Dark egg breeds...

[Selena]

Hey, I've been curious about the Darkest of the Dark egg layers. I know that the Marans are all the rage (esp. the Black Coppers) but I'm curious as to what breed produces the darkest egg.

Also, in the Marans, do the different types (ie Cuckoo, wheaton, BC) differ in egg colors? Are the BC's so popular because they're really dark, or because they're dark and the birds are pretty. Is it just a new fad like when everyone had to have a "labradoodle"?

 

[therealsilkiechick]

BC's r the darkest of the dark layers that i know of.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
Marans are generally considered to be the breed that is capable of laying the darkest egg. The one *possible* exception would be Penedesenca. Most Marans, however, will NOT lay those darkest eggs. In fact, good Welsummers can lay eggs as dark as many Marans.

Yes, much of the hoopla over Marans is just fad hype. However, they are attractive birds with beautiful eggs and good meat production, so they do have a lot to recommend them. The Black Coppers were the original Marans variety from which the others were bred, so it is natural that they are most popular. They also, in general, lay the darkest eggs. Some of the other varieties will lay eggs as dark or nearly as dark, but it depends on the breeder and the variety.

I hope this helps!

 

[Chickndaddy]

Theoretically Barnevelders should be added to the dark egg-laying list. However, in the US this is definitely not the case. More often than not, egg color is horrible and so is their laying cycle. But they are gorgeous.

 

[greenwing]

Hey, I have been interested in Marans now for months, and have been looking into getting some. Copper blacks do seem to be the darkest of the layers, but copper blues, blacks, wheatons, etc, can be good dark layers, it also seems to depend on the strain of the chicken, I talked to a lady who has CB's, but says hers dont lay super super dark, read about some of the auctions on ebay, there are some that are darker than others, good luck, I am going to order some chicks this spring. personally I think the copper blues are out of this world!

 

[hcammack]

Quote:
I agree and I love my blue copper and black copper girls.

Henry

 

[92caddy]

I have Penedesencas and they lay eggs darker then my Marans and their eggs stayed dark the whole time they were laying, unlike the Marans, the more they lay, the lighter the egg gets. When I had Welsummers, their eggs stayed dark also, they had more spots on the eggs, which I thought was really cool.............

 

[Chickndaddy]

Technically Empordensas should be on the list of dark egg layers as well. Even though they are any solid colored Pendesenca other than Black. (Or at least that is my understanding...)

 

[92caddy]

chickndaddy------- I think you are right on that, Thanks for bringing that up.......

 

[Selena]

Thanks all. I'm wanting to get Welsummers anyway (from a BYCer, Tailfeathers) mostly because they look like the wild chickens on Kauai and also because they lay dark eggs.

I'm going to be selling eggs to friends and I thought it'd be a nice signature to add an egg that's different for them. I have an EE (hoping to get another), and wanted a few REALLY dark layers for fun. I was planning that when they got eggs from me, they never knew what special egg they'd get. To be honest, most of my friends are true-blue city folk. I've had to have the birds and bees talk with many of them regarding egg production WITHOUT roosters.

So I thought that it'd be neat introducing them to "strange" egg colors.

I think the BC Marans are beautiful, but I also think the cuckoos are cool, and love the Wheatons. If I'm going to spend that much on chicks though, I want it to be worth more than just a pretty bird to look at. After all, I have to justify it to my DH!

The darker the egg meets more my needs.

Oh, also, what about temperaments?