Marans, tell me your experience

I am going to be getting some black copper marans chicks. The females will be for eggs, the males will be for processing. I am initiating this thread so I can learn a little more about the breed, from others that have marans, in particular black copper. Tell me about this breed, I would like to know personality, egg laying capabilities, do they winter lay, with or without lights, good immune systems, age of lay, age of processing. I would like to have more egg layers in our coops for our families and the two breeds I have do not provide enough eggs, so this is the thought....dark eggs, so I can tell the difference between the other breeds. So, anyone with marans, tell me your experiences. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

I have some hatching at this very moment in the class, so I guess we will be learning together!

I have limited experience with them. I have them just for their egg colour and the little project I am doing.
The Black Coppers I have had are very bossy, pushy birds. They bully my other breeds (and the PChants are not wall flowers) and are the top of the pack. They will go out of their way to pick on the lower birds.
The Blue (not Copper) is not so bossy. She is at the top of the order, but not pushy or picking on anyone. She is tougher to handle and not as friendly, but is nicer in the flock.
The Splash cockerel is a nice enough fellow. Confident, but not aggressive yet. He just got some girls 2 days ago so I will see if that changes anything.

I have been told the Copper crosses I have are very bossy at others places too. They are not here, but they have the Black Copper to attend with. The only egg eater I have had in Canada was a Black Copper hen that I got rid of.

I only have one Black Copper left and one Blue. I will not be keeping the Black Copper after I am done with using her, but I am breeding the Blue to the Splash boy as she is nice and I will use her young to replace the Black Coppers.

Just my experiences. I am sure lines are different and situations are different.

i personally like them, my hens are friendly!, the roosters can be nasty tho i will tell you that, if you get one nasty when its young into the soup pot... they are not the best layers but not the worst either, their feed conversion is good they dont eat a whole lot compared to the other breeds i have had. but like coopslave did say they are top of the ladder they dont do well with say cochins or silkies that are more docile, they seem good with the ameracaunas, but the roosters will fight like crazy.... cynthia they will be different from your orps, cochins they are lil more pushy, but i like them LOl

I have had them for a few years and find them fine, I did have a couple mean roosters but they are gone, but the ones I have now are great, but they live with the very Friendly EOs so maybe it wore off, love the egg color and the birds as well. Mine seem to be winter hardy.

I only have a few cuckoos and a black copper roo. They are all docile, friendly and productive. The ones I have grew really fast too which I really liked.

The boys of all marans varieties can be fiesty, and very protective of their girls. Mine all are, but not towards me. The boys are excellent flock protectors but tend to fight when more then one cohabitate in smaller quarters. Since you plan on eating the boys I doubt that will matter to you. The black copper boys mature and are meaty and delicious. The hens can be a bit bossy. I know a lot of people find the wheaten marans to be far more friendly and I find that in a mixed flock they are middle of the pecking order. The wheaten marans lay very nice dark eggs too so maybe they would be a good option for you

Thanks for the responses. I am not worried about males, as said, I am not breeding, so males are out of the equation. I don't need to hear any comments about the behaviour of males, it is the females I need comments on. I am hearing comments with bossiness and I wonder how bossy is bossy? Does this really matter? I need to understand what others are saying when they say bossy. Do they "hurt" other hens? If they boss around, please define what is meant by bossing around. I need to know these things. I find all hens are bossy, period. I find quite often that hens will squabble. Both my cochin and buff orpington hens have the periodic squabble. The roosters butt in and stop that behaviour. So unless others have experience of the black copper marans hens beating up the hens, I am not overly worried about bossiness. The birds free range in the summer a goodly part of the day, they are not cramped at all for space, so I am not sure if bossy is an issue that I should be worried about.

I think the biggest thing that I worry about is whether the breed is skitzy or flighty. I had some wheaten ameracaunas that were so flighty, they would roost on the rafters, fly up against walls in the coops when I entered, lay eggs up in an empty dog bowl about 8 feet in the air. This is the kind of behaviour that I find intolerable and do not want any part of that in my chicken yard. Is the breed flighty like this? My cochins and buff orpingtons don't even bother to fly away or around. They could, they have power, but they just don't care that much. Bring on these comments please.

I will be getting sexed chicks, a couple of weeks old my understanding, and this week, so need to know if I am to complete the transaction.

These birds, are they generally feather legged? I have a soft spot for feathered legs, smiling, so if they are, bring it!! And bring more comments puleeeeeeze. Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

My black copper maran hens are very docile, I can walk up to them and pic them up, no problem getting eggs from under them and they get along with all the other hens very well. I guess I could say they play well with the other hens and are not bullies.

Although it is true that originally there were only so many lines that came from Europe before the USA stopped the importation of birds from over there but those few different lines is all I believe that you need. My BCM are not aggressive. I have never had a rooster go after me or anyone else at my place or someone visiting my place. I do not use additional lights and I get eggs all year long with them. It is true that they are not great layers but do lay a large to extra large egg once they are old enough. Mine start laying at 5 months old. I am getting about 8 eggs a day right now out of 17 hens. I personally don't agree with crossing a recognized breed and would appreciate it if a person who has done it would let me know if I was buying eggs or chicks from them. Yes I know we have all read that after you cross out to a different breed that if you take those offspring back to the original breed and then so on for so many generations that the new offspring would be considered pure. Also there are still pure lines constantly being brought over from Europe just not legally. Although I am not saying that I condone it but I am glad that it is still happening. Cindy if you have any questions concerning them I would be happy to speak to you 403 240-2275 I am currently selling my hatching eggs for 1.00 each for farm pick up and for 20.00 per dozen for shipping plus shipping costs.
Also some lines are flighty and skiddish. I brought some in from Chilliwak B.C. and ended up getting rid of them because although my line are friendly these B.C. birds are not and were raised with mine.

