Golden Cuckoo Marans

This golden-cuckoo color is especially present at the hen hackle as well as the cock hackle, back, shoulders and lancets. We can notice that the lower part of the body tends to remain white as it is the case for the silver-cuckoo Marans.The lighter parts of the plumage are in this way accompanied with a crossed orangery-gray color which is due to the presence in the golden-cuckoo genetype of recessive and “linked to sex” genes of the golden color which is written (s+/s+) for the cock and (s+/.) for the hens.Concerning the whole aspect, we have the feeling that there is an obsious family likeness between the golden-cuckoo variety and the silver-cuckoo Marans. This latter has also the same (B) genetic factor linked to sex which is responsible for the “cuckoo” color of the feathers. Golden Cuckoo Marans Chickens are great in both backyard or small farm settings or larger production-styled settings. They are hardy and strong birds and do well on forage. Also, because of the increasing popularity of the breed, they would be great birds for breeding and selling as hatching eggs or as chicks. The Golden Cuckoo color variation is one of the new Marans varieties, and it is truly striking. Golden Cuckoo Marans Chickens have golden cuckooing and striping that varies in the shade as it moves over the birds. Hens have lighter golden heads and necks that change into a gray, silver cuckoo pattern with deep golden spangled throughout. The tails of the hens are dark with some light edging. Roosters are very flashy with large combs and wattles and bright golden and copper striping from the head and over the shoulders, wings, and saddle. Tails are blue-gray. Both sexes have pinkish horn-colored beaks and legs. Golden Cuckoo Marans Chickens have clean legs. Male chicks are usually a bit lighter than females which make early sexing easy.The Marans Chicken breed is known to have been developed in a town called, Marans, in France. Marans is located on the west coast which is notoriously wet and cold, and this hardy breed was created during the early 1800s from French game birds and Langshans. It wasn’t until the 1990s in America that the Golden Cuckoo color variation was developed, and the lines are still in the early stages of development. The golden coloring on the Golden Cuckoo Marans can take more than 20 weeks to come in. Before that, they can be hard to distinguish from the Cuckoo Marans. It also has a reputation for being friendly, but not cuddly, so if you’re looking for a lap bird, then this isn’t it. That said, the bird will take feed from your hands, which makes it a fantastic addition to any backyard flock.

This breed is thought to be the rarest chickens globally and quickly becoming a firm favorite of USA breeders and poultry owners. It is a fairly modern breed that comes from Indonesia. It was first imported to Europe just 22 years ago, in 1998.

The Ayam Cemani breed of chicken is intelligent and very friendly, and although it may take you a while to find them to buy, they’re not difficult birds to keep.The fibromelanosis gene is an extremely rare mutation found in just a few other chicken breeds around the world. Other black fowl breeds include Chinese Silkies, Indian Kadaknaths, Swedish Svarthonas, and Vietnamese Black H’Mongs.

They are also unusually smart, so if you’re not planning on free-ranging them, make sure you’ve got a really secure fence. Otherwise, it won’t take them long to locate the weak points and escape. Be sure to provide enough space in the coop so they won’t be stressed.Size-wise, these chickens are of medium weight with a slim, yet firm and muscular looking build. The males weigh around 4.4 to 6.5 pounds, while the female hens are a fair amount lighter, ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 pounds.

Ayam Cemani birds are very hot and cold hardy, so they will cope well in most environments, even in the most extreme weather months. That is, of course, with the right housing. Friendlier breeds, such as this breed, are at risk of being bullied by more aggressive breeds, so you may need to house them in separate coops if problems arise. The Ayam Cemani is a chicken breed like no other. Whether you’ve been keeping chickens for months, years, or decades, it’s unlikely that you’ll have come across this rare, unique and expensive breed before.

The Ayam Cemani is expensive because they are from Indonesia. They aren’t commonly breed in the United States. There are breeders with long wait lists.

They may seem standoffish, but we assure you that they socialize well. That said, as with all chickens, you should introduce them to each other slowly and monitor relationships.This breed of chicken is a pretty low maintenance type of bird. For this reason, you can raise them as much as you would any other backyard chickens. How to Raise Backyard Chickens

This breeds’ feathers, beaks, combs, wattles, tongues, internal organs, meat, and bones are black. The only thing about Ayam Ceminis that isn’t black is their blood, which is the usual red color, although it’s said to be slightly darker than usual.

There is also typically a waiting list you must join in order to obtain this breed. The long wait is often a factor which prevents backyard homesteaders from buying these chickens.

