Choosing chicken breeds

[Blondi27]

Hello, I will be getting chickens here in a couple of weeks from the local feed store. I was wondering if any of you have had midnight majesty Marans, welsummers and sapphire Jem chickens from Hoover’s hatchery? What do you like about them, what colors have their eggs turned out to be? Thanks!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Love Hoovers for customer service, quslity/health of birds, etc. Order from them personally and they are the supplier for the store where my husband works. In the last two years I've had the opportunity to see hundreds of chicks from them and have had no concerns
Midnight majesty marans are a hybrid new to Hoovers this year. ..so no one is likely to have any of laying age yet (I do have some 3 week olds in my coop as I type, though)
Sapphire gems are nice birds.....nice to look at, good in a flock, personsble and great layers....medium color brown eggs.
Welsummers....havent gotten any from Hoovers, but have quite liked the ones I've had.. nice terra cotta speckled eggs, not quite as nice as nonhatchery bred birds, but recognizable as welly eggs

 

[MTchicknman]

We bought some Midnight Majesty Marans (from Rural King via Hoover's). We bought them for the dark chocolate eggs. No feathers on the feet or legs, some are looking more like the Black Copper Sex-Link Marans from The Chick Hatchery, and some have white feathers on the wing tips, rather than the pure black chicken with feathered legs. They're only a couple of months old so far, so we're still holding out hope that the copper-laced feathers and the white wing-tips will disappear soon and the chickens will be all black as advertised - and then, of course, we hope they all lay the dark chocolate eggs! OKeeping in mind that they are a hybrid, we probably got all of the ones that don't/won't breed true to whatever standard Hoover's uses (which standard, at this point, doesn't impress me!). We bought straight run, so we were hoping we'd get at least one cockerel, but it looks like all of them are pullets at the moment, so most likely no future chicks, but a few more eggs :>). I'm thinking we got rooked as far as the Midnight Majesty breed, but I suspect the hatchery sells the mis-breds, throw-backs, wash-outs and mix-ups to stores like Big R, Tractor Supply, and Rural King, and if you want the better quality chicks, you buy directly from the hatchery (That's what we'll do next year).
Just my opinion, tho ......

 

[Blondi27]

We bought some Midnight Majesty Marans (from Rural King via Hoover's). We bought them for the dark chocolate eggs. No feathers on the feet or legs, some are looking more like the Black Copper Sex-Link Marans from The Chick Hatchery, and some have white feathers on the wing tips, rather than the pure black chicken with feathered legs. They're only a couple of months old so far, so we're still holding out hope that the copper-laced feathers and the white wing-tips will disappear soon and the chickens will be all black as advertised - and then, of course, we hope they all lay the dark chocolate eggs! OKeeping in mind that they are a hybrid, we probably got all of the ones that don't/won't breed true to whatever standard Hoover's uses (which standard, at this point, doesn't impress me!). We bought straight run, so we were hoping we'd get at least one cockerel, but it looks like all of them are pullets at the moment, so most likely no future chicks, but a few more eggs :>). I'm thinking we got rooked as far as the Midnight Majesty breed, but I suspect the hatchery sells the mis-breds, throw-backs, wash-outs and mix-ups to stores like Big R, Tractor Supply, and Rural King, and if you want the better quality chicks, you buy directly from the hatchery (That's what we'll do next year).
Just my opinion, tho ......

I’m glad you mentioned the color pattern of your midnight majesty Marans. I got one pullet and she is black on top with a cream neck, underbelly and the tips of her wings. I thought they would be mostly black, but I guess I will see what happens as she gets older since she is a hybrid.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

We bought some Midnight Majesty Marans (from Rural King via Hoover's). We bought them for the dark chocolate eggs. No feathers on the feet or legs, some are looking more like the Black Copper Sex-Link Marans from The Chick Hatchery, and some have white feathers on the wing tips, rather than the pure black chicken with feathered legs. They're only a couple of months old so far, so we're still holding out hope that the copper-laced feathers and the white wing-tips will disappear soon and the chickens will be all black as advertised - and then, of course, we hope they all lay the dark chocolate eggs! OKeeping in mind that they are a hybrid, we probably got all of the ones that don't/won't breed true to whatever standard Hoover's uses (which standard, at this point, doesn't impress me!). We bought straight run, so we were hoping we'd get at least one cockerel, but it looks like all of them are pullets at the moment, so most likely no future chicks, but a few more eggs :>). I'm thinking we got rooked as far as the Midnight Majesty breed, but I suspect the hatchery sells the mis-breds, throw-backs, wash-outs and mix-ups to stores like Big R, Tractor Supply, and Rural King, and if you want the better quality chicks, you buy directly from the hatchery (That's what we'll do next year).
Just my opinion, tho ......

As both are marans hybrids, and I suspect based on much the same breedings, its really six of one/half dozen of another which they end up being...