The Poultry Keeper

mojo · Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:34 pm Post subject: hi

as you know i live in france home of marans.....the bantams eggs are not as brown as the full size and ask to see eggs before buying birds............. here they say the best colour eggs come from the blackest birds...certainly my black/copper gives eggs the colour of mahogoney but the two bantam black/coppers only give dark brown eggs so if egg colour is important check before you buy.............mojo Cool

Fangs · Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:35 pm Post subject:

Peppy, my large cuckoo marans hen. (she was bought as a bantam lol, and her sister whom my friend has is bantam, but she just kept growing, and is now huge! lol)

Fangs

Gavin · Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 14

Heres my marans:

[/img]

Aussie Chick · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:09 pm Post subject:

They're lovely looking. How many birds have you got?

Gavin · Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 14

I have 1 cockerel and 8 hens. Also about 15 pullets which were hatched this year the rest i have sold

CP · Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 11:16 pm Post subject:

Lovely birds! Smile

stuffed · Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 50 Location: Milton Keynes

Here is my 30 week old Maran cock Henry

I have got a new hen to go with him but I don't have any pics yet.

eejay · Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Cornwall

We have recently bought a copper-headed Maran, which we've called Ginger. (Don't have any piccies yet). She is gorgeous and a real character- first out of the run to free-range, last back at night and we had a 4oz double-yolker egg the other day. We bought her at point of lay, and the eggs are a warm brown, rather than mahogany, but with mahogany speckles. Are the eggs likely to be darker as she gets older, or does it just depend on the individual hen? (Think Mojo might know the answer to this one) Smile

Thanks

nigel · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 9:14 am Post subject:

I think Mojo might have an answer to this one too Very Happy

thewinkingtiger · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 936 Location: East Yorkshire, UK

My cuckoo Maran Molly lays speckledy eggs instead of dark brown ones too!

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 409 Location: Shetland

Aussie Chick · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 4:55 pm Post subject:

Attila,

can you post pics of your eggs here??

I agree, the egg colour is to do with the strain of the parent bird. If you want really dark eggs you should ask the breeder to show you eggs from the mother bird.

My Maran loves lovely dark eggs, she does have odd days of lighter colour but still chocolaty.

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 409 Location: Shetland

No probs, Aussie Chick. Will scan a photo tonight. Sold a half dozen today in the office with one of them in it - much consternation! And accusations of having painted it... Whistle

as if! And then a colleague asking to buy some pullets from me later in the year. Result!

Attila

Aussie Chick · Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject:

Well done!! I look forward to pics later.

Attila The Hen · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 409 Location: Shetland

Okay, have never tried to put a photo in a post before, so bear with me!

Apologies it's not terribly in-focus, but at least the colour's clear enough. This was the first egg one of my marans laid - since then she's still popping them out every other day or so. Strangely her sisters haven't bothered yet apart from one accidental, lonely egg... will post another photo of a half dozen of her eggs once the film's developed and I can scan it (yeah, I know, I should be using the digital camera... but I've lost the lead that connects it to the computer... doh Rolling Eyes

)

Attila