Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[aussieheelr]

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Beautiful work! Is that a wine cooler converted? I love the full glass front

Mine are hatching out now

We set 10 BCM, 3 CM and 1 EE/CM. The EE/CM hatched first followed by the 3 CM and now were onto the BCM. The first zipped 1/3 of the way and died (I took it out for fear of contamination germs). We now have 2 BCM hatched and... waiting. So....

and

I also have some under a broody but it looks like she pooped on them so we'll see.

Pictures to come once they're out of the bator

 

[math ace]

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MARANS THREAD

 

[math ace]

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I hatch my marans right beside everything else.

I run 40 - 45 % humidity for days 1 - 18.
Then I run 65 - 70% humidity for days 19 - 21.

I run temps of 99.5 - 100 for the whole duration.

The only thing different that I have noticed is that the JUMBO eggs take a day longer to hatch. I would assume this is the same for any breeds JUMBO eggs. . .

 

[gilavina]

Morning everyone! you were busy, busy while I was gone at that sale!

Steve, you are getting some amazing results on your shipped eggs from Kim. Did you do anything different with your incubating/hatching that the results are so good? I'm impressed!

flgardengirl, good to see you on here again, hadn't seen you around much lately! Is your hatch still going, or are you pretty much done now? I'm sorry you only got one birchen so far. I am doing the shipped eggs differently and am getting really good results so far. I will find out on friday and over the weekend or so of this week if the tips I read were for sure responsible for the shift in good hatchings from shipped eggs.

Debbi, I wish I was closer to you, I'd help you build your pens, no problem. I love building things (I blame it on the fact that my grandpa is an engineer)!! How's the shifting Pip to a new group doing? How's the chicken psychology going with him?

I still have some catching up to do on the thread..but it will have to wait, I have some birds I need to get set up for their 'holding' time that I brought home. The cuckoo Marans hens I bought out from the flock I got my stock from are just gorgeous. They are wide, heavy and are in amazing feather...glossy and shiny and sweet as anything. I also picked up a trio of Standard Blue Wyandottes....wow...beautiful. They are still filling out and are not totally perfect, but those added to the Marans girls I got made that trip so totally worth it!!!

 

[Debbi]

gilavina

Glad to hear your trip was worth it! With these gas prices, or God forbid, diesel, all trips MUST be good! Wish you were closer too. I love building stuff, but the old body has a different idea on the matter.

Of course you realize we'll need pics of the new chooks!

Did anyone get to see the "Super Moon" last night!?? We had thunder storms here last night, but I got up at about 5:30 this morning, and THERE IT WAS!!

It looked just like the moon in the movie, "Moonstruck" (Cher and Nick Cage). Bella Luna for sure!

 

[Ivywoods]

I saw that moon about 5:30 in the morning, too. Beautiful.

Gilavina-Congrats on your new birds. I wanted to go to that sale SO bad!

Anyone else go to the HOAGBA sale?

I was wishing I could have picked up a Sportsman incubator.

 

[gilavina]

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I didn't see the moon this morning...i was sleeping super soundly..looong day yesterday. when we were driving down in the middle of the night the night before the moon was super bright, I didn't need a flashlight to be able to see to get things loaded in my car to take with me it was so bright.

You know what I was shocked about...the gas prices down there were 30 cents cheaper than here in some places....craaaazy

My mom says the same things about herself too...that her body just has different ideas... I'm thinking we should organize you a coop/pen raising!

 

[pinkchick]

Morning Everyone!

 

[gilavina]

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The sale was crazy....there were about 400 or so less lots of birds than the previous year....but there were tons and tons of supplies...There were about 7 sportsmans....but some were in not so great of shape and there were some that looked pretty much brand new..but were each missing a tray and the water container and other various supplies. By the time things were added to make them complete it would be easily another couple hundred...they were going for between 300 and 400...so it really would have made more sense to just break down and buy a brand new one and not have to deal with any 'mysteries' that a used one would have. I know about the 'mysteries' as I had a used sportsman given to me as a gift and have since replaced, fan, auto temp regulator, and a couple other parts...as well as putting on a gravity feed bucket for water...that is the best investment ever. In the supplies there were lots of no sales since a lumber yard had about 200 rolls of brand new wire they put in the sale that didn't get as much as they wanted.

The funny part about the sale is that with less birds and waaaay more people, it was the perfect set up for a storm of crazy high bids...there were even rabbits going for $120 each....seriously... I am planning to try and make it down to one of their swap meets I think in May...I'll have to see if I can get the date for you in case you don't have to work. The swap only runs from 8 to 12pm..but from what i hear they are one of the better swaps out there. I'm also going to try to go to the swaps in Allen, Ne this year...they have the reputation in the upper midwest for being one of the largest swaps with crazy variety. They have a carnival set up for the day of the swaps and there have been things like camels, giraffes, etc. I think I might want to see what its all about, if for nothing else, than to enjoy the unique things.

I'll try to get some pics of birds later today...we'll see how the weather cooperates...and if I can recover from my sleep deprived zomby state

 

[gilavina]

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Mornin' Kim! How are ya?

I have a quick question for you and anyone else that uses hovabators. I have a friend that is using a hovabator for the first time and had done some reading on the dry hatch method but was wondering from first hand experience what people use for the settings during the first 18 days and then for lockdown on both humidity and temps? She is getting ready to start some eggs hopefully today, so I told her I'd check and see if anyone could help her out.

thanks