However, even in these darkest lines one has to be careful in choosing breeding stock or risk a decline in egg color quality over time.ĭark egg color in the Marans is something that has to be shepherded, especially in the Birchen (Silver) and Blue lines. The Cuckoo Marans are typically strong as well. The Black Copper Marans are renowned for having the darkest eggs. Which is why, even if you are only interested in the dark eggs, you need to keep in mind what the breed was intended for and select accordingly. They are opposing selection forces and improving on only one nearly always causes a decline in the other. It is always a balancing act in dual purpose breeds to maintain both quality meat and quality eggs. It has an exquisite texture and flavor, that make it quite distinct among heritage chickens. The quality of the meat produced by the Marans is unmatched on my farm. Originally bred in France as a dual purpose bird, the Marans (always spelled with the ‘s’ at the end) is a delight to have on the farm. However, the Marans is about more than just those dark eggs. If a bird does not routinely produce eggs darker than 4 on the egg color chart then it is not a Marans. It’s all about the egg color when it comes to being officially a Marans. Few birds combine more intriguing characteristics than the Birchen Marans.

The dark egg download