Chicken Breed Focus - Marans

[Fintechie]

And here is today’s egg by her(Pearl)

 

[BenTN]

She could be a production cuckoo Marans

 

[Bantambird]

She does indeed look like the English style production cuckoo. Even the rounded egg screams it. Definitely darker than a barred rock, slate legs with pink feet, irregular, thick barring.

 

[Memoore88]

Is this a birchen maran rooster?

 

[Bantambird]

It's possible, but he's not really a very good one if he is, likely a cross. He's got : dark eyes, a bit narrow, clean legs. Now, he might be young yet if he is marans, but those eyes are really dark, and should be orange.

 

[#lovemychickens]

Look at those beautiful eggs!

Another breed to put on my wish list for sure

I have 4 black copper marans and they are the sweetest girls! Love this breed!

 

[BReeder!]

We have a Cuckoo Marans. She is one of our original birds and has been with us since 2018. She is not the most reliable layer, but her eggs are my favorite to see. She is a good hen, although a but bossy. She made her place as the top hen right away while still in the brooder and maintained her spot since. She is a great pet and a wonderful member of our flock.

 

[Lisa3315]

I have a Cuckoo Marans chick and a French Blue (Copper?) Marans chick, both are about 4 weeks old now. I got them for the eggs, but I'm also hoping for some sweet personalities So far, they are both total scaredy cats, but I'm hoping they warm up

 

[Tallrydr]

The Marans, or French, Poule de Marans, is a French breed of chicken from the port town of Marans, in the département of Charente-Maitime, in the Poitou-Charentes region of western France. It was created with the local feral chickens descended from fighting game chickens carried from Indonesia and India. Those original Marandaise fowl were "improved" for the table through crossing with imported Croad Langshans. A favourite at poultry shows, it became a dual purpose breed known both for its extremely dark brown eggs and fine meat qualities.

Marans are generally quiet and docile; but they are quite active, taking well to free ranging in rough terrain and are also tough and disease-resistant. Their gentle temperaments and quiet demeanor makes them ideal for suburban backyard chicken keepers, as well as any assorted farm flock as they rarely bully smaller breeds. Marans are historically a dual-purpose bird, prized not only for their dark eggs but for their table qualities as well. Though the original Marans could also be feather legged birds, British breeders preferred the clean legged version, and thus feathered legged Marans are now mainly found in France. The Australian Poultry Standard recognises both feathered and clean-legged birds, while the Marans Club of America only recognises feather-legged birds.

Details:
Purpose: Dual purpose
Egg laying: 150-200 dark brown eggs annually
Weight: Cocks - 7.5-8.8lb; Hen - 5.5-6.0lb
Colours/Varieties: There are 9 recognized colours in the French Standard: Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Black, Birchen, Black Copper, Wheaten, Black-tailed Buff, White and Columbian. Black Copper (black with copper feathers on the neck) and Cuckoo (barred feathers, giving a black and white speckled appearance) are the most common of these. Other colors not officially recognized (such as Blue Copper, Blue, and Splash) also exist.


Pic by @cpartist


Pic by @haTHOR


Pic by @TurkeyMountainChick


Pic by @ChaboEmelie


Pic by @cpartist

BYC Breed Reviews:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/marans

BYC Breed Discussions:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444381/black-copper-marans-discussion-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/383387/marans-thread-breed-discussion-pictures-are-welcome/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630671/cuckoo-marans/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/426622/wheaten-and-blue-wheaten-marans-discussion-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/697180/birchen-marans-thread/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/738772/blue-copper-and-splash-copper-marans-discussion/0_30
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...copper-marans-thread-breeding-to-the-sop/0_30

Do you own Marans? Are you a Maran breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

· What made you decide to get this breed?
· Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
· What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
· Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

We have a bunch of other awesome breed-focus threads for you to enjoy. You can see all of them here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-breed-focus-project.975504/

 

[Tallrydr]

This is Georgia, my BCM. She is 1 yo and I love the beautiful dark brown eggs from her. I am a new keeper, as of 11/20 and have two other hens with her. 3 is the limit in my town (Northern CA).