Marans eggs making me nervous

[NorthwoodsChick]

I am getting fertile BBS Marans and Swedish Flower Hen eggs from an NPIP certified farm near me- no shipping
I am super nervous about the Marans eggs and I’m wondering if anyone on BYC can help coach me through candling the eggs when the time comes. I don’t see any articles on dark or colored egg candling on BYC.
I have a 1 yr old Blue Copper Marans from this same farm and hens eggs are dark with thick shells-color about a 6 on Marans scale.
So questions come up when considering these two breeds in the same incubator:
Is there any red flag concern to incubating both breeds together in a Nurture right 360?
I’ve read about dry hatch but my RH is 25%, far too low for SFH and prob too low for Marans. I was thinking a 30-35% until lockdown-not sure how SFH would do at that low RH.

Thought? Or maybe tell me I’m nuts to try Marans. The eggs are not cheap but the birds and eggs are drop dead gorgeous, so any advice for a realistic successful hatch rate is appreciated.

Thx BYC gang!

 

[Debbie292d]

@2ndTink has just hatched some SFH. I think she hatches traditionally.

I'm not a proponent of dry hatching but perhaps with those you could. I just won't do it with silkies as they have a hard enough time getting out of those shells as it is.

 

[Yardmom]

I dry hatch, but it is not something to be done in every environment. My Relative humidity is often over 80%. I would suggest to anyone hatching to see what it takes to Keep your humidity between 30 and 40. In some environments that requires water. Not in mine, but it might in yours. Eggs can be hatched without candling. You just don't get to see the growth progress.

 

[Huntmaster]

Always seeing so much on dry hatching it's really called dry incubation and so many really don't understand the true meaning and believe it means no water at all no matter what. It really means very low humidity usually shooting for around 30 and not much lower and like @Yardmom stated if that takes adding water then it can still be called dry incubation. Everything depends on humidity % in area of incubator not necessarily your outdoor humidity levels. You could be incubating indoors in a heated non humid area and have very low incubator humidity in an area of very high outdoor humidity. All incubator humidities should be based on humidity in incubators using calibrated hygrometers to actually know where their incubator is on humidity % in any given area. And that is usually not much less than 30% target.

 

[Huntmaster]

Sorry just don't like term (DRY HATCHING) as it can be very confusing for new and even experienced hatchers. As is farthest thing from being factual as you usually always add water at end for hatching/lockdown. Correct term is (DRY INCUBATION) = lower percentage of humidity around 30% for incubation period. Hatching/Lockdown = shooting for much higher % humidity up to 70% and higher in some cases in hatching/lockdown period. So just wouldn't want to confuse folks, I see it used commonly on BYC and most understand what is being meant by it but new or experienced hatchers that never heard of it can make wrong assumptions and usually do.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I dry hatch, but it is not something to be done in every environment. My Relative humidity is often over 80%. I would suggest to anyone hatching to see what it takes to Keep your humidity between 30 and 40. In some environments that requires water. Not in mine, but it might in yours. Eggs can be hatched without candling. You just don't get to see the growth progress.

Thank you so much for your perspective on candling. It is great to see the growth but if you can’t, you can’t!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Sorry just don't like term (DRY HATCHING) as it can be very confusing for new and even experienced hatchers. As is farthest thing from being factual as you usually always add water at end for hatching/lockdown. Correct term is (DRY INCUBATION) = lower percentage of humidity around 30% for incubation period. Hatching/Lockdown = shooting for much higher % humidity up to 70% and higher in some cases in hatching/lockdown period. So just wouldn't want to confuse folks, I see it used commonly on BYC and most understand what is being meant by it but new or experienced hatchers that never heard of it can make wrong assumptions and usually do.

Thanks for the clarification of terminology. I am one that is new to incubating and used ‘dry hatch’ in conversation just because that’s what others have said. I always understood it as a low humidity until lockdown; I see how ‘dry incubation’ is more precise.

 

[Huntmaster]

Thanks for the clarification of terminology. I am one that is new to incubating and used ‘dry hatch’ in conversation just because that’s what others have said. I always understood it as a low humidity until lockdown; I see how ‘dry incubation’ is more precise.

When do you pick up your eggs?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I dry hatch, but it is not something to be done in every environment. My Relative humidity is often over 80%. I would suggest to anyone hatching to see what it takes to Keep your humidity between 30 and 40. In some environments that requires water. Not in mine, but it might in yours. Eggs can be hatched without candling. You just don't get to see the growth progress.

I suppose I could add a couple eggs from my flock while they are infertile—at least they were infertile as of Sunday.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

When do you pick up your eggs?

Mid-March. The SFHs are not laying yet.