Marans Thread for Posting Pics of Your Eggs, Chicks and Chickens

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

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Ah, yes...I'm glad you mentioned that about ventilation. That was another key piece of advice from Buddy and Jamie. I keep all the plugs out to the extent that it's possible to do so and maintain hatching humidity. On my old, old, old Hova-Bator, it's the one that's right over the fan that I have to plug. The other one can be open or closed and it doesn't affect humidity for me, but the one over the fan will drop the humidity quickly when it's pulled. The Genesis 1588 only has one hole that's "plug-able" and I believe that one can stay out during the hatch as well (for me anyways).

People in AZ...I don't know how they can do it. Lately, I've had to resort to adding several additional water dishes inside the 'bator in addition to filling all the channels in the bottom, just to get 58% RH. I even had one peep drown because I had to add another cup of water on hatch day and I was out of sponges and marbles. I thought it was too tall for a peep to get into it, but I was wrong.

 

[havi]

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I think your roo has a very nice profile-very pleasing body shape, comb and tail, and his hackle and saddle feathers are a nice shade of copper. If you breed him look for cockerels that have his good characteristics, but with less red on the breast. I hope others with more knowledge than I will weigh in here, but personally, I'd work with him...especially if you are getting dark eggs from your hens (those two girls in the background look to have nice coloring). If you start with another set of eggs, you may find you just have another set of problems to work with (like squirrel tail or straw hackles or egg color)...that seems to be the nature of Marans.

Thanks cpartist.

I was going to keep him, its just that the other roo I had was much nicer looking. Lot more black to him and just the right amount of copper coloring. IMHO anyways. My BCM are only 21 weeks old and havent started laying yet so Im not sure how dark they will be. I go out there everyday hoping, but nothing yet!

I do have to say though, I love them alot more than I have any of the other birds I have had. I worked alot so I wasnt able to spend the time with them as chicks as I would have liked to. So of course my birds havent been the friendliest around. All the others I have had never really got friendly, as much as I tried to go out in the coop and sit with them. They all would run off and act as if I wanted to eat them(which I would never do!). But with my BCM they are so friendly! As chicks they were scared if you tried to reach in and pick one up. But the older they get the better they are. I can now go into the coop and they run to met me. If I sit down, then they all try to get in my lap at once. Just like kids, I swear! lol Are all marans this way? Or just so happen that mine are?

 

[kathyinmo]

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You too? Those are my very favorite, so far! Not the blue copper, but just blue and then the splash! I just love them!

 

[drom]

Thanks very much everyone for the hatching tips!!! I greatly appreciate it.

I am so excited, I can't wait until my R-com arrives in the mail.

I have a bunch of dark eggs piled up in a cabinet waiting; way more than 20. So, I will just pick the darkest of the dark and load it up.

 

[pinkchick]

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You too? Those are my very favorite, so far! Not the blue copper, but just blue and then the splash! I just love them!

Yes Ma'am....... just love them, but I also like the Blue Copper just as much. If I had all blue and splash birds running around I would be in chicken heaven!!!!!!

 

[pinkchick]

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Drom~
When is your new 'bator suppose to be in??? I have a bunch of eggs sitting on the table that are looking for hatch buddies.

 

[drom]

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Drom~
When is your new 'bator suppose to be in??? I have a bunch of eggs sitting on the table that are looking for hatch buddies.

Well, I was hoping I would have a UPS tracking number on Friday, but it looks like it will be Monday and supposedly the distributor is in California so I'm hoping I'll have it Wednesday.

But then I think I am supposed to let it run for little while first.

Oh, and I have to calibrate it first I guess.

good thing I got an easy one to operate

I can't contain my exitement.

 

[tdgill]

good thing its a bator you're tracking and not an order of chicks! yikes!

 

[pinkchick]

I'm so excited for you!

Hope it comes earlier than you expect and that set up is a snap! Let me know when you are ready to set those eggs.

I am going to be collecting eggs for the remainder of the week from my Splash and Blue Copper boys over my BCM gals.... should have a nice group of dark eggs from the BCM girls and several nice eggs from a Splash girl that I am tossing in. I plan to keep all of these babies, looking to grow out as many as I can both girls and boys to start another flock for next year and add a couple more BCM girls to my existing flock.

 

[drom]

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Yes, exactly. I am used to ordering things through Amazon and I get a tracking number same day. When I didn't have one a full day later I called and she didn't seem to know for sure when I would have one.