Although some images of black eggs may appear in a search for this breed’s eggs, no, Ayam Cemani chickens don’t lay black eggs. Their egg color is cream.Then a few months later, they’ll start laying again as if nothing ever happened. This makes Ayam Cemani too unreliable and slow to be kept for their egg-laying abilities.

The eggs aren’t affected by the hyperpigmentation because the hen’s body protects the eggs from it. The baby chick that grows up inside the egg, though, will also be jet black inside and out because of the dominant black gene.If you’re looking to add some wow factor to your flock, you’ll need to learn more about the Ayam Cemani chicken. Here we explain the breed, their eggs, and how to care for them.

Most people keep this breed of chicken either for bragging rights, meat, or breeding. Keeping them solely for eggs is rare as they aren’t big producers. They aren’t considered a dual-purpose breed.This bird gets its especially-appropriate name from Indonesia, where the breed originates from, which is an island in Java. In the Indonesian language, Ayam means chicken and Cemani means thoroughly black or down to the bones.

The main reasons people may not choose this breed of chicken are price point, long waiting list, low egg production, and the fact that they can’t always be shown.Also, there isn’t a big demand in the US for them. This is because this breed isn’t considered among the best egg laying chickens. Therefore, it’s not as common to raise.

The ancestor of the Ayam Cemani is the Ayam Kedu. It’s a pure Indonesian breed which has been the crux of many myths and beliefs, mainly due to its beautiful and utterly bewitching appearance.Fortunately, this isn’t the case. Their color mutation doesn’t appear to affect their health in any way at all. They’re actually really strong and healthy birds. As mentioned previously, Ayam Cemani hens only lay around two eggs per week or roughly 80 to 100 per year. They also tend to go off-lay from time to time. A true Ayam Kedu chicken should be pure black and not have any color abnormalities. Many breeders will only sell them in pairs to ensure that they can continue pure breeding.We’re sorry to say that no chicken breed in the world, known to humans, lays black chicken eggs. The closest a chicken might come to a black egg could be the Easter egger chicken laying a dark olive green or dark blue egg.

Although the United States has been importing Ayam Kedu chickens to the USA for roughly 20 years now, it is yet to become a recognized breed by the American Poultry Association.

Ayam Cemani chickens possess a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation. Also known as fibromelanosis, this gene mutation makes the chicken completely black.If you think this chicken breed could be the right one for you, then we recommend you join a waiting list sooner rather than later. Lastly, always remember to vet the breeders before you buy!

When considering any chicken breed for your backyard flock, it’s important to know about egg production, even if that’s not the reason you’re keeping them.

The French Marans, as mentioned above, has feathering on the legs, whereas the English Marans (sometimes just called the “Marans”) does not. Most of the French-type birds have lightly feathered legs, which is what the APA requires for show birds. Some Marans hens can actually lay eggs that are a #9 on the color chart. But, if you have Marans hens that are laying #8 or #9 eggs, they wouldn’t continue to produce eggs this dark for all that long. Breeds with feathered legs and feet have some cleanliness problems. Their foot and leg feathers can get incredibly muddy. Even worse, they can get covered in droppings. Not only is this bad for your chickens, but they also drag this filth into the nesting boxes and onto their eggs. You may need to periodically clean your French Marans’ feet.

What’s a sex-linked bird, you ask? This is a chicken that can be sexed at birth to an extremely accurate degree (near 100%). The male chicks look different than the female chicks.Urban chicken keepers, take note! Marans crosses create sex-linked birds. You definitely will want to consider one of these crosses, rather than a purebred Marans.The breed was developed in the late 1800s by mixing a number of breeds with local game-type birds. Although nobody knows the exact breeds that were used to create the Marans, Langshans were certainly used and possibly Faverolles.Below, you can see a video of a broody Black Copper Marans hen. This hen should be wearing a hen saddle. Over-mating with the rooster has caused her to loose her back feathers which is very uncomfortable and leaves her open to injury from further mating. Hen saddles protect these bare backs, and will even prevent this from happening altogether if put on early enough.

Your Marans hens will lay their darkest eggs in their first 6 months of laying. Their eggs will very gradually lighten over these first months. By the time your girls have laid for 6 months, their eggs will be noticeably lighter, although they should still be darker than other breeds.

Marans chickens love to range, and most varieties are in colors and patterns that blend in well with their surroundings. The White variety, of course, sticks out like a sore thumb, so you probably don’t want to keep this kind in a setting where predators are on the loose.When breeders do breed for those extra dark eggs, they frequently end up also passing along other undesirable traits into their birds. The birds may lose a lot of the physical traits the APA calls for in the Standard of Perfection, or they won’t lay very many eggs, for example.

