Why does my cuckoo marans look different from my others?

[JulietsMomma]

I have 5 cuckoo marans - bought at the same time. They’re around 4 months old now. The one in the back looks like a blue cuckoo marans to me and she’s identical to my others but the one here with the red band (Bertha) is so much darker. Is she considered a black cuckoo marans or something completely different? She has the feathered feet just like the others.

Thanks to everyone in advance

 

[BastyPutt]

Those look blue, not cuckoo of any sort. There's no barring

Ok let me see if I under stand this correctly. Speaking of the Meyer Hatchery standard, not these birds specifically.

Blue Cuckoo Maran

Blue - yes, the variety is blue

Cuckoo - a distinct pattern. Not necessarily a color combo (at least not that I can see). The Meyer hatchery blue cuckoo Maran does not have the cuckoo pattern it is closer to laced.

Maran - generally lays a dark brown chocolate egg. Attached is meyers pics of their eggs. This chicken does not lay a dark brown egg.

So of the three descriptors in the name, only one is accurate.

Why wouldn't they just call it something else!? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Ok let me see if I under stand this correctly. Speaking of the Meyer Hatchery standard, not these birds specifically.

Blue Cuckoo Maran

Blue - yes, the variety is blue

Cuckoo - a distinct pattern. Not necessarily a color combo (at least not that I can see). The Meyer hatchery blue cuckoo Maran does not have the cuckoo pattern it is closer to laced.

Maran - generally lays a dark brown chocolate egg. Attached is meyers pics of their eggs. This chicken does not lay a dark brown egg.

So of the three descriptors in the name, only one is accurate.

Why wouldn't they just call it something else!? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

Marans. Not Maran. It's always plural, even woth just one bird.

Egg color has to be maintained in the line. A lot of hatchery Marans lay light colored eggs because they focus on the mass production of chicks to sell, not the colors they lay, so the browns can be lost over generations

 

[Iluveggers]

Here is her egg, the top middle in the pic.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The one in the back looks like a blue cuckoo marans to me and she’s identical to my others but the one here with the red band (Bertha) is so much darker.

None are cuckoo.. cuckoo is barred.. I see lacing. (common for the andalusian blue gene)

Maybe they are just black and blue (not copper) Marans?

ETA: that Bertha must be dark blue, not black.. Where from? possibly mislabeled?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Okay.. this quote from Meyers..

"The Blue Cuckoo Marans has shades of blue as the primary feather color with varying degrees of cuckoo patterning. The comb is a medium-sized single comb. Blue Cuckoo Marans will have a mix of feathered and non-feathered legs. "

Indicates (to me) there's not a lot tying them to any specific standard of perfection..

So it may very well some new hatchery hybrid (project color) naming that doesn't equate to reality (or standards).. to get only blue barred birds they must be using splash cross cuckoo.. just my guess.

A cuckoo would be black & white barred, for some reason all the blue cuckoos I have seen online, all look laced. So it is highly probable that is what the hatchery considers a blue cuckoo…I thought they would be barred blue and white but have never seen a chicken that looks like that!

Yes, I agree.. and that makes sense.. noting I have seen blue barred.. just looks like grey barring.. a little darker than lavender.

That makes so much sense! Here is a better picture of the coloring on mine.

Sorry for the confusion.

That's a lovely flock!

 

[Iluveggers]

I have two blue cuckoo Marans also. Got mine from Ideal Poultry. Look identical to yours, one is dark blue almost black and the other is a grey. A cuckoo would be black & white barred, for some reason all the blue cuckoos I have seen online, all look laced. So it is highly probable that is what the hatchery considers a blue cuckoo…I thought they would be barred blue and white but have never seen a chicken that looks like that!

Here is a pic of my greyer “blue cuckoo”…she lays beautiful chocolate eggs, darker than my French Black Copper Marans:

 

[JulietsMomma]

I have two blue cuckoo Marans also. Got mine from Ideal Poultry. Look identical to yours, one is dark blue almost black and the other is a grey. A cuckoo would be black & white barred, for some reason all the blue cuckoos I have seen online, all look laced. So it is highly probable that is what the hatchery considers a blue cuckoo…I thought they would be barred blue and white but have never seen a chicken that looks like that!

Here is a pic of my greyer “blue cuckoo”…she lays beautiful chocolate eggs, darker than my French Black Copper Marans:
View attachment 3533259

That makes so much sense! Here is a better picture of the coloring on mine.

 

[sybonbon]

Ok let me see if I under stand this correctly. Speaking of the Meyer Hatchery standard, not these birds specifically.

Blue Cuckoo Maran

Blue - yes, the variety is blue

Cuckoo - a distinct pattern. Not necessarily a color combo (at least not that I can see). The Meyer hatchery blue cuckoo Maran does not have the cuckoo pattern it is closer to laced.

Maran - generally lays a dark brown chocolate egg. Attached is meyers pics of their eggs. This chicken does not lay a dark brown egg.

So of the three descriptors in the name, only one is accurate.

Why wouldn't they just call it something else!? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

My two from Meyers lay a brown darker than your photo. They have a lot of bloom on them so they appear lighter but if you wet them they are chocolate.

 

[sybonbon]

I do! I have 3 and they’re my favorites! Yours are beautiful!

Thank you. I love their eggs and their gentle nature.