Question about humidity (Marans eggs)

[Margitas]

I hatch all my eggs the same way ,and i use the GQF1502 incubator and GQF 1550 hatcher.
I also catch water from raining days and store the big container ,i only use that for the automatic watering bucket.
This my experiance , before i use the water from the faucet i had 40-50 hatch.
One breeder told me this from UK and after i was suprize the result.
For hatching start like hobby and now and now almost full time job.
Now i share with my experiance to here.
I hope this help who like to hatch his/her own.

 

[Margitas]

I wonder if it isn't part of the breed history that makes the eggs need a higher humidity level. From the various club sites, I gathered that the Marans was developed in a particularly swampy area. Perhaps selection over time has made it so that their eggs require different conditions from those developed in more arid climates. I've had a mixed bag with Marans eggs- most recently I had 4/4 shipped eggs to hatch, but I've also had 0/24. This spring will be the first time I've hatched from my own flock (yay!) so that should give me some baseline expectations.

Need to know where you get the eggs they feed with Oyster Shell , is good for the chicken bot not for hatching , the little chicks not able to brake the egg shell and they die inside the egg.
I keep all the egg shells what my wife use for cooking and let them dry for week,after i grind and mix with the food, use this if you like to hatch.
Higher humidity make the little chicks eazy to brake the eggs.

 

[Arielle]

Need to know where you get the eggs they feed with Oyster Shell , is good for the chicken bot not for hatching , the little chicks not able to brake the egg shell and they die inside the egg.
I keep all the egg shells what my wife use for cooking and let them dry for week,after i grind and mix with the food, use this if you like to hatch.
Higher humidity make the little chicks eazy to brake the eggs.

THis makes total sense. I did wonder about he oyster shells making the egg shell harder. THe water, rain water, is interesting. How long do you store the rainwater ? Do you refrigerate it?

 

[pawtraitart]

I get the best results when I use the dry hatch method with marans eggs. If I keep the humidity at a higher level, the aircells don't get big enough, the chicks get too big, and they can't turn properly to hatch. Just my experience. The rain water idea is interesting. I wonder if distilled water would be better than tap water.

 

[Margitas]

I have unfinish basement , and i store there, not to long because use same rainwater for the chickens.
And is gone fast, i have over 250 bird.

 

[Arielle]

250 birds drink a LOT of water!! In the areas if northern Vermont and NY often the rain water is stored in the basement as the only source of water. I have well water and I know it is full of minerals.

Hatching eggs sure is complicated!

 

[pampered_poultry]

Interesting - but I am not sure how rainwater increased your hatch rate? Eggs are porous so maybe the wonder you were using contained a high level of chlorine??? Not really sure - If you live in the city that might be the case.

I hatch all my eggs the same way ,and i use the GQF1502 incubator and GQF 1550 hatcher.
I also catch water from raining days and store the big container ,i only use that for the automatic watering bucket.
This my experiance , before i use the water from the faucet i had 40-50 hatch.
One breeder told me this from UK and after i was suprize the result.
For hatching start like hobby and now and now almost full time job.
Now i share with my experiance to here.
I hope this help who like to hatch his/her own.

 

[Margitas]

Im sure the rainwater incraise my hatch rate , because i have well , i don't use city water, and after i try i was suprise.
Even i order hatching eggs try ebay and 100% hatch. Same seller i did with well water before and from 9 out 3 . week later from 9 out 9.
After that i just use rain water.
I ordering eggs from UK and i need better hatch because they not cheap.
Try and let me know how you did , because we both have the same incubator and hatcher.
You get better hatch is 100% count only fertile eggs.
I like to hear how you do

Interesting - but I am not sure how rainwater increased your hatch rate? Eggs are porous so maybe the wonder you were using contained a high level of chlorine??? Not really sure - If you live in the city that might be the case.

 

[pampered_poultry]

My incubators are set up on a automatic filtered water system. The water that goes to my birds or into my incubator runs through a filter that removes impurities.

I can understand UK eggs not being cheap - I bring them in all the time. I think we talked about a shipment a month or so ago - did you ever get it in?

Right now my hatch rate is in the 80% range - mainly due to the weather and the eggs are just not fertile.... It will get above the normal 95% when the spring gets here.

Im sure the rainwater incraise my hatch rate , because i have well , i don't use city water, and after i try i was suprise.
Even i order hatching eggs try ebay and 100% hatch. Same seller i did with well water before and from 9 out 3 . week later from 9 out 9.
After that i just use rain water.
I ordering eggs from UK and i need better hatch because they not cheap.
Try and let me know how you did , because we both have the same incubator and hatcher.
You get better hatch is 100% count only fertile eggs.
I like to hear how you do

 

[Arielle]

City water (chlorinated), well water, rain water, distilled bottled water. SOunds like results vary based on the water source.

Should the rain water be boiled ( and cooled) before using in the incubator??