I want some dark eggers...

[kittykorat]

I'm planning ahead.
I currently have 6 pullets (see siggy- 2 brown eggers, 4 EE's)

I have room for 3 more in the coop. Thinking about next spring, but I would get them this year if I find some started pullets, but have a 5 month old baby, and too busy to deal w/ chicks right now.

I like variety in my egg colors. I have kids, and they think its cool. I'm not planning to breed..

So... I can't decide- Marans, Barnevelder, Welsummers? One of each?
I need cold hearty, and relatively docile...
I know there is a ton of controversy over marans, but I don't need really dark eggs, just darker than my brown eggers.

I know there is a Welsummer breeder about 1 hr away that sexes the chicks, and a marans breeder about 1 1/2 hrs away.. but sells only straight run.
I probably will end up going through MPC.. cause I cannot have roosters.

 

[Illia]

You mean dark eggers like THESE?

<<<<<

Because those are Marans, baby.

Welsummers give a nice Terra Cotta color, but Black Copper Marans are known for the darkest stuff - But you really should only get them from a breeder, even if hatcheries claim to sell them. . . Quality is NO guarantee.

But if it doesn't matter too much for you, I'd go to those Wellies if I were you.

.

Don't go to MPC.

btw if you think distance is a problem, my nearest purchase was 3.5 hours away. . . Most of mine, including the eggs inmy avatar, were 4 hours away.

 

[chicmom]

I have one BCM hen, named Fancy. She's really beautiful and she lays a nice big, dark egg. She only lays every other day though, and she is just under a year old. If you do decide on a Marans, not all their eggs are dark. My first marans didn't lay a dark egg at all. I got mine from a breeder at a poultry show, and she showed me some eggs from her flock, so I was happy with that.

I don't have any Welsummers to comment on.....

Good luck!
Sharon

 

[chicmom]

Oh one more thing about my BCM hen.....she's broody! And I wish she wasn't. So maybe Marans are broody......

 

[countrygurl]

Marans tend to be very broody and make excellant mothers. I would recomend Bev's Marans, you can also get some good quality from Whitmore farms. But I think you have to order more than three.

 

[chkinut]

Quote:
just curious....what's wrong with MPC? i ask, cuz i have 6 EE, 1 welsummer and 1 BO being shipped to me from MPC in a couple weeks.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I'm about to get some welsummer hens and a maran roo. Just curious (Dont mean to hijack your thread) what I can expect from their offspring, has anyone done a mix like this before? Did you end up getting hens that laid darker eggs than just the wellies?

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Happy Chooks]

cluckcluck.......my guess (and just that, a guess) would be that you would get females that lay darker than a wellie but lighter than a marans.

I have welsummers and marans............but none of them are laying yet.

My wellies are almost 21 weeks and my 2 BCM girls are almost 6 weeks.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
just curious....what's wrong with MPC? i ask, cuz i have 6 EE, 1 welsummer and 1 BO being shipped to me from MPC in a couple weeks.

There's nothing wrong with MPC if you just want chickens to lay eggs, but if you want a Welsummer who will truly give you a good egg, I'd rather go for a breeder who pays attention to what they breed - They actually know their Welsummers, focus on them, and look for the best egg. MPC, who gets their stock through Meyer, just looks for quantity - They just want a chicken to lay enough eggs to sell enough chicks. Nothing more. So chances are, your Welsummer from them won't have all that pretty of an egg compared to the typical brown.

 

[kristen2678]

I've also heard when ordering just 3 from MPC you end up with a couple packing peanuts..... roo's though.