Dark Egg Breeds Thread

[TheChookPatch]

Thanks guys

I've been working on the dark olive egg for years now, and finally happy with the results this season... I'll keep posting more pics as the new pullets start to lay,... there should be lots more colours to come this season.
I love my incubator too Hangtown Farms... r-coms get a fantastic hatch rate and they are much less stressful then the manual ones I have used in the past. You can program them to any settings you like so they are great for hatching Marans...

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I love my incubator too Hangtown Farms... r-coms get a fantastic hatch rate and they are much less stressful then the manual ones I have used in the past. You can program them to any settings you like so they are great for hatching Marans...

do you adjust much for the darker eggs?

 

[TheChookPatch]

do you adjust much for the darker eggs?

I usually set at 47% to start then put the humidity up to 60% in this one for the last 3 days but in my 3 egg r-coms i just leave the humidity the same throughout the hatch and I've had almost 100% success in them. I was speaking to a 'chicken guy' down here who was saying that a lot of hatcheries are leaving the humidity consistent throughout the hatch now rather than raising the humidity at the end and getting better overall hatch rates... might give it a go this year, i have a lot more girls than I had last year.... but it does seem to be a challenge for them getting out of those thicker membranes... How thick are the Penedesenca shells/membranes, are they similar to Marans?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Not sure about the membranes but the shells are pretty tough.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

I usually set at 47% to start then put the humidity up to 60% in this one for the last 3 days but in my 3 egg r-coms i just leave the humidity the same throughout the hatch and I've had almost 100% success in them. I was speaking to a 'chicken guy' down here who was saying that a lot of hatcheries are leaving the humidity consistent throughout the hatch now rather than raising the humidity at the end and getting better overall hatch rates... might give it a go this year, i have a lot more girls than I had last year.... but it does seem to be a challenge for them getting out of those thicker membranes... How thick are the Penedesenca shells/membranes, are they similar to Marans?

yes thick shells
I am going at 45% then kicking it up to 65 for the last few days

 

[ronott1]

yes thick shells
I am going at 45% then kicking it up to 65 for the last few days

35% for the first 18 days works for me. Then 65 to 70%

Go Penedesencas and Ameraucanas?

 

[Hangtown Farms]

35% for the first 18 days works for me. Then 65 to 70%

Go Penedesencas and Ameraucanas?

yep crele penedesenca and silver ameraucana. after these hatch friday I will set crele pene's and white emp's

 

[ronott1]

yep crele penedesenca and silver ameraucana. after these hatch friday I will set crele pene's and white emp's

Save a Crele pullet or two for the Sherriff

 

[Alaskan]

Do you have any pictures of the parents? I love the crele color.

 

[Htown guy]

i have 4 copper maran hens nad 1 copper maran rooster. beautiful chickens. lay such nice eggs as well! we just hatched our own which we are going to sell