welsummers versus marans

[horsechick]

Hi,
How are their dispositions?
Are the roos agressive?
Egg color about the same?

We have kids and other animals and wanted to know if these would fit in or if they are more aggressive/flighty.
Thanks,
Angela

 

[gamebirdsonly]

I have welsummers as far as my birds their relatively calm I haven't really handle them like some of my other chickens so their not much for holding still when picked up. as far as egg color I have a couple hens that lay real dark eggs and a lot of speckled ones. And my rooster is not at all aggressive.

 

[Solsken Farm]

I can only speak for the Marans. They are calm, sweet and friendly, at least ours are. Our children are 6, 8 and 9 and they handle them all the time. Not flighty or high strung at all. We LOVE them.

I have only seen pictures of Welsummer eggs, which are quite dark, and many are speckled. Wellies are on our short list to add to the farm.

Good luck.

 

[keystonepaul]

My Maran's are not as friendly as my Red stars, but they are not flighty or aggressive. I'm kinda fond of mine. Haven't started laying yet though. We'll see about egg color then. Keystonepaul

 

[EweSheep]

Disposition of my girls are all friendly and curious at times. They certainly like to talk sometimes.
I never met an aggressive Welsummer roo except for ONE Wellie roo chick which it was BAD that he was pecking on everyone and some of them had bloody bums. So I dispatched him because I do not allow over aggressive roo chicks at all. The two boys I got are friendly and they love FOOD!

You will get different shades of terra cotta eggs. I got one light terra cotta with speckles and the other one has much darker shade with tiny speckles. Those girls are from two different bloodlines....

I've had Marans and they were disappointing for me....they have stand offish attitude about them and the eggs were not as dark as the Pescendenas. It has been a good while since I last had Marans and today's good breeders would have better egg colors to them.

I say try both breeds and once you get to know them, you will either like them both or get rid of one flock to make room for the other.

To me, Wellies won my heart down big time for dark egg layers and the Penes are the lowest on my list of dark egg layers....too flighty and not good layers.

 

[tfpets]

How are their dispositions?
I have both Marans and Welsummer hens, but only a Marans Rooster - The Marans hens are more sedate, and seem calmer to me. The let me walk up to them and touch them. A have a large number of birds, and an 8 yr old and 10 yr old that are around the pets and birds all the time. The Welsummers are a little bit more standoffish.

Are the roos agressive? My Cuckoo Marans Rooster is the sweetest, calmest non-aggressive rooster I have ever had (I've had alot, including the evil Snowball, one of my silkies) He tolerates my sons all the time, and the other pets as well (Llama, pig, pygmy goats) I have never had the chance to have a Welsummer Rooster, I dont know if they are as flighty as their female counterparts?

Egg color about the same? I have purchased Welsummer eggs, and own Cuckoo Marans, and have purchased Black Copper Marans eggs. The darkest were the Black Copper Marans, next were my Cuckoo Marans. The Welsummers were more Terra Cotta Colored with darker spots.

My Cuckoo Marans eggs are the ones in the corner:

Tina/tfpets

 

[Katy]

My Marans are friendlier than my welsummers, but my welsummers are more consistant layers and don't go broody like my Marans do. I've never kept a welsummer roo to adulthood, but my Marans have always been very calm and not aggressive at all.

 

[horsechick]

Hi,
Thanks all for the insights.
Appreciate it!
Angela

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Here is a picture of my welsummer's eggs.

She lays really dark brown eggs