Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[Wynette]

Oh my word - NO NO NO - PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, folks!

If an egg can't hatch on its own, it ought not be incubated!

Think about this - seriously, have any of you ever seen a hen with a piece of sandpaper? Ridiculous.

 

[DMRippy]

Oh my word - NO NO NO - PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, folks!

If an egg can't hatch on its own, it ought not be incubated!

Think about this - seriously, have any of you ever seen a hen with a piece of sandpaper? Ridiculous.

I second that.

Everyone screams DON'T wash eggs it will take the bloom off and the egg will not develop..... so sandpaper will removed the bloom and PUSH bacteria into the egg.... WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I don't have any problem hatching dark eggs.... most of the the time the pop like popcorn.

 

[CluckinBumpkin]

Sanding eggs? That's wrong on so many levels! My broody marans just hatched 5 of her own. All made it out fine. Obviously it's not that they cant get out or the egg shell is to blame. Maybe it's something to do with incubators/settings if only some people have problems with them?

 

[jonsccm]

I have a genetics question. I know most don't like to cross breed and that's fine but if you cross a black copper Maran rooster with A golden cuckoo Maran will you get Sexlinks? Also I have heard that you will lose the dark eggs when you cross breed. That does not make sense to me. I understand the dark color is a recessive gene but both varieties have that recessive gene so why should that affect egg color. Background. I want them just for eggs not show. Sexlinx will help me rehome sooner so I don't lose on feed

 

[mckeesbackyard]

Sanding eggs? That's wrong on so many levels! My broody marans just hatched 5 of her own. All made it out fine. Obviously it's not that they cant get out or the egg shell is to blame. Maybe it's something to do with incubators/settings if only some people have problems with them?

Hi! What's the best Temp and humidity during incubation and then at lockdown that you've found most effective?

 

[CluckinBumpkin]

Hi! What's the best Temp and humidity during incubation and then at lockdown that you've found most effective?

Im no incubator pro. My hens are always going broody, they hatch them and we've only had one expire at 15days of incubation. Otherwise the hatch rate is amazing. I will always go with a broody as long as I have one when I need chicks

 

[mckeesbackyard]

Im no incubator pro. My hens are always going broody, they hatch them and we've only had one expire at 15days of incubation. Otherwise the hatch rate is amazing. I will always go with a broody as long as I have one when I need chicks   

Pardon my inexperience...with broody hens how does that work..? Do you move the hens to a different pen just before they're due to hatch or are the Roos and other hens okay with the broody hatching her chicks around them?

 

[CluckinBumpkin]

Pardon my inexperience...with broody hens how does that work..? Do you move the hens to a different pen just before they're due to hatch or are the Roos and other hens okay with the broody hatching her chicks around them?

I've tried both ways. There's pros and cons to both. My first broody, I immediately took her out and moved her to the brooder we had just built. Let her set on 8 eggs and she laid 3 more while being in there before she strictly SET. She hatched them all out just fine. The con with this method was re-introducing her to the flock as well as the chicks.

Now, with letting a broody set inside the coop, just make sure she has an area that's great for her, no one to poop on her and no one messing with her. Also, when it's close to hatch time, make sure the littles won't fall from where the nest is...Honestly, I used a laundry basket so that way when they are big enough to get in and out, they can. I feel if they aren't able to fly to the tip of the basket, they should stay in there. I keep a small waterer and feeder in there. The best thing about this method is, the whole flock accepted the chicks the moment they hatched. They do not mess with the chicks. After a week, the hen felt it was time to bring the chicks out to free range with the rest of the flock. ....there's your con. Chicks are such easy targets for cats, dogs & hawks. I usually stay out with the chickens when they free range anyway.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I've never heard of doing this. Have any of you ever tried it? Does it really improve the hatch rate of dark eggs?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-dark-eggs

noooooooooo
Your better off trying lower humidity the first 18 days
also remember dark egg layers sometimes take a extra day to hatch.
At least Penedesenca do.

 

[DMRippy]

I have a genetics question. I know most don't like to cross breed and that's fine but if you cross a black copper Maran rooster with A golden cuckoo Maran will you get Sexlinks? Also I have heard that you will lose the dark eggs when you cross breed. That does not make sense to me. I understand the dark color is a recessive gene but both varieties have that recessive gene so why should that affect egg color. Background. I want them just for eggs not show. Sexlinx will help me rehome sooner so I don't lose on feed

Just crossing the 2 will not give you Sex Links. You have to use Barred Hens and solid roos to make sex links...... works like that with ALL breed of chickens. As for losing egg color when you introduce new blood to marans it will affect the genes for the egg color. Cuckoo typically are not as dark as a BCM so when you cross them you will lose egg color.... it just happens. When you breed related birds you egg color will improve when you breed from unrelated birds you have to kinda start over with egg color. From what I understand egg genetics are not understood and have not been studied much so beyond that I can't help you.