Welarans, Welsummer x Marans

[UncleChuck]

Has anyone with this cross taken photos of the eggs they lay?
I set 7 or so Welsummer under BCM eggs for my starter flock last year and only one cantankerous male hatched. I've always been curious about what his sisters might have laid, if one type of speckling was stronger than the other, if the different sets of brown genes would work with or against each other, etc.

 

[Creekchics]

Blue copper Marans hen and wellsummer rooster hatched two late summer and have a gorgeous blue roo and light blue hen with darker splash, she hasn't laid yet but anytime, can't wait to see what she lays, her mom doesn't lay super dark though

 

[UncleChuck]

Blue copper Marans hen and wellsummer rooster hatched two late summer and have a gorgeous blue roo and light blue hen with darker splash, she hasn't laid yet but anytime, can't wait to see what she lays, her mom doesn't lay super dark though

I used him over my true blues to hatch some OEs. The pullets gave more marans type speckling then welsummer. The pink and brown eggs are from a different pairing added just to fill the incubator.

He wasn't very nice and it wasn't exactly his fault because his boy parts were gigantic. I got about 5 or 6 cockerels from that first clutch and selected the one who would step onto my arm to replace his daddy. Hopefully the next group to mature will have improved blue.

 

[Msdchickenlady]

So I love my colored eggs, and was sooo excited to try Marans and Welsummers. Both gave me beautiful eggs, but the Marans just didn't lay very many of them, and while the Welsummers layed more, I really like the color of the blue Marans. Sooooo, I decided to cross them to see if I could increase production while still keeping a nice darkish, brown egg. I got 3 pullets; 2 blue copper and a black copper. 2 gorgeous blue copper cockerels. One of the pullets surprised me by starting to lay last fall at 5 months of age, and she kept laying for a month or two. Not sure I have pics of the eggs,but they were a medium size and nice brown color.
I know lots of people are very much against crossing breeds, but I enjoy experimenting.I'm sharing my experience because, when I tried to find info on this cross, I didn't find much. Hopefully this thread will help out someone else who may have the same urge to experiment as I did.
This spring I plan to cross my Marans with a Rock or Sexlink, take that offspring, and breed it back to my Welarans. My ideal is to get a good dark laying chicken.


Blue copper pullet in front of Olive Egger, and next to Splash Marans.
Blue Copper girl who layed early last fall.
One of my two gorgoeus cockerels.
My 2 blue copper pullets
My one black copper pullet. Will be interesting to see if her eggs are any darker than her blue sisters.

I just came across your article because I was curious to see if anyone had done this. I have 4 Welsummer/Black copper maran crosses . I had hoped for all hens but I'm afraid 2 are roosters. They are however absolutely gorgeous roosters. I'm going to see about showing them at the county fair next fall but in the meantime I'm going to see what they turn out like. I'll be interested to see how the hens lay. They're about 5 months old now.