“Axl, my French Black Copper Maran rooster, is as close to perfect as one could hope for. If any of my ladies make any sounds of alarm or distress, he is there in a flash. If it’s me or my family picking up one of the girls, he will follow us step-for-step until we put her down safely, but he never displays any aggression towards us… If I could, I would clone Axl and hand copies out to anyone who has had bad experiences with roosters.”If you have no problem killing your roosters, then you have nothing to worry about. But, if you’re like me, and you get attached to your birds, this may be devastating for you. Do yourself a giant favor and get Sex Links.

Let me try to illustrate some of this. The picture below shows a color chart that breeders and poultry judges use. To be considered a decent Marans by show-quality standards, the hens must lay eggs that are at least a #4. However, many hatcheries don’t follow the same standard.So, it’s very, very common for you to end up with some male chicks. And if you live in an urban or suburban environment, you know that may be a real problem. Most places don’t allow roosters in the neighborhood.One chicken keeper said this of her Marans: “I’ve only had one or two hens go broody. Only one hen successfully hatched a clutch (they were duck eggs and she was a great mom). All the other times a bird went broody, moving her to a private pen to sit on her clutch always broke her brooding.” In the video below, you can see Pharoah, a 26 week-old Black Copper Marans, lay her very first egg. She then erupts into an energetic egg song (the vocalizations hens make around laying time), and you can hear a rooster in the background singing along with her. One chicken keeper had this to say: “I was a bit disappointed in this breed. The eggs really aren’t ‘dark,’ just a smidgen darker than our Rhode Island Red eggs. Sometimes you can’t even tell the difference.” Below, you can hear a Cuckoo Marans singing the egg song—these are the typical squawking vocalizations all egg-laying hens make. You can also hear a kind of agitated growling-type sound. That’s also a sound many hens make before settling in to lay. And, here’s some good news. After an annual molt or a broody period, your hens will layer darker eggs than they were laying before they molted or went broody.I’ve not been able to find details about why this is, but for some reason, French Marans chickens are difficult to vent sex. Vent sexing is how hatcheries determine if their chicks are male or female.Marans have medium- to large-size, upright single combs, although some females do have combs that partially flop to the side. The birds have medium-size wattles and red earlobes.Be aware that you may end up with an aggressive Marans rooster. This breed is not known for aggression, but every breed comes with some aggressive roosters.

And here you can see a new Black Copper Marans mama with her baby chick—this girl also needs a hen saddle, although her back isn’t as bad as the hen in the previous video.Many people pronounce “Marans” incorrectly. This included me for years. French speakers are probably rolling their eyes right now, but the rest of us need this lesson.

Marans chickens tend to be very easy going and peaceful. They will likely get along very well in a mixed-breed flock with other standard-size chickens.

If you’re interested in other breeds that lay dark brown eggs, you may also want to consider Welsummers and Barnevelders. These are both dual-purpose birds that share much in common with Marans.If you’re keeping your French Marans with non-feathered breeds, these other breeds may also pick the foot and leg feathers off of your Marans. This can be incredibly painful and even lead to bleeding. Make sure you have plenty of space in your coop and run for your Marans to get away.

Does this apply to all French Marans or only some strains of the bird? I don’t know. When I asked the good people at Cackle Hatchery, they didn’t know either.The egg color can vary from dark brown to very dark brown. The eggs may be a chocolate brown, reddish or russet brown, or even a coppery brown. The hens who lay the extremely dark brown eggs that are characteristic of the breed are typically not the best layers—it’s a trade off for sure.

Below, you can see some Marans chicks hatching from eggs of variable shades of brown. But the key is to choose the eggs that are the color you want your future hens to lay.

The English Marans was once more common in America than the French Marans. However, in recent years, French Marans are more readily available. This is because the American Poultry Association (APA) chose to standardize the French variety only, meaning only this variety can be shown in poultry exhibitions.Additionally, your hens’ eggs will gradually lighten within each lay cycle. So, for example, if you have a hen lay 4 days in a row before she takes a day off, the 4th egg will likely be lighter than the 1st egg was. After her day off, her new 1st egg should be a bit darker again.But before you get your own Marans chickens, there are many things about these birds you need to be aware of. For example, did you know that most of them don’t actually lay those gorgeous dark eggs you see in the photos? Or that you may need to make some accommodations for the feather-legged type?

