Marans question- egg color & copper

[Goose and Fig]

I decided to put this in a seperate thread because I seem to be ignored every time I post something in the marans thread. It just moves way too fast.

1-Splash Copper Marans- do they ever actually show any copper? (reason I ask- my splash wheatens actually show wheaten)

2-Blue & Splash Copper Marans- can I expect lighter egg color from these hens than the black coppers even though they came from the same parents?

 

[hoppy]

I can't answer your first question but your splash and blues should lay the same color eggs (within reason) since they are from the same parents although individual birds can lay darker or lighter just depends how their genes came together.

 

[pinkchick]

Happy~ I'm sorry that your question was overlooked. Thanks for posting it here because it definitely won't get lost here.

Splash Copper Marans- Are you asking in particular about the males or females or both? I have found that the females are less likely to show the copper than the males. I have only been able to produce on Splash Copper female and one Splash Olive Egger female that ever showed a speck of copper and at first I had to keep looking to make sure that I wasn't just seeing muddy rooster tracks.

Yes you can expect a lighter egg color from Blue and Splash pullets and hens. Splash and Blue tend to naturally lay a lighter egg than the Black Coppers. But with that said.........there are many Blue Copper and Blues out there that lay some fantastic colored eggs. I find that breeding blue to black or splash to black that egg color is better in the offspring vs. breeding blue to blue or blue to splash or splash to splash. The Black Copper helps retain and lend egg color and with backbreeding it can be improved. This year I finally have 2 Splash birds that lay as dark and darker than a couple of my Blue Coppers and put a couple of my Black Copper hens eggs to shame. The egg color of the Splash being the lightest and the Blues being closer to that of the Black Coppers, but they shouldn't vary really anymore than a couple of shades.

Hope this helps and that others come along and give you their opinions too.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Cool- thanks guys! I have some girls of each color, and a roo of each color to match. Still trying to figure out how to split them up so I'll get the most blue coppers and still have good egg color. I'm not really worried about standards at this point- it's all about the eggs and pretty BBS birds for me, me, and me!

The splash coppers are the only ones I can't see any red in at this point- it would be so pretty if they did show some.

 

[blackdotte]

Sorry to disagree with Pinkchick but there is no correlation between plumage colour & egg colour.

 

[fdnick]

I can see what Pink is refering too.. I do not think its is the plumage versus egg color so much as genetics.. the black coppers DO lay darker eggs.. at least mine do.. we have wheatens, blues and blue coppers and none of the others are as dark as the black copper eggs.
Denna

 

[Goose and Fig]

Well- I have 2 marans that are laying age- a black copper that has a nice dark egg- maybe a 6? (not chocolate by any means) And a regular splash hen (not french) that lays a lighter egg than my speckled welsummer ones. But then I came across this website looking for pics of splash with the copper showing:

http://www.blackcopperchef.com/Black_Copper_Marans_FSD1.html

You can see the egg color about 1/2 way down the page.