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The biggest problem with the marans seems to be the crosses out there with Penedesenca in them. I am not sure how so many of these crosses got out there but people bred the Penedesenca to the Marans to increase the darkness in their eggs from what I am understanding. We recently hatched some eggs we purchased off
ebay from such a cross not knowing it and the chicks do have funky combs and are very aggressive and flighty. The eggs were not a nice deep chocolate either but a cloudy dark egg. I can say this because this past week we hatched some marans chicks from another breeder, the eggs were beautiful and the chicks are so mellow and sweet. We have not had the problems with these chicks at all that we had with the first and they have very pretty straight little combs. I so hope they do not turn flighty. We are going to cull all the roos in the first batch and put the hens in the laying flock--of course we only have 3 or 4 hens from that batch.
I really like the marans eggs and would really like to have a nice flock of them but it is turning into more work than I thought it would. We do not show but I do like to sell eggs from my birds.
I think you will love these Marans a lot more than the crosses. They still go through a crazy stage but nearly like the Pene crosses.
Since I was raising Marans before they had a standard decided on, I focused on what I like best about them and stick close to that. The folks that are now deciding about the Marans seem to be pretty clueless. All they think is what is pretty. That is fine for d'Uccles and bantam Cochins but Marans are dual purpose birds and need to be used for that.
The RIR got messed up a long time ago by getting away from what they were originally bred for so I am using the Marans for what they are bred for on my farm.
I like dark eggs and lots of meat with an wonderful temperament. The colors are pretty on the feathers but I don't throw out my birds for being mossy. They may not get bred right now but if they lay nice eggs then I keep them.
It was rumored that the mossy hens laid the darkest eggs. I hatched a few of those girls out and I can tell you that is not true. I used to belong to both Marans clubs and finally had to get away from all their bickering and false info. Marans are a great breed for me and I am sticking with what I have.
Yes, that's what I mean. I'm kind of done with it. I have a lot of great girls that can move to laying and I don't have to deal with it all. I'm going to focus on silkies. I have a much better sense of what is good and what isn't and I love them. And my Ameraucanas. I love my lavs and wheatens. And I have some plans to do Isabel Ameraucanas. No time for drama!
