Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[gilavina]

Yes, I'd be excited too by the Silver's egg! Luella's ain't too shabby either!

Indeed...the dark spots all over Luella's are really really dark, so i'm hoping they will even off and end up with a nice dark color overall.

 

[Debbi]

Yeah, I've had that hope before, and it never happened! While they did darken up some, they never got as dark as the spots. Maybe just my cases, yours may be different? I think it was Charlotte that laid the eggs with some really dark spots when she first started. Ooooo! I got all excited, thinking here was a number 8 egg layer in progress! Nope. While she does lay a decent #6 with #8 spots, that's all the better they have been. Not complaining mind you, I love the speckledy eggs, but you know we all hope for that illusive #9 layer!!

 

[gilavina]

Yeah, I've had that hope before, and it never happened! While they did darken up some, they never got as dark as the spots. Maybe just my cases, yours may be different? I think it was Charlotte that laid the eggs with some really dark spots when she first started. Ooooo! I got all excited, thinking here was a number 8 egg layer in progress! Nope. While she does lay a decent #6 with #8 spots, that's all the better they have been. Not complaining mind you, I love the speckledy eggs, but you know we all hope for that illusive #9 layer!!

yup! indeed. If you could have seen what I started with on about 90% of the eggs I hatched from when I started with shipped eggs barely passed for a 4...especially on the birchens. The progress is slow but steady, so I have no complaints at all with what I've gotten this year!

 

[unkadan]

Suggestions on the best "tool" for candling dark eggs please. I found a nice Sportsman and am getting the extras I need ready before Feb,,,

thanks
Dan

 

[Debbi]

Suggestions on the best "tool" for candling dark eggs please. I found a nice Sportsman and am getting the extras I need ready before Feb,,,

thanks
Dan

Dan, It depends how much you want to spend. Brinsea has a candler that is supposed to be able to candle the dark eggs. You may want to use a 1200 lumen flashlight, like a Ultralyte or such. Or you can build one of your own. Do a search for "home made candlers" here on BYC and see what you come up with. I don't have the money for such expensive things, so I wing it! Been lucky so far. I check several times daily to look for weepy or stinky eggs, then pitch accordingly. I know it will only be a matter of time before I have one explode on me, but so far, so good.

 

[DMRippy]

Suggestions on the best "tool" for candling dark eggs please. I found a nice Sportsman and am getting the extras I need ready before Feb,,,

thanks
Dan

I use a 400 lumens flashlight and can see clear eggs and usually veins and such at 14 days. Now might be a good time to get a flashlight with the holiday deals around.

 

[vebyrd36]

Suggestions on the best "tool" for candling dark eggs please. I found a nice Sportsman and am getting the extras I need ready before Feb,,,

thanks
Dan

I like my little mag lite. I removed the lens so the light sits flush on the egg. VIVI

 

[DMRippy]

Quote: OHHHHH... my son did this to fix that problem.. I need to get pics I know. He cut the mouth and little extra off a water bottle (or anything like that) he then cut the extra to the right size to over the lens part. Then he covered the WHOLE thing with black electrical tape so it would stay on and FOCUS the light out the mouth piece. AND it fits the eggs really well that way too.

 

[vebyrd36]

Very neat with the bottle. VIVI

 

[Debbi]

I have used a Maglite on mine, and couldn't see squat! Ok, I saw a dark blob, but that was it. I want to see it all! I can see that with a 100 watt bulb too, but I fear the heat from it. Dark room with a modified cone like Donna is talking about, still nothing to see. I say to be safe on the darker eggs, get the higher lumens. If nothing else, you have a spectacular flashlight!