Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[slick4591]

Ok final count from the broodies... the Marans had 9 eggs, 7 hatched, one was dead this morning and one pipped and didn't make it out.  Ended up with 4 Blue Coppers and 2 Black coppers.  The Blue Rock hatched 6 too, she had 7 eggs.  5 blue and 1 black.... I think I am right on the colors.  Lots more blues than blacks.  The Rock seems to be a better mommy, I had to put a lost chick back with the Marans today.  He was really crying for mama too.  I will keep an eye on her.  With my hatch and theirs, 77 chicks.   I got 2 lavender Ameraucanas they are the fluffiest chicks I have ever hatched!

 

Congrats! That's a bunch of chicks. Gotta ask, but why do you suppose they pip and then quit? I have a couple that have knocked a small part of the shell loose, but not made any progress since.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Congrats! That's a bunch of chicks. Gotta ask, but why do you suppose they pip and then quit? I have a couple that have knocked a small part of the shell loose, but not made any progress since.

I have read that sometimes the ones that pip and then quit have a problem with their lungs changing over to breathing air. We have had some break a small piece out and then is seems they take forever to get out- sometimes they are working on the inside of the shell or on the bottom where it is hard to see what is happening. We've had chicks take up to 24 hours to get out. HTH

 

[DMRippy]

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the one under the broody had all the shell off but that is all I could tell, it was odd seeing a chick covered in just the membrane. The other broody didn't do that. The Marans seemed to kinda crush the egg to help. The rock's shells were all normal looking. In fact I didn't dig any shells out of the of the Marans nest box.

I just chalk it up to they were not supposed to hatch. Sometimes they will shrink wrap and can't get out, but that is not what happened to my chick.

 

[ronott1]

The air cell has to be big enough so that the chick does not die at internal pip. the chick can sometimes pip into a vein.

Also important is having the plugs out of the incubator. One hatch a holic said she "lost" her plugs. Not mentioned much as a cause of hatch failure is ventilation. Sadly, it is as important as humidity and temperature. Also the chick can either get stuck or the membrane can dry over the chick if the humidity goes too low at hatch.

A chick should not pip and not get out. It's just not right I tell ya

. That is the worst thing that happens.

Ron

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[slick4591]

Thanks for the info. We're still going here, but it's all happening very slowly.

 

[Hens and Roos]

Thanks for the info. We're still going here, but it's all happening very slowly.

Good Luck!

 

[flgardengirl]

Good luck on your hatching Slick.
DMRippy: Wow you are gonna be a busy chickie momma!!

I did a candling on some of the eggs in the bator last night. It looks like most of the Silver Marans and the Silver Cuckoo Marans eggs are developing. Two of the Silver Cuckoo Marans eggs are clear but I expected that since they had the heavy mauve like chalky coating and those are usually very porous eggs.
The 8 lavender silkie eggs look to be developing nicely. 2 of my paint eggs are clear whaaaa. The other 2 paint eggs have active little chicks in there.

I have a Marans broody BCM on 5 silver sussex eggs. One egg kept getting knocked out of the nest. Other hens try to get in there too so not sure if its the momma throwing it out or the other hens accidently knocking it out but last week I put it in the bator and when I candled last night there is the largest chick in there and looks real active too so I am gonna give it back to the broody about 4 days before she is due to hatch them.

Hope everyone is surviving the wild weather around the country. We had lots of heavy rain and some tree limbs down in our area yesterday. Its still drizzling today.

 

[gilavina]

Good luck on your hatching Slick.
DMRippy: Wow you are gonna be a busy chickie momma!!

I did a candling on some of the eggs in the bator last night. It looks like most of the Silver Marans and the Silver Cuckoo Marans eggs are developing. Two of the Silver Cuckoo Marans eggs are clear but I expected that since they had the heavy mauve like chalky coating and those are usually very porous eggs.
The 8 lavender silkie eggs look to be developing nicely. 2 of my paint eggs are clear whaaaa. The other 2 paint eggs have active little chicks in there.

I have a Marans broody BCM on 5 silver sussex eggs. One egg kept getting knocked out of the nest. Other hens try to get in there too so not sure if its the momma throwing it out or the other hens accidently knocking it out but last week I put it in the bator and when I candled last night there is the largest chick in there and looks real active too so I am gonna give it back to the broody about 4 days before she is due to hatch them.

Hope everyone is surviving the wild weather around the country. We had lots of heavy rain and some tree limbs down in our area yesterday. Its still drizzling today.

hark! what's this I hear? the silver sussex are developing?! Yay! How's the silver marans going?
I just candled the other night and have 72 marans eggs developing like mad...put in 36 BBS ameraucana eggs this a.m. my uncle surprised me with from his flock. I also have 3 coro sussex gone broody, two are massive ladies and really try to pack the eggs under them. Planning on work on the sussex next for hatching schedule and then onto the wyandottes I'd guess. Still workin on update pics....probably gonna have to do it inside since its so crazy windy!

 

[slick4591]

Thanks again! Had one hatch during the night and two working at it pretty hard right now.

 

[DMRippy]

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I like your planning.... One Breed at a TIME! I should do that.... would be much easier to keep up with them! I may try that later in the summer. I am going really going to QUIT hatching these big numbers. Most are for sale... but no one is buying. I will get rid of the roosters and raise the pullets and sell them in a few months. I have the room now that I cleared out one pen and I have another that could be empty pretty quickly. I am going to keep hatching my Lavender Ameraucanas and maybe some more leghorns, but I am really done I have my replacement flock. I will hatch some more in June so I can have eggs over the winter, but not too many.