Egg color

[SarahInAlaska]

I recently got two hens (one yesterday and the other the day before), one claiming to be a barred rock and the other to be a cuckoo maran. One of them laid an egg today but she hunkered in the box behind the ramp where it was dark and I couldn't tell which one it was. The egg is darker than a barred rocks should be but far lighter than a Marans should be. I don't know when they molted last so I don't know where in their cycle they are. I'll be a little upset if my maran isn't one as I paid a bit for her. After I bought her the guy said she doesn't lay as dark an egg as he thought she should. I read somewhere that Vitamin K can help darken the color...any opinions? I was so hopping to have lively chocolate colored eggs but this ones only difference from my Australorp eggs is that it's speckled. Any ideas?

Please excuse the sticker. I can't find my pencil sharpener so I used a yard sale sticker to date label it.

 

[countrygoddess]

My guess would be the Rock. Your Marans may not lay super dark eggs, as I've read that Cuckoos' eggs aren't as dark as, say, Black Copper Marans eggs, but I think you'll find they're darker than the one you have in your hand. Maybe. I have three Marans hens and their eggs vary but are certainly not dark. They're usually a little bit darker than the one in your picture. One thing you may notice is that your Marans might occasionally lay speckled eggs. Very pretty!

 

[Pyxis]

I've heard that the ones that lay the really dark eggs are the black copper marans. Other color varieties, like cuckoo, splash, blue, etc lay lighter colored eggs. My friend has cuckoo marans too and her welsummers lay darker eggs than they do. Nice big egg though!

 

[SarahInAlaska]

Okay! I'm even fled bating though if the one is a barred rock at all. I read the way to tell the difference between the BR and the Cuckoo Maran is feet color but they both have the same colored feet. I had an egg buyer who will be so disappointed if they aren't darker . I'm picking up some BCM hatching eggs tomorrow so hopefully they will pan out.

 

[SarahInAlaska]

Good grief. Stupid phone. * I'm even debating , not even fled bating...

 

[countrygoddess]

Okay! I'm even fled bating though if the one is a barred rock at all. I read the way to tell the difference between the BR and the Cuckoo Maran is feet color but they both have the same colored feet. I had an egg buyer who will be so disappointed if they aren't darker

. I'm picking up some BCM hatching eggs tomorrow so hopefully they will pan out.

Serious breeders breed for dark eggs and breed OUT yellow legs. She's just not the result of a serious breeder, or the result of a new breeding program.

 

[SarahInAlaska]

They both have the white legs. Do Barred Rocks ever have white feet? I'm sure it's just because she's not from a serious breeder.

 

[SarahInAlaska]

Here are pictures of the two girls. Both have white legs but ones feather design might be slightly less crisp (kind of blurry looking) compared to the other.

Pretty sure this was the "barred rock" one

And this was the "cuckoo maran"

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

Good grief. Stupid phone. * I'm even debating , not even fled bating...

LOL I thought fled blating was some Alaskan thing!

 

[SarahInAlaska]

Yeah, no..... My phone just hates me. It likes to "autocorrect" even when I've written stuff correctly.