We’ve all seen the gorgeous photos of the super dark Copper Marans eggs. And we’ve all heard how Marans chickens lay these incredibly dark eggs. So, what gives?The early breeders were more interested in breeding for dark brown eggs than they were for appearance, so a couple of different types emerged. One type has feathers on its legs and feet. Today, these are called “French Marans.” Other Sex Links are hybrids, such as the popular Midnight Majesty Marans, also known as the Mystic Marans, Noir Marans, and Rustic Rambler. This Sex Link is a cross between a Black Copper Marans rooster and a Barred Rock hen. But some breeds are decidedly noisier than others, constantly talking and squawking. Marans chickens are not one of these breeds. They’re pretty average in the noise department.Marans chickens are famous for laying incredibly dark brown eggs. These birds are friendly, do well both in confinement and on the range, and they get along great in mixed-breed flocks. They have much to offer for backyards and barnyards alike.

If you want a really good meat bird for your homestead, this isn’t it. Marans are great if you just want to eat your old layers or extra cockerels. But they take a really long time to grow and they eat a whole lot of food before butchering age.Although, really, enough Americans are pronouncing the word with the “s” sound at this point that we might consider it colloquially correct. (Translation: You might not want to be the snob who corrects them.)

And the biggest concern for feather-footed breeds is the risk of frostbite. If their feet get wet in the snow or rain and temperatures drop below freezing, your chickens may get frostbite because their feathers can’t dry off and they freeze.Check out the comb on the Black Copper Marans rooster below. I’d be worried about keeping this guy in freezing temperatures with no supplemental heat in the coop.

Marans chickens have what’s called tight or hard feathering. This type of feathering is typically found on game birds—the feathers are short, narrow, and somewhat rigid without much fluff.And in the video slideshow below, you can see some of the other, less common varieties—Wheaten, White and Splash, Golden Cuckoo, and Blue Copper (with Black Copper) Marans, respectively.And this last video really isn’t relevant to this discussion, but it’s such a cool video I wanted to include it. You can see a guy crack open a giant Marans egg only to find a second egg inside of it!If you’re new to chickens, you do need to understand that all chicken breeds are a little bit noisy. Roosters will always crow. Hens will always cackle a lot around egg-laying.As one Marans keeper said, “We have culled a few of our standard Cuckoo Marans, and were very pleased, even with them being older hens. Better than any of the other layers we have tasted.”

But one thing’s for sure, Marans chickens tend to be friendly. If you’re kind to them and you spend some time around them, they’ll like you. They’ll run out to greet you. They’ll want to be around you, and they may follow you around. But they might not want to be handled, or even touched.

Because the French type of Marans have feathers on their legs and feet, they are a little higher maintenance than the clean-legged, English type of Marans.This is definitely something you need to be aware of if you don’t want roosters. The English Marans may be a better choice for you (or, better yet, see #14 below!). Remember, the English type is often just referred to as “Marans.” You can always ask your hatchery or breeder if their Marans are clean-legged or feather-legged if you’re not sure.

And the “s” is silent. It’s spelled “Marans,” but it’s pronounced, “Muh-ran.” In America, we pronounce the “ran” as in “I ran away.” (The French have a more elegant pronunciation, as with most words).

I am getting one or two dark brown eggs every day but didn’t know if are Marans? Pls post a pic of the them. I have around 120 chickens we do collect the eggs but chickens are pets.

The original Marans (poule de Marans) comes from La Rochelle’s area in southwestern France. The local chickens were known as ‘swamp chickens’ because the countryside is low and marshy.The Black Copper Marans are quiet and gentle, although the roosters can confront other roosters. This fits with the history of gamecock breeding and is expected to a certain degree, although there are fairly docile roosters to be had. A bird from a quality breeder can set you back anywhere from $30.00 – $ 60.00 per bird – a bit too expensive? Try some hatching eggs – around $75.00/dozen. Being the doting grandmother I am, when my granddaughter wanted to raise chickens I encouraged her. She lives in town so asked if she could house her chickens in our unused henhouse. She bought seven layers of unknown breed-but good layers. For her high school graduation we gifted her with five Americauna chicks and five black copper maran chicks. The BCM are beautiful birds and one is a gorgeous rooster. They were hatched about four months ago so we still are waiting for those beautiful eggs. Most of her Marans have very feathery legs. Is that characteristic of the breed?JC, you have that absolutely right. The more you threaten a rooster the more they are determined to protect. I adopted a Beck last year and I was a little hesitant about how to approach him. So I decided to treat him as I do all the other chickens. Move slowly, quietly and non threatening ,read his reactions to me and most of all be patient. He is one of the mixes and kindest rooster I have ever known. The kids named him Hei Hei and love that he is so kind with them. He isn’t going any where this is his forever home and my hens love him and follow him like a bunch of star struck girls.

