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Bev Davis has just about all. I don't think White are rare per se, it's just that White is not a popular color. I have Dels and they are dirty looking due to wet weather. Like a white care White birds show the dirt. My dels are great layers but not much to look at in the spring and fall when there is mud.
Seems to me Marans are kept for the Darkness of egg color and Black Coppers lay the darkest , I've read. I don't hear much mentioned of "per annum" eggs, nor "meat quality". When folks complain of no eggs , it could be due to the line being bred for other qualities than what we really keep chickens for.
It also seems to me that pretty birds are like fashion models. Nice to look at but not much use otherwise.
(of course there are exceptions in fashion models)
I chose birchens cuz I thought they were rare but they don't lay eggs as dark as BCMs. I think the web site for the Marans club says they are not yet recognized in France. I won't keep an entire flock of anything really, except my Dels I suppose.
They are pretty decent layers when they are in full production... and if one has the time, space and extra funding to raise them up to full maturity they are excellent meat birds. I cooked an 8 mos. old cockerel a couple weeks ago for my Halloween Party he was a very nice sized bird. Their dark meat reminds me of dark meat on a turkey and it is delicious. That one bird made 3
very large pans of enchiladas. Yummy!
Edited to add: I believe it says on the MCCUSA that they can lay on average up to 200 egg per year.
Can't wait to get home and see if I get any more!!!!!!!!!!!
