Black Copper Marans discussion thread

[Localheronow]

Thanks to everyone for your help these eggs are all from one pullet these are are her first group of eggs. the little spot has faded away but thr eggs are still very round i guest this one is a cull.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Thanks to everyone for your help these eggs are all from one pullet these are are her first group of eggs. the little spot has faded away but thr eggs are still very round i guest this one is a cull.

Is it really that important? I had a flock of Light Brahmas This past spring and there eggs were all round. I sold them as eating eggs. Nobody minded them. And they hatched just fine right along with others.

 

[DMRippy]

Round eggs are what Marans should lay. That is not a cull point.

 

[ochochicas]

We kind of like the round eggs. We have a pullet named Popcorn who just started laying roundish eggs like look like popcorn kernels. Pretty cute!

 

[RFR of CA]

New babies hatched today from my new GFF group

 

[gidget106]

New babies hatched today from my new GFF group

Too cute!!! I am a lurker. Only have RIR's now, but I am really drawn to the BCMs and hope to get some in the near future. Such beautiful birds!!

 

[GaryDean26]

Round eggs are what Marans should lay. That is not a cull point.

Interesting... Elliptical eggs are what I select for in the Marans. If I can't tell which end is the small end and which is the large end, the egg shape is too round for me and I consider it a defect.

 

[NestingHillsSC]

Interesting... Elliptical eggs are what I select for in the Marans. If I can't tell which end is the small end and which is the large end, the egg shape is too round for me and I consider it a defect.

Just candle and look for the air cell.

 

[philipchickymad]

I'm gettin three BCMs at around Christmas as POL will they lay in the winter ???

 

[GaryDean26]

Just candle and look for the air cell.

That is not the point. I consider spherical eggs a defect. If I had two hens that I considered equal in every way but egg shape the one with the spherical eggs would be sold and I would use the one with elliptical eggs for breeding.

There are whole studies done on egg shape to correlate internal egg quality to egg shape, shell strength to egg shape, egg weight to egg shape, hatchability to egg shape, etc. I haven't read vary many of them and am by no means claiming to be an expert on egg shape, but in the same way that a long skinny egg with both ends being really pointy is defected and needs to be more rounded on the ends and wider to be a well shaped egg, a spherical egg need to have more length to it and to have a recognizable "egg shape" to be a good egg shape. You do not want a pointy egg. The end should be rounded, but if it is not shaped like what you can buy at the store from the perfected egg shape of the $4 billion commercial poultry industry then it isn't what I am looking for as the ideal for my flock.