Selecting Maran Roosters for darker eggs

[AzizSh]

Hello,
This is my very first post on BYC!!
So I have about about 6 Maran rooster that I am starting my flock with. They hatched along with 4 chicks in late May. so they are almost 7 months now. I am very excited for the hens to start laying!

I want to start breeding for darker eggs, so I am not sure which roosters to use. Unfortunately I did not mark the ones that came from darker eggs. I was wondering if there are any hints of darker eggs line based on how the rooster look? Also some of the roosters are way bigger than the others? is that a trait that I want in my flock?

Those are the roosters

 

[Shadrach]

Hello Azizsh
Welcome to BYC.
I'm a bit confused. It's the hens that lay eggs.
I have Marans here and I've found there is quite a large variation in egg colour from a single hen.

 

[AzizSh]

Hello Azizsh
Welcome to BYC.
I'm a bit confused. It's the hens that lay eggs.
I have Marans here and I've found there is quite a large variation in egg colour from a single hen.

What I meant is for the next generation of hens. Which rooster should I used for breeding to have the next generation hens to lay darker eggs?

 

[Shadrach]

What I meant is for the next generation of hens. Which rooster should I used for breeding to have the next generation hens to lay darker eggs?

I'm not absolutely sure about this but I don't think the rooster matters.
The hen colours her eggs as the last process before they leave her vent.
I've had bantam roosters (not Maran) mate with Maran hens and the eggs still come out brown.
I would choose a rooster by size though. I would pick one that is closest to the size or the hens.

 

[The Moonshiner]

No there's no way to tell by looking at them.
Although not fool proof it would of been wise to marked which came from the darkest eggs.
I never hatched from anything but the darkest eggs and kept track of who came from which egg and which parents.
Also kept track of who were full or half siblings with the idea that if a pullet laid dark eggs her brother would have a good chance of producing chicks with the darkest egg genes.
You could get some good replies if you post on this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/international-black-copper-marans-thread-breeding-to-the-sop.1122465/page-1119
Its pretty active with some folks that really know marans.

 

[AzizSh]

No there's no way to tell by looking at them.
Although not fool proof it would of been wise to marked which came from the darkest eggs.
I never hatched from anything but the darkest eggs and kept track of who came from which egg and which parents.
Also kept track of who were full or half siblings with the idea that if a pullet laid dark eggs her brother would have a good chance of producing chicks with the darkest egg genes.
You could get some good replies if you post on this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/international-black-copper-marans-thread-breeding-to-the-sop.1122465/page-1119
Its pretty active with some folks that really know marans.

Thank you for your reply, I got the eggs through a breeder online and hatched them myself. I had no way of knowing if any are siblings.

 

[AzizSh]

No there's no way to tell by looking at them.
Although not fool proof it would of been wise to marked which came from the darkest eggs.
I never hatched from anything but the darkest eggs and kept track of who came from which egg and which parents.
Also kept track of who were full or half siblings with the idea that if a pullet laid dark eggs her brother would have a good chance of producing chicks with the darkest egg genes.
You could get some good replies if you post on this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/international-black-copper-marans-thread-breeding-to-the-sop.1122465/page-1119
Its pretty active with some folks that really know marans.

Thank you for your reply, I got the eggs through a breeder online and hatched them myself. I had no way of knowing if any are siblings.