Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[TRUE5]

I have tried dry hatching and it honeslty just has never worked out that well for me. But, if the eggs are LOCAL for you, I would do what the breeder recommends. I believe that altitude has a great deal to do with whether dry hatching works or not. I also believe you need to get used to your incubator and what works well in that specific unit. BEST OF LUCK - hope you have a fantastic hatch!!

Thank you! I need all the luck I can get! I have read so much about hatching Marans eggs but these aren't local. I am in NE Okla and she is in TX. I just wanted to find out what works the best for everyone else other than this method of hatching. What do you do as far as the humidity? For a newbie, what is your advice for these darker eggs?

 

[roxysmydog]

Thank you! I need all the luck I can get! I have read so much about hatching Marans eggs but these aren't local. I am in NE Okla and she is in TX. I just wanted to find out what works the best for everyone else other than this method of hatching. What do you do as far as the humidity? For a newbie, what is your advice for these darker eggs?

I have 9 BCM eggs on day 19 right now. Last night I took out the egg turner and set them up and added water. This is my first hatch ever and I was just following general advice. Now tonight I am doing more research and discovering BCM eggs need lower humidity... So this is what I am searching under:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ne...=all&containingforum[0]=5&type=all&advanced=1

I do see the general consensus is a lower humidity. I have had my eggs at 55-56% the whole time and now I have them at 68%. I started with 21 eggs and 10 didn't develop at all and 1 started to develop and probably died around day 10 or so. The ones in there look fully developed and the air cells look good. I am so nervous to loose any...

I didn't pay anything for these eggs as they are from my own flock but I definitely want them to hatch. I guess if they don't then I can try again with lower humidity. BTW, I'm in MI.

 

[Zanna]

I have 9 BCM eggs on day 19 right now. Last night I took out the egg turner and set them up and added water. This is my first hatch ever and I was just following general advice. Now tonight I am doing more research and discovering BCM eggs need lower humidity... So this is what I am searching under:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ne...=all&containingforum[0]=5&type=all&advanced=1

I do see the general consensus is a lower humidity. I have had my eggs at 55-56% the whole time and now I have them at 68%. I started with 21 eggs and 10 didn't develop at all and 1 started to develop and probably died around day 10 or so. The ones in there look fully developed and the air cells look good. I am so nervous to loose any...

I didn't pay anything for these eggs as they are from my own flock but I definitely want them to hatch. I guess if they don't then I can try again with lower humidity. BTW, I'm in MI.

I bet your hatch will go fine, most likely not all will make it, that is pretty normal. I use about the same humidity levels you have and hatch my Marans eggs with Delaware, New Hampshire and whatever else I may want to hatch at the time. DH ordered a Genesis Hovabator 1588 years ago. When it came in the mail I thought the styrofoam "ice chest" type thing was a joke........ Turns out I loved it so much I bought another to use only for hatching. The only thing different I do is for the first 18 days I let the humidity drop to 20 - 30% before I refill the one water tray. I just don't worry about being so particular as I did when I first started hatching years back. My hatches the last two years were all about 90% but these were also "home" eggs, not shipped. Never had good hatches with shipped eggs.

For others, the dry method has worked well. It may take a few hatches to figure out what works best for you. Best of luck and let us know.

 

[TRUE5]

I have 9 BCM eggs on day 19 right now. Last night I took out the egg turner and set them up and added water. This is my first hatch ever and I was just following general advice. Now tonight I am doing more research and discovering BCM eggs need lower humidity... So this is what I am searching under:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ne...=all&containingforum[0]=5&type=all&advanced=1

I do see the general consensus is a lower humidity. I have had my eggs at 55-56% the whole time and now I have them at 68%. I started with 21 eggs and 10 didn't develop at all and 1 started to develop and probably died around day 10 or so. The ones in there look fully developed and the air cells look good. I am so nervous to loose any...

I didn't pay anything for these eggs as they are from my own flock but I definitely want them to hatch. I guess if they don't then I can try again with lower humidity. BTW, I'm in MI.

Thank you for the link and the info. I too am so nervous to loose any. I want to do this so right that I get a good hatch. I know they are shipped but I would like at least half to hatch. I think I finally decided on what to do. I think I will do a low humidity of 35% then up it to 65-70% at the end. The breeder in TX does dry method and said the first 18 days do 20% but I am a little uneasy to do that since not as many people hatch their marans eggs at that low or do the dry hatch method. After all I have been reading the last week I am a little anxious but if I don't get any at all to hatch then I learn. (I would still love to have at least half hatch!!!

) I'm only getting 8 eggs so we will see how it goes. Be my luck that if I get any to hatch they turn out to be roos. Haha!

 

[roxysmydog]

I bet your hatch will go fine, most likely not all will make it, that is pretty normal.  I use about the same humidity levels you have and hatch my Marans eggs with Delaware, New Hampshire and whatever else I may want to hatch at the time.  DH ordered a Genesis Hovabator 1588 years ago.  When it came in the mail I thought the styrofoam "ice chest" type thing was a joke........  Turns out I loved it so much I bought another to use only for hatching.  The only thing different I do is for the first 18 days I let the humidity drop to 20 - 30% before I refill the one water tray.  I just don't worry about being so particular as I did when I first started hatching years back.  My hatches the last two years were all about 90% but these were also "home" eggs, not shipped.  Never had good hatches with shipped eggs.

For others, the dry method has worked well.  It may take a few hatches to figure out what works best for you.   Best of luck and let us know.

Thanks, I update when I get my pips! I am also using a Genesis 1588. My friend bought it this summer and is letting me have fun with it this winter since she isn't going to do any hatching till next year.

 

[Wynette]

Wynette, I believe the post in question from Walt was posted when some from the Marans club wanted the SOP changed to allow the white in Wing and Tail, to me this would only be dumbing down the SOP to please a few that do not want to do the work required.

I have never heard of anyone in MCCUSA asking to allow white in wing & tail, and I'm in contact with a good many folks & officers from that club, so I can assure you this is not true. Perhaps you're referring to MOAC?

 

[BevDavis]

Hi

I have never heard of this, I wonder where it came from?

Bev Davis
President of the Marans Chicken Club USA

 

[Broad St Farm]

thanks so much for the feedback!  i AM hoping to get some more eggs/birds from April after the holidays, she had some birchens she's very happy with but who were having fertility problems, i think, this fall, so couldn't send any eggs (i haven't had great success hatching shipped eggs, anyway).  would be happy to try other sources of birds, too -- they are not easy to find!

I went out and looked at Jack -- he's slightly teardrop shaped, but more boxy than a teardrop?  and can you explain what you mean by gamey?  

re: Maria's earlobes, that's just a trick of the light somehow -- while i was out in the pen i looked more closely at her ears, and they look red to me.  her feathers do have a brownish tinge to them, rather than a flat black -- is that what's meant by overcolored/mossiness?

Lowatt,
You can try Rodney Reeves out of Ga. I got my Birchens from him. I have a lot of people comment how well they look. They are fairly consistent as well. I got 11 to hatch and I kept 6. 2 males and 4 females. So 50% I felt were good enough as Birchens go to go forward with.

 

[snowbird]

Hi

I have never heard of this, I wonder where it came from?

Bev Davis
President of the Marans Chicken Club USA

Bev, the only place I have seen or heard about this was in Walts post that Wynette reposted. Might be worth going back and reading the other posts associated with the above post. I am sure Walt would comment on the post if someone would PM him.

 

[snowbird]

Quote:
Wynette, why not contact Walt and ask him who was petitioning the Standards committee to make the changes mentioned in the post you brought forward.