These are our first generation crosses of dark marans hens with either a blue-egg tailed Arcauna roo or a marans roo. Of the 5 hens, 3 have pea combs and 2 have straight combs.
Here's the pen. The roo is a sibling and looks like pure marans. We want to hatch from this pen plus add in our original 3 black marans.
The OE eggs are changing colors over the weeks. The pink egg is turning darker towards marans so it is possible she is pure marans with her sprayer not quite working initially. One egg is what I call stone gray and a really neat one almost looks granite. I assume that the sprayer in her is really in bad shape because the spots are almost raised. Today DH brought one in with a definite purple haze ( not the pink one either)
Does anyone have any idea what color results from a second cross to a marans? Darker olive or a further mishmash? We are loving the selection. Our breeding program will continue to concentrate on black marans but we also have our blue-egged tailed arcauna roo Barney around, because he is an awesome roo who is very good with hens and young stock. Plus any roo who gives up his tail to a fox to protect his girls deserves a lifelong home.
And we definitely need to figure out who is laying that dark marans egg.
