It's funny during the season I'll get spurts of darker eggs than early or late. All my hens throw medium dark to real dark so when comes to incubating I grab my freshest not necessarily my darkest .My BCM eggs are DEFINITELY getting darker since a week ago when they decided to start laying. 2 of the ones I got today are even darker than any of the eggs in the pic above. I am doing the happy dance!e
From what I've read Golden Cuckoo Marans are the only variaty you can sex at a day old.
This breed is generally speaking fairly docile, overall. They usually calm down right away when held. Our hens also act a bit standoffish, with a few friendly and inquisitive individuals. They all will eat out of my hand though. They are a smart breed who is usually good at night roosting with other chickens, and foraging in a freerange situation.
However, the males we've had have been friendly/tame/docile, and we have found them to get along with each other in bachelor pens. Dad is at the end.
We do spend time with them daily, and calmly handle them. They will eat from your hands, relax when being held, and smile when you hold them. They have been very good in freerange groups with other breeds if added when they are nonbreeding cockerels. Not everyone has this experience, unfortunately. In some lines the males can be more aggressive, and fight more with each other. You really need to ask how the temperament of the parents are before buying eggs, or older chickens.
As for very good quality birds... good enough for show... those can be elusive- as no bird is perfect, and everyone is searching for SOP birds that lay dark...not usually things that are necessarily found together. However, I recommend going to FB, and join the Black Copper Fanciers group, and Marans Mania group, which are free. You will learn everything you need to start, meet quality breeders, other enthusiasts and show judges. I also really suggest reading the whole 1000 pages of the Black Copper discussion thread. You will learn so much-! That thread alone is like a college course. Also, attend a few local poultry shows, and take photos of the BC Marans, and speak to other breeders. Sometimes you can purchase award winning poultry after the show. Althoughj your initial costs are more, this can really cut some years off of breeding time, and hatching many eggs.
Can't really sex the day olds with any degree of great accuracy. Wouldn't matter anyway, if you plan to have quality roosters. You will need as many feet as you can get your hands on to get enough quality stock to choose from later, so it is more wait and see most of the time. Roosters don't mature very fast, so you will be changing your mind daily about who will be your keepers the first 9 months, unless you plan to keep only hens. Good luck!
