Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!

[OkieQueenBee]

So my Marans have started laying (been laying sporadically for a month) and their eggs are not very dark brown.do they get darker with age/maturity and does feed have anything to do with the coloration?

 

[DMRippy]

So my Marans have started laying (been laying sporadically for a month) and their eggs are not very dark brown.do they get darker with age/maturity and does feed have anything to do with the coloration?

I have not seen my eggs get darker. Usually the first ones are the darkest they will be.

 

[Dan the maran]

It is so interesting to hear from you folks about the eggs. I WAS VVERY disturbed that I was getting no eggs from my beautiful Marans when this week I got my first two from my coppers. Thank you for your encouragement which has helped me keep the faith in my birds. Also I had my first eggs hatch from a solid Black maran hen and my Birchen rooster. Once again thank you to you folks for the encouragement . The babies are still wet from this morning's hatch and the are white and blue .

Do you guys think that they will stay blue and white or will they turn yellow like their father did? Should I ever breed him to the copper Marans
or will this ensure straw colored necks.

 

[flgardengirl]

I have not seen my eggs get darker. Usually the first ones are the darkest they will be.

I have had some wonky first eggs and then had them darken up real nice. I have seen it both ways as well. Lighter at first or darker at first.

 

[Rune]

A Texas size howdy . I have bit of a flu thing going but couldnt wait to get back to BYC. Love to read about all the chicken breeds and how ppl breed them. I have bantams they are the pocket size peep. I love mine to pieces they will be 7 weeks on Monday midnight, now that was quite a feat I think. I have porcelans,cochin and one little mille stow away from Murrays chickens. I look forward to learning more about Murans ans so many others.

 

[Dan the maran]

Welcome

My Mom lived in Texas and she died recently . She was in Alvarado where my brothers and sisters and dad live. She was the founder of Gereen dog food now named Blue Wolf. May God love them forever. I think you will enjoy Marans very much and the people here are very warm and nice.

 

[ladycat]

Hey all, I posted in the egg laying forum and someone suggested I post my question in this thread.

I have some black copper Marans I got as chicks from My Pet Chicken. These hens are about a year and a half old, and a BIG percentage (more than half) of their eggs have blood spots and meat(?) spots. They are not saleable as table eggs because of this problem.

I know this is common with pullets, but I thought they would have outgrown that problem by now.

What I'm trying to find out is if this is common with Marans, or just that one strain that comes from MPC/Meyers.

I now have some quality Marans chicks from some other sources (*real* breeders, not hatcheries), and I'm wondering if they will have the same egg interior quality. I would like to raise some extra pullets to add to the laying flock just to have a more colorful variety of table eggs, but not sure if I will be able to do that.

Does anyone here add Marans eggs to their table eggs for selling? How is the quality?

 

[DMRippy]

my first Marans had blood spots but they did clear up. I may have had a few pullets I hatched from them have them but they cleared up too. I have had mine for about 3 years now and I don't see it anymore. I know we talked about it before and it is pretty common in Marans. I have even told people not to use Marans for selling eating eggs....well for a couple of reasons.....not great layers and the blood spots. I don't have a problem with mine for eating eggs anymore....I have not seen a blood spot in eggs but once in over a year now....it was a pullet eggs and was really bad.

 

[desertmarcy]

Hey all, I posted in the egg laying forum and someone suggested I post my question in this thread.

I have some black copper Marans I got as chicks from My Pet Chicken. These hens are about a year and a half old, and a BIG percentage (more than half) of their eggs have blood spots and meat(?) spots. They are not saleable as table eggs because of this problem.

I know this is common with pullets, but I thought they would have outgrown that problem by now.

What I'm trying to find out is if this is common with Marans, or just that one strain that comes from MPC/Meyers.

I now have some quality Marans chicks from some other sources (*real* breeders, not hatcheries), and I'm wondering if they will have the same egg interior quality. I would like to raise some extra pullets to add to the laying flock just to have a more colorful variety of table eggs, but not sure if I will be able to do that.

Does anyone here add Marans eggs to their table eggs for selling? How is the quality?

Yes I sell the Marans eggs as well as other breeds, they are all mixed in. I have noticed more of the blood or meat spots in the Marans eggs. Can't really say how many since I haven't cracked a slew of them open all at once, just to check %. People are buying the eggs and know they are fresh from the farm eggs, not from commercially raised chickens, and no one has complained. I do not know why they would not be saleable, those spots are cosmetic only. The eggs are perfectly edible.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Welcome

My Mom lived in Texas and she died recently . She was in Alvarado where my brothers and sisters and dad live.  She was the founder of Gereen  dog food now named Blue  Wolf. May God love them forever.  I think you will enjoy Marans very much and the people here are very warm and nice.

Sorry about your Mom, she sounds like a remarkable woman.

A Texas size howdy . I have bit of a flu thing going but couldnt wait to get back to BYC. Love to read about all the chicken breeds and how ppl breed them. I have bantams they are the pocket size peep. I love mine to pieces they will be 7 weeks on Monday midnight, now that was quite a feat I think. I have porcelans,cochin and one little mille stow away from Murrays chickens. I look forward to learning more about Murans ans so many others.

Welcome! I love my Marns, and Texas is an excellent place to get them.