These birds are expensive for a good reason. The time and effort it takes to produce such a gorgeous bird that can breed true down the line are enormous. If you are serious about getting some of these rare beauties, it makes sense to buy the best you can; that way, you can work to produce good quality chicks of your own. I have 5 black copper marans. One is a huge rooster with beautiful copper plumage. I bought 3 a few years ago from a good breeder to start breeding with good stock. Now I’m going to be selling my own. I also have an easter egger and silver laced wyandotte.The male should be black-breasted red with minimal spotting on his chest. There should be a definite black triangle on the wings, and he should have deep red shoulders. The copper-colored feathers in the neck, hackles, and back are described as ‘lancets.’ The hen is black with red hackle markings; very slight redbreast markings are acceptable.

I have a black copper maran rooster and hen. Our rooster is very aggressive. I have to carry a stick or shovel with me into the coop or he will get attack. The hen has always been a very curious, seemed very tame. Today she tried to get me. I was getting eggs so maybe she was being protective over them. They are beautiful birds but every chicken is different. Just because you read the roosters are docile and gentle doesn’t always mean you will get that.The Marans society has come up with a color scale for the eggs labeled 1-9, with 9 being the darkest and supposedly the best – do they taste different? Great article !!! A good FBC marans are hard to find. I have a few that lay beautiful eggs but their appearance is not the best each one has something wrong with them. i cant have roosters where i live so i cant breed here. love this breed Hi there I’ve owned 11 chickens two were accidental roosters and given away and we recently had our first death of a hen she snapped her neck in the night falling from the perch we think and a little after that one of our other hens died struggling to breathe we were planning on getting more hens (we’re thinking olive eggers and black copper Marans) On the chance, we do get a Maran rooster we think we might keep him if he seems to be a good rooster (Our first accidental rooster was a Rhode island and was wonderful always straight up looking around let the hens eat the treats but we gave him away before he started to crow we weren’t planning on a rooster, our second was a horrible rooster and bullied the hens that didn’t bully him we gave him away) So anyways I was wondering if anyone here has had a black copper Maran rooster and could tell me how he was thanksI have 2 Marans. One is a black copper and the 2nd I think is a black maran although she has brown around her face. They are very smart and friendly. Haven’t started laying eggs yet.

A hen that seems to be all the rage at the moment is the Black Copper Marans chicken. It’s a beautiful bird that lays extraordinary, dark, chocolate-colored eggs.

The hackle feathers are a reddish/coppery tone. The rooster also has copper saddle feathers that cascade over his back. Whilst the hen is not quite so splendidly adorned, it’s still a beautiful bird.

The Black Copper Marans was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 2011 – a recent arrival! Whilst, the clean-legged Marans were accepted to the Poultry Club of Great Britain in 1935.

These original landrace birds were crossed with the local barnyard hens and gamecocks from India and Indonesia that the sailors brought in. The gamecocks were traded by them for fresh food and water and so were often plentiful in supply.

Sometimes, it is difficult to tell the difference with some breeds, but not so this one. The plumage should be splendidly colored, not washed out or muted.If you want to know more about chickens, quail, and goats, The Happy Chicken Coop is the place to be! Our blogs and articles are updated regularly with many different important topics on care, purchasing tips, fun facts, and more.

After being disappointed by the egg shell color my marans (the French Black Copper variety)are currently laying, I have place an order with Greenfire Farm. Hopefully the shell color will be a higher numbe on the Marans egg shell color chart. Everything stated in this article is so spot on in regards to the breed characteristics. I have over a dozen of the breed currently. The breed in general lays a darker brown egg in general that does fade over time.

There is def a big difference between hatchery black copper Marans and French Black Copper Marans imported from Marans France . I purchased a breeding pair that was breed from imported lineage & also bought one hatchery bird for comparison – Vastly different birds.Please remember, though, the hens that lay the darkest eggs also lay the fewest. The quicker the egg passes through the system, the lighter the shell color. If kept in colder climates, special consideration must be given to their large combs. This type of comb stands tall and far off the head of the rooster. The single comb, wattles, ear lobes, and face are all red. The beak is strong with a slight hook to it, and it should be horn-colored. Eyes are orange colored. Shanks and feet should be slate or pink; soles of the feet are white, as is the bird’s skin.