Is this egg really from a Cuckoo Maran?

[onthefarmnj]

I bought 3 pullets awhile ago that are now 34 weeks old. One is supposed to be a Cuckoo Maran (the other two are an Ameraucana a silver-laced barnvelder; I also have an older EE that lays very pale tan eggs). Got my first two eggs from them yesterday and wasn't sure 100% percent sure who had laid among the barnvelder, CM, and EE (she hasn't laid in awhile with the short daylight), but today I heard the CM "announcing" that she had laid, and sure enough, there was one (warm) egg in the coop. I'm thrilled she's finally laying; the only problem is, it sure doesn't look like a Cuckoo Maran egg to me (photo attached).

Do their eggs get darker over time, or was I mis-led as to the breed? Physically, she looks like a CM.

Thanks!

 

[featheredplanets]

Are you sure she’s not a barred Plymouth Rock? They do look similar. PR have yellow legs, CM have pinkish legs.

 

[Folly's place]

My clean legged cuckoo Marans hens layed eggs only a bit darker than the other brown layers in my flock at the time. Not impressively dark, for sure!
The feather legged French Marans, especially the black coppers, will lay much darker (chocolate) eggs. Currently I have wheaton French Marans from Cackle, and their eggs are pretty dark.
Mary

 

[bhaugh]

Is she a hatchery bird? If so then dark eggs are not too common

 

[onthefarmnj]

Are you sure she’s not a barred Plymouth Rock? They do look similar. PR have yellow legs, CM have pinkish legs.

Is she a hatchery bird? If so then dark eggs are not too common

Thanks for the responses! I will check her legs tomorrow. Not exactly sure what qualifies as a hatchery bird. I bought her from a local independent farm that has a lot of different chicken breeds (they also sell feed and farm supplies). It has several pens with birds of different ages. At the time I bought her, all the pullets of a certain age in the pen that housed younger birds were supposedly CM's, so I expected that the woman knew who had bred with whom. But she did also have multiple pens with adult (breeding) birds, some of which had multiple roosters of different breeds, so maybe she is a little lax in her breeding and identification.

Aren't CM's supposed to have dark spots on their eggs too?

 

[Kiki]

Yes it probably is from a Cuckoo.
They don't lay super dark like a black copper Marans would.

 

[featheredplanets]

Thanks for the responses! I will check her legs tomorrow. Not exactly sure what qualifies as a hatchery bird. I bought her from a local independent farm that has a lot of different chicken breeds (they also sell feed and farm supplies). It has several pens with birds of different ages. At the time I bought her, all the pullets of a certain age in the pen that housed younger birds were supposedly CM's, so I expected that the woman knew who had bred with whom. But she did also have multiple pens with adult (breeding) birds, some of which had multiple roosters of different breeds, so maybe she is a little lax in her breeding and identification.

Aren't CM's supposed to have dark spots on their eggs too?

Sometimes. It all comes down to the lineage. Some people breed for the dark brown egg colour, some breed for high production, some just for the name of the bird. If you want dark dark eggs then I’d look for breeders in your area who focus on egg colour.

 

[onthefarmnj]

She does have pink legs. So I guess next time I am in the market, I will look for a copper Maran

Thanks for your responses!

 

[aart]

Thanks for the responses! I will check her legs tomorrow. Not exactly sure what qualifies as a hatchery bird. I bought her from a local independent farm that has a lot of different chicken breeds (they also sell feed and farm supplies). It has several pens with birds of different ages. At the time I bought her, all the pullets of a certain age in the pen that housed younger birds were supposedly CM's, so I expected that the woman knew who had bred with whom. But she did also have multiple pens with adult (breeding) birds, some of which had multiple roosters of different breeds, so maybe she is a little lax in her breeding and identification.

Exactly. Had this problem buying Marans locally.
....and wonders where she got her birds to begin with?
Many folks get hatchery birds, start producing birds/hatching eggs to sell, and call themselves 'breeders'.

Did you get your Ameraucana's from her too...are they actually Am's or are they EE's?

 

[Folly's place]

In order to have birds laying chocolate colored eggs, this trait needs to be selected for by the breeder, every generation. And it's likely that those birds will lay fewer eggs, in order to have enough of the dark pigment to cover each egg as it's produced.
Selecting for high egg production tends to favor lighter colored eggs.
Mary