Black
Copper Marans - Marans lay a dark brown egg. The following
is some information that may be important to folks wanting to
keep, show, and/or breed Black Copper Marans as close to the
standard as possible.
My original
flock genetics is based upon the Wade Jeane line. Of course
once a few generations pass by, nobody can claim that their
line is by the hand of Wade Jeane, Bev Davis, or any of the
other most famous breeders. Don't be fooled. Once a breeder
takes on a line and starts making their own breeding decisions,
it becomes their own line for better or worse. Marans breeding
is a balancing act between too much copper and not enough copper,
too much shank feathering or not enough. Every generation is
a challenge, but if you love the breed, there is nothing better.
And of course....there is that incredible egg color which sets
marans apart from the rest.
Note
on egg color. Hens "paint" their eggs and every egg
is different from day to day. The longer a hen paints the egg,
the darker it will be. Highly productive hens will have a lighter
egg now and then, especially right before she takes a break.
Her eggs get darker again when she resumes laying eggs. A hens
egg MUST be at least a 5 on the marans chart within her cycle
to be considered a quality marans hen. Less than a 4, and it's
not considered a real marans at all. Large hatcheries are
notorious for selling marans that don't meet the standard in
plumage or egg color, so buyer beware. Mass production results
in poor quality birds no matter the breed.
If you
are interested in the correct breeding and standards of this
breed, give me a call and we'll talk chicken. (MOAC member #281,
Marans of America Club) Also, if you are looking for marans
of a different color variety, give me a call as I might be able
to direct you to a breeder who has that variety. |
@ Snake River Performance Horses
