Flock Insider: Maran Chickens
- Rachelle Shepherd
- Jun 5, 2023
- 12 min read
Updated: Jul 23, 2023
Everyone's favorite chocolate color egg laying chicken is the Black Copper Maran, but did you know they come in many colors?
Are you a James Bond 0-0-7 fan? If so, you should recall that the Maran's egg is his favorite!
Did you know that Marans come in many different colors and varieties? We just got our first couple Black Copper Marans (BCMs) which are all the rage, but we've been keeping Blue Copper Marans for much longer!
Marans hail from France and the "French varieties" still have feathered legs like the original imports, but in America and some other countries they can come in both feathered and non-feathered feet.
French Marans - A New Breed?
French Marans seem to have come out of nowhere in the beginning of the 1900s and was not actually accepted into the American Poultry Association (APA) until 2011! This seems wild since almost everyone who has chickens seems to have (or wants!) a BCM. However, their heritage can be traced much further than that and some scholars believe that their ancestors may have emerged around the historic area of Marans, France as far back as the 1300s. You see, in their homeland, their first original ancestors were known as "swamp chickens" to the locals because they lived in the wet, marshy areas of the La Rochelle and Marans areas. The local French people began keeping them and sometime between the 19th and 20th century, they were crossed with Indonesian Game Fowl and fighting cocks that came across on trade ships. Due to this, many roosters can still be quite confrontational and will fight often if they are kept with other roosters.
According to the Marans Chicken Club USA, "Gradual development of the breed then continued through the centuries, including the introduction of Brahma and Langshan blood during the late 1800s." As with most breeds, no one knows exactly what went into the mixing pot during their early development, but by the end of the century, Marans were taking on the form that we are more familiar with today. In France, their legs were feathered to their toes to combat the harsh winters and coastal winds of the Atlantic which has made them still a cold hardy breed today.
In the beginning of the 1900s, Marans primarily were found in the cuckoo pattern that is still the most popular color variety today. In 1914, Marans made their premier on the French poultry show tables and by 1931 they were a recognized breed. By 1932, six different varieties of Marans were recognized in France and their popularity increased. Very quickly they were recognized for their tasty eggs that were said to be better than other breeds. Even 007 himself is said to love the taste of a fresh Maran egg! At first, they weren't an overly productive egg producer so the breeders buckled down and worked on increasing production. By the 1950s, it was said that a Maran hen laid around 200 dark brown eggs a year. Aside from that, they are larger birds and are also said to have fantastic tasting meat, making Marans truly a dual purposed, versatile breed.
Although it is thought that Marans probably ventured across the seas with settlers and perhaps even Vikings for centuries before, integration of Marans into present day America has been slow until recently. In fact, before they really started making their way to the Americas they almost died out altogether! They were quite popular in France until the World Wars and then they almost died out completed. Thankfully, the government of France realized this and created a breeding program to bring it back from extinction. This is about where the breeders jumped in and increased the egg production of the breed as a whole so that it was more beneful. After the breed regained popularity, the program ended but the breeders were by now obsessed with the dark colored eggs and began focusing on other traits of the breed like type, color and making those dark eggs even darker.
As mentioned before, France and America prefer the feather footed variety, but England actually accepted Marans much quicker and they were accepted to show in 1935. However, England and much of the rest of the world keeps a non-feather footed variety. In America and France, we have both the non-feathered and feathered varieties but most prefer the feathered. Most of the time, when you see a hatchery or breeder advertising their chickens as "French Marans," they are referring to the fact that they are the feather-footed variety. Many commercial hatcheries have created an industrial version that produces more eggs but they are non-feather footed and their eggs are typically lighter in color.
In France, there are many accepted color varieties including: Black Copper, Silver Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, White, Black, Wheaten, Columbian, Black Tailed Buff, and Silver Black (Birchen). In England, only Silver Cuckoo, Golden Cuckoo, Dark Cuckoo and Black are accepted. In America, we have only accepted four color varieties so far: black, wheaten, white and black copper. This is quite strange considering the fact that the cuckoo variety is considered the original, was imported to the US first and is still considered the most popular variety today. However, do not let the fact that cuckoo is not accepted deter you from keeping a few for yourself! In fact, we are working on our own Blue and Black Cuckoo Marans because we love their beautiful plumage, they offer a variety instead of just keeping the Blue and Black Coppers and they are said to lay just as dark of eggs as the BCMs! There are also many other colors that are being developed.
Personality Test
I have to admit, I wasn't totally sold over our first few Marans. In fact, our very first one was one of our very first chicks and was actually a Cuckoo Maran. She never really became overly friendly and would run away from me every time and act like I wanted to kill her! Meanwhile, my Rhode Island Reds and Black Sex Links absolutely loved being held, so I wasn't in a big hurry to replace her after she moved on.
