Wanted Copper Maran
- Thread starter JHDH
- Start date
i can personally vouch for ebay seller bayhorsebonne. Her eggs are not cheap but they are the real deal. she is ethical to the highest degree, her birds are beautiful, huge, tame. her eggs are dark and extra large. Tell her patty in riverside sent ya!
Quote:
Don't get sticker shock when you see the price that some of these eggs are going for!! I saw a dozen on Ebay a couple of days ago at $154.00 and the auction had not yet ended.
Don't get sticker shock when you see the price that some of these eggs are going for!! I saw a dozen on Ebay a couple of days ago at $154.00 and the auction had not yet ended.
the highest i have ever seen was $227.50 for a HALF dozen! Criminy!
Give it a year or 2. the price will go WAY down by then. I just wish I was on the "Golden Egg Train" right now. I would be jumping for joy!!!
- Thread starter
- #6
Quote:
You're not dumb at all, it is a good question. The short answer is that the copper black variety of marans typically lays the darkest eggs of all of the marans, right now. Many dedicated breeders are working on improving egg color on other colors of marans so they will soon see a surge in popularity as well. Unfortunately, there are individuals who only see dollar signs with these birds and mistakenly believe that if they buy dark eggs, or birds hatched from dark eggs, then all of their birds will lay dark eggs and they will be able to sell a lot of dark eggs for $$$$. I wish it were actually that easy. The truth is that birds from dark eggs will give you the highest percentage of birds that lay dark eggs. Some will be lighter than others. Some hens will fade more quickly than others. It is only through careful selection and culling that you maintain good egg color, otherwise they will eventually fade out and you wind up with poor egg color across the board.
The breed is beautiful, the eggs are remarkable and they are very rewarding to work with but also present many challenges. You can't tell what birds will have good color and which ones won't just by looking at them. Also, you cannot tell how good of a hen you have until she has been through a full laying cycle in order to determine the longevity of her color. Also keep in mind that the rooster contributes a lot to the egg color as well. It is very important to know the rooster's lineage before using him for breeding. Basically, it takes a loooong time to do anything with these birds. Just when you think you have it all figured out they will then surprise you! It is for this reason that I don't agree that the price will come down in a couple years. Very few people will have the patience and dedication to keep the color up in their flocks and good color will still command a premium.
Some eggs do sell for outrageous prices. There are several very good, reputable breeders out there that you can get eggs from at much more reasonable prices, albeit after a wait on an egg list. The main thing to remember about hatching shipped eggs is that it is always a gamble and 0% hatch rates are far from unheard of. If you are willing to pay $$$$$$ for 6 eggs and are willing to accept the risk then, by all means, go for it. I hope that this does not scare you away from the birds or talk you out of them as that was not it's intent. I simply think it is important to understand the full scope of the breed and that "what you see" is not always "what you get". It is that mistaken belief that can result in a very disappointing, and expensive, experience.
Richard
You're not dumb at all, it is a good question. The short answer is that the copper black variety of marans typically lays the darkest eggs of all of the marans, right now. Many dedicated breeders are working on improving egg color on other colors of marans so they will soon see a surge in popularity as well. Unfortunately, there are individuals who only see dollar signs with these birds and mistakenly believe that if they buy dark eggs, or birds hatched from dark eggs, then all of their birds will lay dark eggs and they will be able to sell a lot of dark eggs for $$$$. I wish it were actually that easy. The truth is that birds from dark eggs will give you the highest percentage of birds that lay dark eggs. Some will be lighter than others. Some hens will fade more quickly than others. It is only through careful selection and culling that you maintain good egg color, otherwise they will eventually fade out and you wind up with poor egg color across the board.
The breed is beautiful, the eggs are remarkable and they are very rewarding to work with but also present many challenges. You can't tell what birds will have good color and which ones won't just by looking at them. Also, you cannot tell how good of a hen you have until she has been through a full laying cycle in order to determine the longevity of her color. Also keep in mind that the rooster contributes a lot to the egg color as well. It is very important to know the rooster's lineage before using him for breeding. Basically, it takes a loooong time to do anything with these birds. Just when you think you have it all figured out they will then surprise you! It is for this reason that I don't agree that the price will come down in a couple years. Very few people will have the patience and dedication to keep the color up in their flocks and good color will still command a premium.
Some eggs do sell for outrageous prices. There are several very good, reputable breeders out there that you can get eggs from at much more reasonable prices, albeit after a wait on an egg list. The main thing to remember about hatching shipped eggs is that it is always a gamble and 0% hatch rates are far from unheard of. If you are willing to pay $$$$$$ for 6 eggs and are willing to accept the risk then, by all means, go for it. I hope that this does not scare you away from the birds or talk you out of them as that was not it's intent. I simply think it is important to understand the full scope of the breed and that "what you see" is not always "what you get". It is that mistaken belief that can result in a very disappointing, and expensive, experience.
Richard
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #8
I understand a little better now. After we hatched eggs in the classroom and in 4H we were hoping to sell a few "ordinary eggs" locally to help cover the cost of feed not necessarily to make a profit. Also to help teach the kids about budgeting and finance. Most of them are too young to really understand but I feel we should start somewhere. We do not have any purebreds. That being said I might like to try the copper black marans for my own fun. Do you sell the copper black maran chickens or eggs. Is it too risky for a newbie to try? Or is this how you get experience? Thanks so much for you help!
Julie
Julie
In my opinion, with the cost of those eggs, I wouldn't try them until after a few other hatches were made. That way you get to find out what your humidity and temp challenges will be in your incubating environment. It stinks when mistakes are made and the cost is high (possibly 0% hatch). I would say get some local eggs or find a different breed you might like and try some of those first. I have done 6 hatches this year and am going to try the black copper marans in a few weeks (it also killed time while on the waiting list). It's just a high cost for me for a "maybe" hatch with only 6 eggs when I have 6 kids I could put that $$ to. If you are patient and research you can get a dozen for about $60 from "good" lines. Good Luck!
Krista
Krista
Julie, I do not have any marans' eggs available and have a waiting list for this fall. I can add you to it if you like. I also agree with Krista regarding getting some experience with other, cheaper, eggs first. Every incubator will have it's own little quirks that you should become familiar with and know how to get the best hatches before investing much into eggs. Hatching can be lots of fun as well as really frustrating. Knowing your specific incubator, inside and out, will help get you closer to a good hatch.
Richard
Richard
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