Cocoa Eggers

[Self sufficient chickens]

Alchemist Farm sells a chicken breed called cocoa eggers. They lay a chocolate brown egg -- without the marans red. Does anyone have one of these or know the genetics of it? @aart commented on the possible genetics here

This is what Alchemist Farm says about the birds
"Cocoa eggers are large sturdy birds that are black and sometimes blue in body type. They lay well in the colder months and will produce handsomely through the spring. They maintain the same lovely disposition that we aim for all of our breeding groups to have and they get along with all other breeds well.

The shade of brown these birds are producing is different from Marans eggs in that they do not have any red undertone. In the photo below you can see one Marans egg on top of the Coco eggers for comparison. Marans eggs are smooth and almost have a shine to them while our Cocoa eggers are matte and soothing to the touch.

Cocoa egger chicks are sold straight run, we cannot guarantee you the gender of your chicks. If your chicks grow up to be females their eggs will add a whole new layer of color depth to your daily egg collecting basket. Males will carry the cocoa gene for your future breeding projects if you are so inclined!

"




@AlchemistFarm

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It's just an EE. Marans with a blue egg layer. Guessing it's F1 crossed back to Marans.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Looks like a dark olive egger bred back to marans for more darkness. Interesting. I imagine they don't breed true yet...

 

[Egghead_Jr]

No. It's not a new breed. If you peruse the threads there are some in depth posts on making olive egg layers, aka olive eggers. People have worked on that for some time yet there is no line of bird that can breed true for that egg color yet. It's always a work in progress.

What is showcased above is clearly only a few generations in. An olive egger hybrid was made then backcrossed to the Marans. I doubt it's any more involved that that. A hybrid leaning to Marans body type and chocolate covering a blue egg.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Very interesting... they look a bit like a Black Australorp. I bet the have some of that in there

 

[Self sufficient chickens]

Agreed

 

[Gray Farms]

It's just an EE. Marans with a blue egg layer. Guessing it's F1 crossed back to Marans.

Agreed.

 

[Self sufficient chickens]

Males will carry the cocoa gene for your future breeding projects if you are so inclined!

They talk about it like it is some new gene. Does anyone think that is possible.

 

[Newyorkrita]

It is a truly striking egg color!!

 

[chickenfarmergal]

Did anyone figure out what they used to come up with this because I truly am in love and I am tempted oh so tempted to buy some from them with also the Sage egger. I have Maran hens,but they don't lay super dark. I have Crested Cream Legbar Roos and right now I have access to Whiting True Blue over CCL. I also have some Olive Eggers that lay a pretty dark olive egg.