Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[desertmarcy]

Chicken State University, the large fowl SOP thread is discussing Marans
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732985/csu-chicken-state-university-large-fowl-sop/2110

Thanks for the heads up! I had been waiting and waiting for them to discuss Marans. Had stopped reading the thread. I wish Fred had put a section for just Marans instead of all Continental. I hope we get some more discussion there.

 

[kjgoodman]

This spring I got some black copper marans. Well, that was the intent.. I think I got mostly roosters and only 2 marans. There was only one that had copper on its neck. Up until about 5 weeks ago I was still getting a chocolate egg. None since then :-( I did have a hen randomly die... but she didn't have the copper neck. I just hate when you spend a lot of money and not get what you want...
I live in WI and would like to get some more Marans, proven chocolate egg layers if possible....I don't mind young chicks but do not want any roosters.
Any suggestions as to where to get good quality? I would like to buy local, but it is ok if I can't. I travel quit a bit in MN and IL as well.
Thanks everyone!

 

[SoManyHats]

My Marans girl doesn't have copper on her neck. I think they call it over melanized? So if you had one die and you are no longer getting the chocolate egg, it was probably your Marans that died.

 

[ontheridge]

Hello! Okay, folks, I'm a complete novice here... both to this site and chickens in general. We got 6 chicks back in May that we were told were 2 welsummer, 1 maran and 3 barred rock. As they've grown, we've come to realize that the co-op where we got the chicks made a mistake, we're pretty sure we got 0 barred rocks -- and now we think we have 2 welsummer and 4 marans, 1 being a black copper maran. But we base that on very limited knowledge. I have some photos and I was hoping y'all could weigh in on whether or not our one gal is, in fact, a black copper maran? Also... they just started laying for us and I was expecting all dark brown eggs from welsummers and marans, but we have some almost-pink, light eggs in the bunch. I'd love some feed back on who might be laying what and how I could tell! Thanks for any thoughts you have.


Above is our Cruella (she's a bit of a bully) back in July.


Here is Cruella today (please note two other gals in the back -- a welsummer and a maran?)


Here is what our eggs are looking like. We are surprised that the gals started in the dark of winter, but we get 3 a day... a pretty even mix of the light ones, a medium brown color, and a dark brown speckled.

Thanks in advance for the education!!

 

[Zanna]

Hello! Okay, folks, I'm a complete novice here... both to this site and chickens in general. We got 6 chicks back in May that we were told were 2 welsummer, 1 maran and 3 barred rock. As they've grown, we've come to realize that the co-op where we got the chicks made a mistake, we're pretty sure we got 0 barred rocks -- and now we think we have 2 welsummer and 4 marans, 1 being a black copper maran. But we base that on very limited knowledge. I have some photos and I was hoping y'all could weigh in on whether or not our one gal is, in fact, a black copper maran? Also... they just started laying for us and I was expecting all dark brown eggs from welsummers and marans, but we have some almost-pink, light eggs in the bunch. I'd love some feed back on who might be laying what and how I could tell! Thanks for any thoughts you have.


Above is our Cruella (she's a bit of a bully) back in July.


Here is Cruella today (please note two other gals in the back -- a welsummer and a maran?)


Here is what our eggs are looking like. We are surprised that the gals started in the dark of winter, but we get 3 a day... a pretty even mix of the light ones, a medium brown color, and a dark brown speckled.

Thanks in advance for the education!!

Cruella is not a Black Copper Marans, she looks like a mix of something. Behind her looks like a Welsummer and a Barred Rock. Your darker eggs are most likely from the Welsummer, the lighter ones from the Barred Rock. Cruella may be laying a darker egg if she has some Marans or Welsummer in her somewhere.

Here is a picture of a BCM pullet:

 

[ontheridge]

I thought I read somewhere that barred rocks should have yellow feet. Our black and white girls have whitish/pinkish legs and feet, and their coloring is more speckled than cleanly barred. Does that make sense? I don't want to go too far on a tangent since this is the black copper thread, but here's a shot of one of the gals we were thinking is more likely a maran than a barred rock... are we wrong? Did we really get barred rocks afterall?



Here's another one of Cruella for good measure.



And here she was when we got her (in the middle)...

 

[nicalandia]

you are right.. they dont look like barred rock....BUT they look like cuckoo maran which have that type of barring and white shanks..

 

[geebs]

One ... Cruella.... anybodies guess... Mutt.... the "barred rock"... cuckoo marans.... pretty sure... I would watch and see what lays what.... yellow legs...not marans.... Wellie cross perhaps??? who knows.... congrats on the cuckoo... I didn't see any black copper anywhere... sorry.

 

[ontheridge]

So if we wound up with 2 welsummers, 3 cuckoo marans and 1 "mutt" (sold with a group of chicks labeled all as marans, barred rock and welsummer), how are we getting an even mix of dark brown and very light eggs? Does it have anything to do with the fact that they've only been laying for a week, like maybe they'll get darker?

Thanks for humoring the newbie!

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
the Mutt is outlaying the other hens..