What is the first membrane like in regards to thickness in a Pene egg? When you crack one open do you have a hard time breaking that first membrane?
Have you hatched Marans eggs or ever cracked one open? Having 3 breeds of "dark egg layers" Welsummers, Barnevelders and Marans....the Marans eggs have always been the thickest and toughest eggs.
I know in my Marans eggs the first membrane is always the thickest, even tough for me to crack open when trying to fry and egg. I always end up punching it open with my thumb.
It's a pretty tough and I think it can attribute to low hatch rates sometimes. I have watched chicks struggle with this particular membrane while watching them hatch....especially if it shrink wraps around the chick if humidity is too low. I run humidity at 50% from day 1 to day 18 and then up it as far as I can get it for lockdown and hatch, which is usually around 65% + percent.
edited to add....I incubate shipped eggs the same way after a 24 hr rest. I have always had poorer hatch rates with shipped eggs with the exception of the Birchen eggs I hatched out this summer and some Delaware eggs almost 2 years ago.
I think for the most of it with shipped eggs we just take that chance, shipping can be pretty tough on them.
Last edited:
