Cuckoo Maran egg color

[rjackh]

My cuckoo maran's first three eggs have been this color. I was expecting much darker. What are yall seeing from yours?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Where was the bird sourced from? The dark eggs that are generally associated with these birds are seen from lines which are bred with egg color being one of the things they select for. Hatchery sourced birds, as an example, are generally bred more with straight production as a focus.

 

[Primo]

That seems unusually light even for a hatchery bird. My hatchery cuckoo lays a dark brown egg. No where near the chocolate brown you see from well bred birds but easily identifiable from all my other Brown egg layers. Is it possible they are not maran? Can you post a pic of the hen. Also they may darken up some after they lay for awhile

 

[mortie]

I have a friend with a marans and her bird's first few eggs were not really dark. After 4-5 eggs they darkened up nicely.

 

[Folly's place]

My hatchery CMs produced slightly darker eggs, nothing like the very chocolate eggs from my breeder BCMs. Mary

 

[rjackh]

This is her. Got a 4th egg today, same color.

 

[64Galaxie]

That's a Barred Rock my friend. Mine lay the same color too.

 

[azygous]

Cuckoo Silver Marans have white legs and uneven pattern. Barred Rocks have yellow legs and even barred pattern.

She looks like a Cuckoo Silver Marans to me. Perhaps her eggs will darken up. Maybe she's a genetic throw-back. I'm sure you love her regardless.

 

[64Galaxie]

...

Cuckoo Silver Marans have white legs and uneven pattern. Barred Rocks have yellow legs and even barred pattern.

She looks like a Cuckoo Silver Marans to me. Perhaps

Cuckoo Silver Marans have white legs and uneven pattern. Barred Rocks have yellow legs and even barred pattern.

She looks like a Cuckoo Silver Marans to me. Perhaps her eggs will darken up. Maybe she's a genetic throw-back. I'm sure you love her regardless

Ahhh, didn't look at her barring very well

 

[Blooie]

My two hatchery Cuckoo Marans' eggs aren't that rich, deep color of brown we hear about, either, but somewhat are darker than the eggs from my Red Sex Links and my Buff Orpington. But they have laid consistently since they started, and have stayed consistent even through our Wyoming winter with no supplemental light. They are docile, and easy to work with when I have to handle them. I'll be content with the slightly lighter egg color - they've more than earned my respect!