Dan Smith wrote: I brought some in from Chilliwak B.C. and ended up getting rid of them because although my line are friendly these B.C. birds are not and were raised with mine.

Dan, were these from Heidi? Take to email format if you would like. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Are some marans clean legged and others feathered leg? Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

When I had my Marans I didn't find the hens overly friendly, they were happy if you just left them alone. They were not the hens that would run up to me to be picked up and snuggled. They weren't mean by any means but they preferred to be left alone.

French Marans have feathered shanks. They don't have the full feather all the way down the legs and into the feet like your Cochins CynthiaM. You will find some of them don't have much at all on their legs and others have a little more. I have some that are clean legged, but they shouldn't be if they are the French variety but it happens.

There is always a pecking order with hens and squabbles. I found the Coppers would go out of their way to pick on someone. They liked to get them in a corner and pin them there. When I had 2 they would gang up on the bottom birds. No blood or death, but a lot of anxiety. Even free range they would scout around and look for someon to harrass. They are the first breed I have had that were like that so I guess I noticed it more. Like I say, just my experience with them.
I have to say the Splash boy I have is lovely. Lived in the bachelor bad all winter and never fought. I know you didn't want to know about the males, but I hope he passes the laid back thing on.

Prairie Chick wrote:When I had my Marans I didn't find the hens overly friendly, they were happy if you just left them alone. They were not the hens that would run up to me to be picked up and snuggled. They weren't mean by any means but they preferred to be left alone.

My experience as well.

Had Cuckoo Marans that originated from Performance. Good enough birds for my purposes and had pretty good egg colour. Odd thing was that there seemed to be a bit of Ameraucana blood in there. had one grow up with a beard and muffs and laid green eggs.

The other thing you may ask others is if they fly. My first one did. She is the reason that I put a cover on my outdoor pen. 12 months of no cover, and 6 foot chain link and never a problem until I got her. She flew out everday before I let them out to free range. She worried me because if I had to go to town for the day and left them in, she would be out when I got home.
Don't know if the others are fliers as I have all covers on my outdoor pens now.

Only had a few CBM's and they were roosters and I guess it depends on who you buy from ? Mine were just nasty ! flew at me etc /I have the Cuckoo Marans and they are just wonderful ,I also want to get some BCM sometime yet ,and I hope that the Roo isn't a basket case like the ones I had .....just nasty !

I have a few Black Copper Marans that I hatched out last summer. They lay almost every day now but most of the winter did not lay more than twice a week. My husband went into the coop yesterday and caught a BCM eating two duck eggs. WE have a brown hen that eats eggs too. We try to get into the coop before 6:30 to gather the duck eggs without incidentand we are building anew coop and the ducks and chickens will be seperated so I do not want to get rid of the BCM. I am going to put some BCM eggs in the incubator the end of the month and see what happens. The BCM rooster seems like a good guy (so far) so we will keep him. All in all if I were buying BCM for the quantity of eggs, I wouldn't bother, but if it is for colour for the carton/basket, go for it.

Nancy.

CynthiaM wrote:

Dan Smith wrote: I brought some in from Chilliwak B.C. and ended up getting rid of them because although my line are friendly these B.C. birds are not and were raised with mine.

Dan, were these from Heidi? Take to email format if you would like. Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

I sent you an email, let me know if you didn't get it. 403 240-2275 Dan

Dan, nope, sent you an email. C.

Hi Cindi Q!

I can't comment on the Black Copper and won't on the males but will tell you my Wheaten Marans hens were very dominating in a mixed flock. I let them go because of it. They would not let any other breeds at the feeder when they were around it AND they are the only breed I witnessed mounting hens of other breeds just like a rooster but not in a sexual manner.....definitely to show dominance. I didn't like them as I found they brought a lot of disharmony into the flock. They behaved like a bunch of bullies that I felt the other breeds were being forced to live with. Once they were gone, the other birds seemed so much more relaxed. In my opinion, I would say they are not a breed that mixes well with others but fine if they are the only breed.

To my recollection, they were not winter layers and probably laid on average 3-4 large to jumbo size eggs a week.

CynthiaM wrote:Dan, nope, sent you an email. C.

Hi Cindy, Nope I didn't get your email either. I find that this site sucks when it comes to this kind of thing. I am not saying that anybody here sucks only the physical site. I don't find it user friendly. Leave me your phone number and I will call you. I trust the phone system much more. 403 240-2275

I have a Marans X from Coopslave. I got her with 6 Part. Chanticlers also from Coopslave. The Part. Chants are quite wild and have remained their own 'group'. But within days of coming here, the Marans X had found a place with my other chickens and would go off exploring with them and mingle with them. The Chants remain off on their own.

I do not know if those hens lived together as a group before coming to my house? Maybe the Marans X didn't have her own 'group' or was never part of the Chanticler group to begin with? But I have to say this one bird has blended very well, does not seem aggressive or bossy at all and fits right in.