Need info on Cuckoo Marans!

[the lemon tree]

So I think I ended up with a Cuckoo Marans, which I thought was a Barred Rock until I noticed that it has *pink* feet instead of the standard yellow

. This kinda bums be out since I've heard so many raves about how good layers BRs are and how they're so hardy in the wintertime. What do you think about Cuckoo Marans? Are they a good breed to have for eggs? I'll be living in Colorado Springs so they will have to be cold tolerant. Please convince me to keep her! (I hope it's a girl)

 

[Rockpile99]

Hi Chickychicky,

I'm up in Longmont! I got two cuckoo marans this year from the local feed store up here. Mine have white/slate feet. Mostly white with black lines running down the toes. Maybe you have a cross breed that's giving you the pink? I just looked a pic and maybe they are a little pink, but that's definietly not the color I would use to describe them.

Unfortunately both of mine have turned out to be cockerels so no super dark eggs for me.

 

[castlecreekfarm]

I think you will eventually love your Cuckoo Marans. I have both and actually prefer the Cuckoos. My hens may be unusual but there is rarely a day they do not lay. Their eggs are beautiful and have never faded. I have heard some people say their eggs really lighten as the season progresses, but I can not tell much difference. I would love to have more Cuckoos!

 

[dun chick]

I love my cuckoos and you will really love the darker eggs you get. The hens are nice, sometimes the roos get a little sturborn but just love my marans.

 

[92caddy]

Mine are good layers, more calmer then the BR, good sitters and good mommas

 

[sandspoultry]

I love our Cuckoos. They are very friendly. Lay a nice size egg and lay alot of eggs. The color is beautiful and does not fade.
They are also sex link - meaning you can tell the sex shortly after hatch.
Here is one of our hens

Here is one of our main roosters

The color of the eggs that they laid

They are a great all around bird.
Sharon

 

[becky3086]

I have not found much to like about my cuckoo marans. They are terrible feather pluckers (yes, I know what everyone is going to say, but they get just as much protein as all my other 150 chickens who don't pluck). The roos are too agressive and leave sores on the hens heads. At first, they were terrible egg eaters but I put in two golf balls and they have stopped that. They were always terribly flighty and afraid of me when I went in the pen, they still are not great but at least they don't try to throw themselves through the chain link now. The egg color is nice but I think my welsummers have a much better temperment, never pick at each other and the egg color is better.
Becky

 

[prinls]

I really enjoy my cuckoos. I have a hen tha is 6 or 7 and still lays. I hatch out most of her eggs for olive eggers. She is in a flock with 2 sexy EE roosters. Se lays huge dark eggs 3-5 times a week. The egg color doesn't seem to fade either.

 

[blackdotte]

If your Cuckoos lay eggs lighter than a Welsummer they are not pure Marans. Neither are they normally aggressive or flighty. Hatchery stock?
David

 

[KattyKillFish]

cuckoos lay very well! ours keep right up with the black stars when it comes to eggs. one a day from each. they lay very dark eggs which are very attractive to people who might want to buy eggs from you.

they are friendly and well mannered birds. cute little things, too. i live here in Alaska and in his region it can get as cold as 30 below. the cuckoos did better than the black stars, who got minor frostbite on their combs. none of the cuckoos got frostbite.

plus, i've never had a mean cuckoo roo when i have met so many MEAN MEAN MEAN barred rocks. one of which carries the name Dr. Satan because of his evil nature.

cuckoos are happy little things

and very friendly. my boyfriend is notorious for having animals hate him, but the cuckoo marans loved him. they would jump on him when he opened the door to the coop and just sit there. we just got more chicks in from Mc Murray and they are quieter than the rest and don't cry when they get lonely.

to me they are over-all great birds