Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[slick4591]

grrrr.... just candled my BCM eggs before lockdown.... out of 42 eggs I only got development in 11.  

I hope they all hatch!

Sorry, I didn't have the greatest of luck with mine, either. Had 41 and 14 quit on me. That left 27 and 12 hatched over a three day period.. All the others had fully developed chicks.

 

[Keara]

Sorry, I didn't have the greatest of luck with mine, either. Had 41 and 14 quit on me. That left 27 and 12 hatched over a three day period.. All the others had fully developed chicks.

that's too bad.... I had so much good luck with hatches last year I guess it all comes out in the wash.

I also had many fully developed no hatches on my last incubation a month ago, I wonder why?


Well here's to better luck next time, for us both!

 

[slick4591]

that's too bad.... I had so much good luck with hatches last year I guess it all comes out in the wash.  

I also had many fully developed no hatches on my last incubation a month ago, I wonder why?


Well here's to better luck next time, for us both!

Yeah, I'm collecting eggs now for another hatch, but concentrating more on the Blue Coppers than black. Holding some OE's back since I only had three of those hatch.

What threw me was several eggs had the outside color knock off like they wanted to pip but stopped before they got all the way through. Then nothing.

I'm kinda disgusted with my BCM's because they seem to get worse as they mature. Sold three girls yesterday as layers because I'm not seeing where I can improve with what I have. The roos have feathers turning white and just some things going on that I probably shouldn't be breeding on. I also have a buyer for my remaining three girls and thinking about letting them go. I won't even bring up the bad egg color. Oops! Guess I did.

 

[gilavina]

that's too bad.... I had so much good luck with hatches last year I guess it all comes out in the wash.

I also had many fully developed no hatches on my last incubation a month ago, I wonder why?


Well here's to better luck next time, for us both!

I was having the same problem all last year with babies dying in the shell, and so this year I adjusted my humidity to 20 to 35% for the first 18 days (letting it dip down to 20% off and on). Then during lockdown I let it get to about 50 to 55 and the chicks when they start pipping, raise it up to about 60 and they pop like popcorn now

 

[gilavina]

Yeah, I'm collecting eggs now for another hatch, but concentrating more on the Blue Coppers than black. Holding some OE's back since I only had three of those hatch.
What threw me was several eggs had the outside color knock off like they wanted to pip but stopped before they got all the way through. Then nothing.
I'm kinda disgusted with my BCM's because they seem to get worse as they mature. Sold three girls yesterday as layers because I'm not seeing where I can improve with what I have. The roos have feathers turning white and just some things going on that I probably shouldn't be breeding on. I also have a buyer for my remaining three girls and thinking about letting them go. I won't even bring up the bad egg color. Oops! Guess I did.

I hear ya....Ive been in the Marans 3 years now and it feels like to me I'm just now getting a really good start. I think a lot of us on here have similar beginnings

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Here's our Roo: aka Tom



and one of my pullets, my daughter calls her 'big eyes'. I think because her eye color is too dark and makes them look really big, but she's just too sweet for words:

 

[slick4591]

I was having the same problem all last year with babies dying in the shell, and so this year I adjusted my humidity to 20 to 35% for the first 18 days (letting it dip down to 20% off and on). Then during lockdown I let it get to about 50 to 55 and the chicks when they start pipping, raise it up to about 60 and they pop like popcorn now

You or someone told me this method and that's what I followed. In the early stages I was running a high humidity, but I leaned to crack the door and it fell back to 30-35% and stayed there until lock down. When I closed the door it shot up to the high 50's. I would open the door for a minute or two daily to let fresh air in, but kept it closed when they started hatching. Oh well, being my first time in the first time used home made incubator I'll just have to learn it.

Would someone please PM me contact info of really good breeders of Silver and Golden Laced Wyandottes? The wife is getting interested in those and I know it's the wrong thread for that breed, but I think y'all will shoot straight with me so I don't go through some bad birds again.

 

[Marbleeeh]

(I'm pretty new here, by the way)
Marans are awesome... I have three chickens, and one is a Cuckoo Marans hen, who is a little egg machine.

 

[desertmarcy]

Marcy, Check out the roo on the home page of the MCCU site. His tail has shorter sickle feathers, although I feel they could be shorter and the tail more full. His copper coloring though, is ideal in my opinion!! A perfect tail was the pic of the two birds on the home page of the French site, two awesome birds, but I can't find the link. Brassy would be with a more golden color, Copper would be like the roo in the link I gave, Mahogany would be a deep, dark redder shade (think older Penny as opposed to a new copper penny). http://marans.org/ Also, go to the SOP page and read what it says about the tail.

Seeing those pics helps with the color. So...who has birds with the right hackle feather color and also nice dark eggs? I got a call from someone local, wants to give me this rooster:

Sorry, this is the only pic I have, they just took one for me. This one is said to come from Bev Davis lines, but not directly from her at all, but from EBay hatching eggs--so who knows how far removed. Anyway, sure don't see that he is any improvement over the one I have. Don't like his hackle feather color, don't like his comb flopped over. Tail set may be better than mine, but can't really see if his comb has issues. If anybody thinks I should snap him up, let me know immediately! But my gut feeling is, pass on him. Comments?

 

[Debbi]

Slick ~ Don't feel alone there! I've been hatching since late 2009, and still haven't found the "recipe" for a great Marans hatch! Go back a few pages, and Ron gave a tiny lecture on some of his hatching ideas! At this point, I'll try anything!