Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[geebs]

Well you will have "beginner's luck" on your side.

Make sure to post pix when the fuzzy butts are all dried off...I have a good two weeks left on my bator.... I love the hatching time of year... It is sooo stressful waiting for the hatch and the first eggies..

 

[bikechick]

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Thank you. You would think with the schedule of the holiday season I would have a big distraction-Nope. It's like the first time I ever incubated eggs. I watch, check, check, get up in the night and check the temp, and check on them thruout the day. Crazy.
I will post pix. I hope there is a swarm or 'em.

 

[geebs]

word of wisdom Keep the bator closed....really... if you have to get out a chick because it has been in there too long...do it between pips and I prefer to run my shower and stabilize the humidity... that way you don't freeze dry a chick to the egg... That is an aweful feeling... I try and wait till the hatch is about over... Sometimes chicks are in there for 3 days and I send down water and feed (chicken fishing)... you have to watch close then because overexcitement (lookingin the bator too much) can raise the temp and you have to send down cool water to keep from overheating them...I do everything in my power to leave the little buggers in there... (just hate shrink wrapping the babies) (don't look in it too often with a flashlight and upset the natives...it is stressful...(so hard not to peek!!)

Hope you get a 100 percent hatch!!!

 

[bikechick]

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Thanx. I know! That's why I built the observation hatcher. It's so hard not to watch. I'm better about not lifting the lid to get the older, dryer chicks. Going in the bathroom after a hot steamy shower is an excellent idea for retreiving the over achieving peeps.
OK I'm really off to bed now. Way past my bed time.
Thanx again for the advice.

 

[pinkchick]

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OooooO Man o man.......geebs, you would never want to be here on hatch day. I could see it now......you would ground me from my office where the 'bators are, for sure!!!!!

Bikechick~ I agree with geebs about letting the homemade 'bator run for a few days to stabilize, take a few sacrificial eating eggs out of the fridge, let them come up to room temp and put them in the hatcher for a couple days. See how the hatcher does with something in it (toss these eggs when done). Things may change once you actually put substance in.
I would leave the eggs where they are in the 'bator and not move them to your hatcher. Great hatcher by the way, did you include ventilation holes of some sort? Just didn't see them in the photos and curious how you incorporated them. What did you adhere the viewing windows with? My DH tossed a perfectly good cooler in the Goodwill pile yesterday, me thinks I need that for a hatcher.

Thank you for posting the photos! Great Job!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

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Photos? Just saying and not sharing is teasing!

I bet they are beautiful!!!! Congrats on your Christmas present from your "DH"....sometimes they can be so sweet and surprise us by knowing exactly what we want huh? Like they were paying attention or something.

 

[pinkchick]

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Congrats on your own tools Lotsa! Makes a world of difference using tools that fit our hands. After you get some cuts under your belt my dear you will be a pro and there will be no stopping you! My DH only helped me build one of my coops....1.......of course it had to be the very last coop.

 

[pinkchick]

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Is the pea comb dominant? I think I read rosecomb is, but I haven't heard about peacomb.

ok just looked it up.... it is dominant!

Yes the peacomb is dominant, but going with the peacomb then one would be fighting the blue egg gene. The blue egg gene and the peacomb gene are so closely linked that they go hand in hand in most all cases.

How are the kiddos doing this morning?

 

[bikechick]

Bikechick~ I agree with geebs about letting the homemade 'bator run for a few days to stabilize, take a few sacrificial eating eggs out of the fridge, let them come up to room temp and put them in the hatcher for a couple days. See how the hatcher does with something in it (toss these eggs when done). Things may change once you actually put substance in.
I would leave the eggs where they are in the 'bator and not move them to your hatcher. Great hatcher by the way, did you include ventilation holes of some sort? Just didn't see them in the photos and curious how you incorporated them. What did you adhere the viewing windows with? My DH tossed a perfectly good cooler in the Goodwill pile yesterday, me thinks I need that for a hatcher.
Thank you for posting the photos! Great Job!!!!
Pinkchick-I do have to 1/2 inch cross ventilation holes.
I hate I didn't get the project done a week ago

, but I just found a free 120v to 12v transformer yesterday. I was trying to do the project on the cheap, but then I was getting so desperate to finish that I was willing to buy a transformer, BUT then I couldn't find one anywhere, ugh.

Well, you know what this means? I'll just have to get more eggs to hatch so I can use my new DYI hatcher.

 

[pinkchick]

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Love the "chicken logic"

Thanks for answering about the ventilation holes.....where did you put them? On the sides, top? How many did you put in it? Now I have to go salvage that old cooler out of the pile and see what I can do with it.

eta: I found several transformers at the Goodwill.
and don't beat yourself up about the fact that it didn't get done this time around....now you have lots of time to do some tweaking if neccessary.