Welsummer or Maran?

[HHandbasket]

I'm still new at raising chickens, but when I got my flock, we originally had also gotten a cuckoo maran. She was a royal you-know-what. We took her back. Traded her for a white leghorn. She's a lot nicer. She won't lay a dark brown egg like the cuckoo maran will, but I still think it was an upgrade.

I don't know if all varieties of marans are like that, but it is my understanding that the cuckoo marans don't have the greatest temperament. I will give it serious consideration before getting another one. She literally kept all the other birds that were smaller than her from having access to the feeder and waterer! And she pecked the head of the barred rock almost nonstop and chased her around the pen. I felt that the stress she would bring to the flock over the long haul could inhibit our birds' happiness (and, consequently, their health and their egg production), so she had to go back.

I made jokes that if we kept her, I could see a roasting pan in her future if she didn't leave the other birds alone...

 

[jarcoo0153]

I couldn't decide what i wanted either so I just ordered Dark brown egg layer collection from Ideal!

 

[cluckcluck42]

Well, I don't have any maran hens yet, but I can say my Welsummers laying ability is lackluster at best. I have four hens and if I get two eggs a day it's a good day. My other hens of similar age lay very well, RIR and Brahma. The egg colour is nice, one hen lays speckled eggs and it is sooooo pretty.

 

[McSpin]

If there's one thing this thread clearly points out - it's not so much the breed, as the line you obtain as to whether you'll like one over the other.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

My hatchery Welsummer lays a darker egg than several Marans I have seen. The difference in size between the poor thing and my other birds is phenomenal. She is an excellent layer and I have two of her eggs on lockdown right now. Should be interesting to see what her chicks look like.

 

[ellieroo]

Here I sit with 17 of the neatest calmest most entertaining birds ever

and they are a split 9 BCM and 8 wellsummers. I read these posts and wonder what birds do most have Mine a calm engaging and intelligent birds ??? Got rid of my meaner than snake buckyeyes

that even made my dobe nervous!!

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

I havn't had Welsummers yet but do have BCM and Barnevelder. All the Barnevelder roos were non agressive where most BCM roos were the same but occasionally got a crazy mean one which quickly left the premises. My Barnie pullets were old enough to start laying in the fall but held off until spring but once they started did very well. The BCM began laying in Nov and went non stop all through breeding season. The Barnies are a little flightier and less friendly than the BCM. Egg color on the Barnies depends on the line. The Kelly Cratty show type line lays rather disappointing light eggs where some of the more utility bred lines lay a much darker egg but not anywhere near as dark as the BCM. Something else you might consider is the BCM are very hardy in the wet cool weather. They were out in the rain ranging far and near this winter where the Barnie wanted to run in their house with the first drop of rain and also never ventured far from their pen even in nice weather. But I love them both. Both breeds layed equally well for me with the exception of winter laying with the Barnies.

 

[HHandbasket]

I have a young welsummer pullet with the prettiest feather patterns! She got to come out and sit in my lap yesterday and was perfectly contented to do so (once I got her out of the pen LOL). I'll be happy if I can get a few eggs a week out of her. They'll look pretty in the box with all the others! Heheh.

I have to say, I love the feathers and coloring on the black/copper marans & wouldn't mind checking into a maran again in the future. The cuckoo maran we had for a few days may have just had a personality quirk. Maybe if I think about having a maran again, I'll order eggs and hatch my own so I know their personality from the very beginning. Maybe.

 

[3chimama]

Thank you for the info...I have 2 week old Cuckoo Marans...
Quote:
Actually both Marans and Welsummers deposit the egg color after the egg is formed. Both breeds have a paint booth (so to speak) in there and color is sprayed on..on the way out. The longer the egg stays in the chute the more color sprayed on...the darker the egg. Both Welsummer and Marans egg color can be washed off.