However, our more recent additions, including Copper pictured here, are much more personable! We have a small starter flock of Cuckoos in Blue and Black and of Blue and Black Coppers. Copper was not supposed to be a rooster, but he is a pretty fun one so far! Although he is constantly trying to spar with poor Peanut Butter, our main guy right now who is a beautiful Golden Laced Polish and who thankfully goes easy on him so far! I think Copper has such a feisty personality because Marans are supposedly descended from Indian game fighting cocks as mentioned above, but as others have also reported, he is so far friendly with people.
One of my favorite hens right now is Marley who is a Blue Cuckoo Maran. Since I brought her home, Marley has been the leader of her flock and was almost impossible to keep in the brooder! Every time I looked over, there was Marley, perched on top of the brooder again and staring at me. Since she was always hanging out on top of it, she got pretty used to us and actually enjoyed being held when she was smaller. She doesn't quite want to cuddle anymore now that she is almost adult sized, but she does still talk to me and likes to be close by when I am out in the yard. This might be because of her fondness for treats though! Marans do love to forage outside and will never pass a tasty snack when offered.
It is reported that Marans do not go broody very often, so if you want a layer but not a setter, they are a good option. They also tend to be quieter, so they make good backyard birds for those with nearby neighbors. The roosters do tend to crow quite a bit though and are not afraid of a quarrel, so trying to keep them in the city is not recommended. Roos will also happily give their life for their flock and they are larger chickens, so they tend to be a good option if you need a protective boy to watch over his ladies.
A few of these guys have stolen our hearts now, so they are one of the few breeds we will be starting to work on at our new location!
What Else are Marans Used for?
Did I mention their chocolate-colored eggs? This is no exaggeration! They are well-known for their dark colored eggs, considered the darkest chicken eggs in the world. In fact, their egg color is such an important makeup of the breed itself, they are literally judged by it! Due to this, if your Maran does not produce a dark enough egg, it should not be used in a breeding program. Marans Chicken Club USA states that the egg color should be a minimum of a 4 on their egg shade card. These cards show the different shades of brown an egg might come in and you can compare your egg color to the card's shade easily by using a small hole in the center of each color. Each egg shade card costs only 2 for $6 on their website and is very helpful to have around! Additionally, Marans eggs are said to be some of the best tasting eggs in the world.
It should be noted that Marans lay their darkest eggs of the year at the beginning of their cycle. Many of them will lay throughout the winter, but might take a break in the summer during the hot temperatures. After this break, their eggs will regain their "bloom" and they will start laying their darkest eggs of the season! As the season resumes and goes on, the bloom will slightly decrease through the end of the year. It will never become tan or cream or anything, but they may go down a few shades on the color card. Marans also tend to only lay about 200 eggs a year, which is much less than some of the other high producing breeds and averages to about 2-3 eggs a week.
Aside from the chocolate colored eggs, the newest craze are green and olive colored eggs! To get these colors, Marans are most often used and crossed with Cream Legbars, Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers which are blue egg layers. This can create beautiful "Olive Eggers" which lay the desirable mossy, olive or green toned eggs. They also have very striking plumage and barring or cuckoo patterns that people often think is from Barred Rocks but are many times actually from Cuckoo Marans.
As mentioned, Marans are fairly large chickens with hens ranging from 6-7 pounds and roosters at 8 pounds or higher. They also are said to have very fine tasting meat that is both tender and juicy! Their breasts are the best tasting portion on them and many fine restaurants serve Maran chicken meat exclusively and boast of their amazing flavor. Due to their present day usage as both an egg producer and for meat, it is truly considered a dual purpose breed!
If you need a free ranging, foraging, predator averting chicken, Marans are a good choice. As they were wild chickens until quite recently, they have retained much of their wild tendencies including the ability to forage well and avoid other animals. Marans are tall and can jump decently well also, so they are good at getting up high and love to perch at the top of the coop. Many of their colors are good at camouflage also - cuckoo, copper necked, wheaten - and provide them additional tools to avoid predation. Since they were swamp chickens, their eggs are darker colored to blend in so their nests were not as easily discovered. Their feathered feet and legs keep them warm in the winter and the wet does not bother them as much as other breeds. In fact, the heat is the hardest part for them to adapt to because it doesn't get as hot in Marans, France!
What Should a Maran Chicken Look Like?
One of the defining characteristics of a Maran chicken is the 45 degree angle that it's head and tail should be arched in. Even so, their backs are decently longer in comparison and appear broad, especially at the shoulder area. Their breast also appears broad and wider than most. They should have the appearance of a strong bird with a full appearance throughout.
Both rooster and hen should have a single comb with the roosters being a fairly large comb. They also seem to have a longer beak which curves at the end. Their head and neck should be moderately sized, but long, giving them the tall appearance. The roosters tail feathers should be shorter than average and not as impressive as other breeds. They hold their wings close to them and horizontally to their bodies.
Marans legs should be held in a wide stance and should also appear strong and thickset. Their thighs and shanks should be well feathered, broad and strong. Their feet should be straight and toes well apart. Marans have only four toes and the outer toes may be feathered but the inner toes are not. Although their legs are well feathered, their feet and toes are far less feathered than Silkies or Cochins. Their feathers should also appear thick, oval in shape, well set and fluffy throughout their body so that they may stay warm in the cold.
