Cuckoo Marans

[rancher hicks]

I have 5 hens and one roo. The roo and 3 hens are young, under a year, not hathcery. 2 hens are just a year, hatchery girls. They've pretty much been cooped up most of the winter and lay an avge 4-5 eggs a day. I do have a light in their part of the coop as there are no windows and it doesn't get alot of light from the windows that are there. One of the hatchery girls has gone broody and has chicks.
As for friendly, I would't say so.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

My cuckoos are nice big birds, I have mostly silvers but will be placing my golden cockerel out with all of my cuckoo girls shortly. I will have hatching eggs available this spring. My cuckoos lay dark eggs at the beginning or their cycle and they lighten over time.

 

[SpeckledPullet]

Birch Run Farm - how much lighter do their eggs get at the end of a cycle? I'm curious at the the color difference from start to finish of a cycle. Is it a very large difference or only minimal?

 

[Illia]

Not sure what to say on them, but in all Marans it should be that the first couple weeks are VERY dark, (depending on quality) and then taper down to their average color. As the year moves on, and they get 1-2 years old, they should pale out quite a bit. If they're great quality, the dark of the eggs should last longer. Infact, that is what the quality is bred for and all about - The darkest egg in the longest time. Hatchery Marans will probably give a dark egg, then taper down to a brown or pale brown in no time. (a year)

 

[natrgatr]

I love mine. Beautiful, dark eggs and very consistent layers. Not so cuddly because I don't handle them much, but they are not real skittish either. They'll come right up to me... when I have food of course.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

They can lighten up quite a lot to being a regular 'brown' egg or even with dark spots which are pretty. My golden cuckoo pullet lays a much different shade than the silvers, with the silvers being a red brown and much darker than the golden.

 

[rancher hicks]

My aunt had 10 kids she was definitely a "Cuckoo". Not all that friendly either. She wasn't french though. So I guess she doesn't count huh?

 

[tcmstalcup]

Mine is a hatchery hen from Ideal. She is my fav of my 20ish chickens. I call her Blessing and she is very sweet. Lays a med-dark egg almost every day and she is 3 yrs old.

 

[Byrdj]

Generally cuckoo Marans lay a lighter color egg and tend to be a little larger than black copper Marans, but that varies depending on the breeder. If you want dark eggs like you see in pictures stay away from commercial hatcheries. They don't selectively breed for egg color. Regardless of where you get them, they are good layers of a medium to large egg. Marans shouldn't be at all flighty. Mine are very tame and curious.