Let's talk Cuckoo and WHITE marans... breeding strategies...

[HenThymes]

Quote:
I have been sooo tempted at those white marans too but we have a red dirt clay here that just doesn't do white birds justice.

I thought I have a full house but you may have me.

I have marans in Gold Cuckoo (hopefully to start laying any day now

), bantams, blacks and F1 lavenders (hatching today/tomorrow), orps LF exhibition blacks/blues and project lav, bantams in b/b/s,buff and several project colors, bantam cochins in lav,mottle and several colors in the bator, silkies in buff,cuckoo,black & soon lav, speckled sussex, Ameraucana/EE and serama's I think finish the list. Wow did I just name all those, o.k. I may have a tad more than I tought..

 

[Raven1]

They do add up! The good news for me is I only have 5 to 10 of each so not as many as it seems I have never really counted they all I think it would scare me but.... I am an addict and I can admit it

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
Good luck

, I hope you get a great hatch!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
I know what you mean about adding up- my signature line shows the breeds we have but the numbers aren't correct(thinker higher)

 

[OHmamma]

Quote:
I know what you mean about adding up- my signature line shows the breeds we have but the numbers aren't correct(thinker higher)

I could be the nut to beat....4 kids,6 dogs,(Great Pyranese,Lab,Golden Retriever,Poodle,Multe-poo,Brussels Griffon),4 horses,(TW,Am. Saddlebred,QH Paint, and Paint Warmblood) 1 mini horse, 1 Nubian Buck,1 mini pig, 5 pekin ducks, 2 chocolate tufted ducks,8 cats, 6 serama,3 crazy seabrights, 7 silkies, 4 turkens, 3 Auracauna,3 Ameracauna,2 Olive Eggers, 1 Polish, 3 Buff and 3 Light Brahma,148 chicks of various ages and breeds, and 32 Standard Marans,Black Copper,Blue Copper,Cuckoo,Silver Cuckoo,White,Wheaten, Black tailed buff, Blue, Black and Sport whites. 8 wannabe bantam marans in cuckoo,white and black. Oh yeah, and one white guinea.
Wow I never wrote it all out like that!! I also have 4 more white Marans at my uncles and three cuckoos and about 40 more chicks.

Ok so now here is my dumb question of the week.
Has anyone ever hatched a double yolk egg and had two live chicks come out?? I have 8 Blue Copper eggs in the incubator and when I checked them today I had one egg open but two baby chicks in the drawer. The other seven are still intact eggs and they aren't due to hatch until Saturday. I searched the entire incubator, every rack, and only one broken egg shell was found. It did seem larger than normal but not that large. That just seems impossible to me, but that is the only thing I can think of.

 

[Medicine Man]

Who has the best Cuckoo Marans with the darkest eggs?

Okay, that's a trick question because I do....but, I only have the two hens, I gave away the rooster two years ago and soon I'm going to need a new one. So who has the best roosters and can send me rooster eggs?

 

[OHmamma]

Quote:
Those are BEAUTIFUL hens but roosters don't lay eggs.

 

[susannemw]

I was going to post this in the incubating and hatching section, but my question is specific to Marans, so here it is. If it is not in the right place, feel free to relocate it!

I have PM'd a couple of you Marans experts and gotten some great advice about the specifics of hatching these birds but I wanted to also open it up to anyone who has something that worked for them and tips for how I can maximize a Marans hatch with a dozen+ carefully packaged and shipped eggs (through the PO though) and incubated in a styrofoam bator. Does anyone have any nuggets of wisdom?? I would really appreciate it!

 

[OHmamma]

Quote:
My advice for shipped eggs period is to let them settle for a day if possible unwrapped and in a carton bulb up at a 35* angle. Another good bit to hatching Marans eggs in a styrofoam bator is that you keep the eggs in the center as much as possible. The temp drops along the outside walls. Also humidity....keep it at 40-45% until day 18 then go to 50% I have hatched several dozen in one. I usually "dry hatch" in my hovabator but it may not be good for your climate.

If you have an automatic turner make sure you still check it frequently for spikes or drops and if you turn by hand do so quickly but carefully at least 3x a day. Do not mess with candeling too much.

Goodluck!!

 

[Hens and Roos]

Quote:
I know what you mean about adding up- my signature line shows the breeds we have but the numbers aren't correct(thinker higher)

I could be the nut to beat....4 kids,6 dogs,(Great Pyranese,Lab,Golden Retriever,Poodle,Multe-poo,Brussels Griffon),4 horses,(TW,Am. Saddlebred,QH Paint, and Paint Warmblood) 1 mini horse, 1 Nubian Buck,1 mini pig, 5 pekin ducks, 2 chocolate tufted ducks,8 cats, 6 serama,3 crazy seabrights, 7 silkies, 4 turkens, 3 Auracauna,3 Ameracauna,2 Olive Eggers, 1 Polish, 3 Buff and 3 Light Brahma,148 chicks of various ages and breeds, and 32 Standard Marans,Black Copper,Blue Copper,Cuckoo,Silver Cuckoo,White,Wheaten, Black tailed buff, Blue, Black and Sport whites. 8 wannabe bantam marans in cuckoo,white and black. Oh yeah, and one white guinea.
Wow I never wrote it all out like that!! I also have 4 more white Marans at my uncles and three cuckoos and about 40 more chicks.

Ok so now here is my dumb question of the week.
Has anyone ever hatched a double yolk egg and had two live chicks come out?? I have 8 Blue Copper eggs in the incubator and when I checked them today I had one egg open but two baby chicks in the drawer. The other seven are still intact eggs and they aren't due to hatch until Saturday. I searched the entire incubator, every rack, and only one broken egg shell was found. It did seem larger than normal but not that large. That just seems impossible to me, but that is the only thing I can think of.

I have not heard of this myself but someone will probably come along and have something for you! Sounds neat