Most people think of the Black Copper Maran when they hear about a "Maran chicken." Black and Blue Copper Marans should have copper neck, face and some saddle feathers on roosters on either a black or blue base. The coppery tone is a reddish-orange color that is vibrant and eye-catching. It makes them quite beautiful to look at! There is another hybrid breed now that looks similar though, called the "Black Star" or "Black Sex Link." Care should be taken to ensure these are not the breeds you are purchasing!
The best way I can describe ensuring this is that the face of a Maran chick looks like a penguin. Yes, a penguin. They have white markings around their eyes and throughout their face which gives them their penguin-like appearance! Additionally, all Maran chicks should have a few white feathers on their under wings beneath their primary coloring. Sometimes you can see the white feathers poking through by just looking at them, and other times you will need to separate their wings out to see the white feathers on the bottom portion. These are not baby fluff feathers, but will be solid white feathers. This has been true for me in both Cuckoo and Copper varieties.
The other primary variety that is actually more popular, especially outside of the USA, and is the original color for the breed is the Cuckoo pattern. Cuckoo resembles Barred patterns but is not as uniform in pattern, is more random, and has less vivid and more blurry lines between the coloring. Both patterns resemble a checkered pattern but Cuckoo Marans are black or blue with white checkers scattered on top and Barred Plymouth Rocks are equally black and white squares distributed equally. We have had Cuckoos that do not show their white pattern at all and instead have just lighter spots scattered throughout the solid background. This can be quite frustrating but can happen with larger hatcheries that do not breed for quality and coloring.
Our Future Flock
We are starting on the two primary color types of Marans - Cuckoo and Copper necked. We had planned on only getting a few Marans to add to our colored egg flock, but we ended up with quite a large flock now. We tried to start with Cuckoos by getting a four "Blue Cuckoo" pullets first to add to our rainbow egg flock. As I mentioned, I did not realize I would take to them so much! We sold the others after they grew, but Marley and Ziggy both won over my heart though they never developed their Cuckoo patterns, so I think they were mislabeled and are actually Blue Coppers.
The next round was our actual Blue and Black Copper Maran chicks, which we kept three of the bunch. The two Black Coppers ended up being one pullet and one cockerel - of course! "Copper" will now be our BCM and Olive Egger rooster of the flock. He has an amazing temperament for a rooster so far and doesn't mind too much if the kids hold him still. His girlfriends are Onyx, the Black Copper pullet, and Sapphy ("Sapphire") the Blue Copper pullet.
Later, Nick decided to pick a chick during a different time and this time chose a Black Cuckoo Maran that he said was "perky." Well, Mr. Perky turned out to be just that - another Mister! "He" is now Cooky, because he is crazy, and he will be the starting rooster for our Cuckoo flock. Thankfully, he has a very strong Cuckoo pattern that will hopefully pull that out on the hens if we choose to put Ziggy and Marley under him later.
Finally, we got a couple discount chicks that were another Blue Copper Maran pullet, now Bluey, and a Black Cuckoo Maran that was mistakenly sold to us as a Plymouth Barred Rock. Though they are very similar, that penguin face and white breast gave her away! She is clean legged, unlike the rest of our Marans flock, and yellow legged so far as well like the Rocks, though she is young still (six weeks or so). She has quite a feisty personality! Daphne named her Emerald, though I call her Frack to go with the actual Barred Rock, Frick.
After we get settled, we will probably seek some better quality Marans to increase our flock standards and work towards the SOP (Standard of Perfection). They might even be a breed we show or the kids use in 4-H since they are friendly and easier to work with! And wouldn't it be fun to try a color like Wheaten, Black/Blue Silver, Silver and Lavender or Golden or Silver Salmon and still get those luscious, dark chocolate colored eggs?! I, for one, cannot wait to try them some day!
Leave some comments on the site or post on the board groups to let me know what you think about keeping Marans, what your Marans are like, and if you like this post!
#PoultryBreeds #Marans #MaranChickens #MaranChicken #BlackCopperMaran #BlueCopperMaran #CuckooMaran #ChocolateColoredEggs #DarkBrownEggs #FeatherFooted #EggLayers #DualPurposeBreeds #ChickenBreeds
References
APA Admin (2023) Standard - Black Marans, American Poultry Association, https://amerpoultryassn.com/2021/09/standard-black-marans/
H., Manda (November 29, 2021) Breed Spotlight: The Marans, Meyer Hatchery, https://blog.meyerhatchery.com/2021/11/breed-spotlight-the-marans/
The Happy Chicken Coop (June 22, 2021) Black Copper Marans: Complete Breed Guide, The Happy Chicken Coop, https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/black-copper-marans/
Hudson, J. (November 12, 2022) Black Copper Marans: History, Appearance, Eggs and Care, Chicken Scratch, https://cs-tf.com/black-copper-marans/
Marans Chicken Club USA (2022) Marans Chicken Club USA, https://maranschickenclubusa.com/
My Pet Chicken (2023) Marans, My Pet Chicken, https://www.mypetchicken.com/pages/marans
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