Marans questions

[cariboujaguar]

all five of my gals laid an egg today and only 2 were dark enough to qualify as Marans, I want to cull the others, how on earth do I figure out who lays which egg? Do I just have to watch and catch them?

also one of them was pink, is that normal or do you think the hatchery cheated and cross bred some chickens?

I was also wondering if people ever breed diff colored Marans hens to diff colored Marans roos? I have golden cuckos, is there any other color that is compatible with them? I don't understand genetics very well... Could I breed cuckos to BCM, for example, to get darker eggs then breed back to Cuckos to keep the patterns strong?

thanks guys!

 

[Krys109uk]

How long have your Marans been laying?

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I identify my girls eggs by having seen which one laid which egg. Now, I know exactly which egg belongs to who based on shape and color. I guess you just have to keep an eye on them.

 

[cariboujaguar]

they've been laying 3 days, I've only had them a week and they were all broody before I got them

 

[cottagegarden]

You have to see them lay or put hem in a pen where they are the only Marans. As the egg color can vary of the cycle you might want to watch them for a little bit. I wouldnt cross BCM with Cuckoos, you will just get mixed Marans. You could try finding a Cuckoo roo in your area from a dark egg to increase the egg color in the offspring of your hens. Hatchery Cuckoos dont seem to lay as dark seems to be the general consensious. In fact, the owner of our feed store raised some and was disappointed when they started to lay.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I don't have any marans, but from some of the threads I've read here the eggs often have a tendency to get darker as the bird's body gets used to laying--not sure of the timeframe--maybe a few weeks?. This is aside from the normal start dark and gradually fade over the laying cycle.

I certainly wouldn't write them off after only 3 days.