hens been in separate cages ,I was refering to a splash hens I have many of them and most of them come from Sydney farm I did not know them well who is laying what ,so I had to put them in separate cages to see the eggs they are laying only needed to keep them in there for few days each till I found the hens I was looking for dark eggs layer .after that I penned the best 4 hens to a Black copper rooster to produce all Blue copper .
I have been too busy so I haven t posted much too many thing going on in the new farm ,the heat than now the rain ,chicks hatching .lot fertiles eggs from different pens need to be collected ,marked and stored .. firing 3 incubator 49 eggs each every 10 days ( 147 eggs total ) from 5 breeding pens .
I marke the eggs with a pencil very sharp does work well and will not go away till hatch day .
because I m working with 5 different rooster so I make the top of the egg by the first letter from the rooster name like ,P for paul, C for Conan the colorfull , y for yellow Emperor etc ...and I put the name of the hen side way length of the egg .
hatching eggs in a separate compartewmnet i made my self so the chicks don t get mixed up when they hatch .
here a photo of the hatcher with a divider
View attachment 3682821
the letter in each case is the name of the hens , DA Dark Angel , H ,halfcomb etc...........
chooks man

Thank you for the help, it's very much appreciated. I'll do a search to see if I can rig up a divider on that specific incubator.
@Punkybrewster has/had one, maybe she has some insight also to add. Anyone else have the Nurture right 360 22 egg incubator or similar?
I know your super busy this time of year, and hope your hatches go well for you. I'm in no rush just trying to plan out and get it right.
I'll always stress it's what I do. My wife says "if you don't have 8 projects going down to the last minute... Your not happy"

 

[Chooks man]

I don't recall you updating this with pics. I would love to see your breeder pens and how you have separate cages set up.
If I'm understanding this you have each hen in a small 'coop' with a nest box inside this breeder pen?

Do you then release each hen separate for a certain time with your Roo?

And if I'm test mating all my hens to Kong should I do individual hatches?
I feel like I should because I have no way of keeping eggs/hatches separated in the incubator. Unless I modify a cardboard divider for it.
With 2 dividers I could hatch 7 eggs from 3 hens -21 eggs
(22 egg capacity)

So many questions I have, I'm sorry. I just don't want to make mistakes here or get too overwhelmed.
Taking all expert advise here to get this right from here on out.

Last question for now. How does everyone mark their eggs? I use a permanent marker (anything wrong with that?)
I just date and mark the breed on eggs and keep pointy down, unless I know exactly who layed it then I date/name them.
Thank you all for any advise.

here some photos of my 5 breeding pens .I need to take new photos soon .
pen 1 Black copper rooster over 4 BC and one BLC hens . Blackgen the rooster name on the eggs I mark B ( in the photo where 2 BLC hens I pulled one out )

pen 2 Conan The Colorfull .over 4 BLC and one Recessive white hens ( 5 Total )

pen 3 BC rooster Paul over 4 Splash copper hens.

pen 4 F1 OE X F1 OE to produce F2 EE

pen 5 black tail and Blue tail buff .Yellow Emperor rooster over 7 hens line breeding

soon I ll post new photos .
chooks man

 

[wrathsfarm]

Well that was easy...

 

[wrathsfarm]

here some photos of my 5 breeding pens .I need to take new photos soon .
pen 1 Black copper rooster over 4 BC and one BLC hens . Blackgen the rooster name on the eggs I mark B ( in the photo where 2 BLC hens I pulled one out )
View attachment 3682829

pen 2 Conan The Colorfull .over 4 BLC and one Recessive white hens ( 5 Total )
View attachment 3682830

pen 3 BC rooster Paul over 4 Splash copper hens.
View attachment 3682831

pen 4 F1 OE X F1 OE to produce F2 EE
View attachment 3682833

pen 5 black tail and Blue tail buff .Yellow Emperor rooster over 7 hens line breeding
View attachment 3682834
soon I ll post new photos .
chooks man

When you collect eggs from each pen, do you know which hen laid which egg?
Thank you for the pics. I always look forward to seeing them.

 

[Chooks man]

Thank you for the help, it's very much appreciated. I'll do a search to see if I can rig up a divider on that specific incubator.
@Punkybrewster has/had one, maybe she has some insight also to add. Anyone else have the Nurture right 360 22 egg incubator or similar?
I know your super busy this time of year, and hope your hatches go well for you. I'm in no rush just trying to plan out and get it right.
I'll always stress it's what I do. My wife says "if you don't have 8 projects going down to the last minute... Your not happy"

you should listen to your wife and cut down on the project number from 8 to 2 maybe hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/
make a thing semple my friend .I run soo many thing at ta same time but I don t stress at all .always calm and chill. if in some how I get it wrong than I do it again .I m doing the thing I love most in life so why should I stress .no reason .it is very hard work and some time I don t take day off for months ,but like they day if you are doing the cthing you love than it is not work .
that why I mange to breed very good chooks . i m calm all the time .
here a photo of one of my best looking marans pair new color I m working on yellow buff ( blue ,black and White tail )
what do you thing

chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

Well that was easy...
View attachment 3682835

are you go very easy my friend .
chooks man

 

[Chooks man]

When you collect eggs from each pen, do you know which hen laid which egg?
Thank you for the pics. I always look forward to seeing them.

yes I know each hen eggs .I never pen togerther 2 hens lay a similar eggs .
I had my hens for 4 and 6 years so I realy know them by heart every thing about each hen .
chooks man