Talking Points Of The Breed:

·       Origin: France.

·       Broodiness: Moderate.

·       Meat production: High.

·       Cold tolerance: Hardy, cold tolerant birds.

·       Heat tolerance: Moderate ~ will need shade provided.

·       Predator evasion: Exceptional. Roosters are alert and active when free ranging with the flock.

·       Foraging ability: Exceptional. The Marans prefer to be out looking for their food

·       Noise level: Low-Moderate. Every now and then you get a loud mouth hen.

·       Hen Size: 6-8 Pounds.

·       Rooster Size: 8-9 Pounds

·       Egg color: These are a Black Copper Marans whose egg color standard with the American Poultry Association is dark brown. “Purple Coppers” have been breed for the bloom which is the final coating a hen releases onto the egg before its laid. Black Copper Marans lay a dark burgundy brown egg and the additional of this bloom gives it a purple to pink appearance. Please read more about the genetics of Marans below to understand what colors you can expect from these birds.

·       Egg size: Large

·       Age of lay: 6-8 months.

·       Egg laying ability: Moderate. They lay excellent In the colder months but

·       Eggs/year: 150-200

·       Temperment: These birds will naturally be friendly and docile with the roosters being alert and protective but respecting their humans. Additionally we breed only birds that are the friendliest of the flock.

Our “Purple Copper” Marans

“Purple Coppers” came directly from Brooke with Crosshatch Farm. She coined the name and out of respect for her amazing breeding program, we kept it. This comes directly from her and describes why she named them as such:

“‘Purple Copper’ is the affectionate name our family gave to our pure or standard bred Black Copper Marans that lay eggs with a deep purple-red pigmentation and sometimes a shocking heavy bloom that makes the eggs appear lavender, bright periwinkle, deep grape purple, and mauve. The delight a purple egg brings is sort of indescribable, if you are into these rainbow egg basket things.”

We couldn’t agree more. This purple bloom is not considered the standard for the the Black Copper Marans and does not align with the American Poultry Association in any way, shape or form. However, their body structure and conformation align with all Standards of perfection for the breed. Another huge reason we chose to use only Crosshatch stock is because she has a closed flock and is using a breeding can mating breeding program. I landed with Crosshatch because I feel we both share the same breeding philosophies. While I have bred both Black Copper and Black Silver Marans before, this line is the one I am so excited to work with. Her line has proven to lay beautiful eggs as you can see time-and-time again from those who have hatched from her.

Before you hit that add to cart button, let’s go over some FAQ’s and Did-You-Knows to set your expectations:

1.     Understanding the genetics of the egg color. To understand how an egg achieves its color we first need to understand how it all starts. Egg color is a result of a polygenetic trait. This means many traits play a role in the final egg color of an offspring. While the exact number of genes is still up for debate, most agree on roughly 13 genes. This is the reason why you can see so much variation in a breeding pen of Marans and is also the reason we have chosen not to add new bloodlines. We breed our bloodline to consist of heathy, vigorous and closely related birds to increase the chances for deep rich color and beautiful purple blooms to be inherited in offspring. 

2.     Will all hens lay a purple egg?  Unfortunately, no. While the color of the egg is a product of a polygenetic trait, the “purple” comes from something entirely different which is the bloom. All eggs have a bloom, but this heavy bloomed genetic trait specifically has a (roughly) 38% chance of being inherited. Our loved for purple coppers started in 2021 and it was with Crosshatch’s line we found consistency in the laying rich, dark bloomed eggs. We have found that about 1/3 of the eggs laid have the deepest burgundy/purple bloom to the egg.  

3.     Can you guarantee “9” color scale hens? I wish! I would love to be able to give everyone a “9” but the reality is they are difficult to obtain due to the polygenetic nature of the color of an egg. It can be bred into a breeding program and that is and will always be our goal. 

4.     How do you score a Marans egg color? There is a color chart that you use for deciding how dark a Marans egg is. 1 being a tinted egg that is not necessarily considered a Marans at all but still used on the scale. Then you go all the way up to 9 which is the darkest and most rare and occur the least. It is important to note that pigment on the shell can oxidize over time, deepening the color of the egg. What might look like a 9 could really be an olf egg. 

5.     Will a Marans hen lay the same color all year long? No, their eggs will vary greatly.  The color slowly fades through the year and on top of this it fades with every laying season. With this information we know that the darkest egg you can expect from your Marans will be her first eggs but give that lady 14 eggs to see what she can do! It is my experience that those very first eggs can improve slightly by the 14th egg laid. By year three you will see a much lighter egg from that same hen. To bring it up again because it is important information, an egg will oxidize and deepen in color with time. The day you collect the egg it might be a 7 but come breakfast 14 days later it may have oxidized to an 8.

More Random Bits of Information on Egg Color and Bloom:

1.     Who plays a bigger role in egg color genetics, Male or female? Both! There are many genes (polygenic gene) that play a role in egg color and both father and mother need to work together to create rich, dark eggs. I’m going to bring it up again for those in the back. A Marans egg will oxidize and will darken in the incubator so it’s important to know what they color scale was BEFORE incubation started and to have a good method of tracking and identifying who hatched from what egg.

2.     A hen is like a little printer, printing out her eggs.  Did you know that eggs all start out as either white or blue?  So, these dark brown Marans eggs are basically a white shelled egg that is coated in a brown pigment (protoporphyrin). How much protoporphyrin a hen can deposit is all based on the genetics of her family tree because as previously mentioned, egg color is a polygenetic trait. However, by the end of a laying cycle (think fall molt) her ink will run low no matter what. She can only produce so much pigment to coat her eggs in a specific time frame before her body needs rest. Think of an ink cartridge printing paper from a printer. You can breed birds that keep their color the longest but at some point, their “change ink cartridge” light will go off. So the longevity and variations of the pigment deposited on the shell are traits that are bred and selected for in a colored egg breeding program..

3.     So her white egg has “printed” and now it’s time to “laminate” it.  The egg begins as white, pigment (protoporphyrin) is “printed” making it dark brown and then she “laminates” her work for extra protection. This third “laminated” layer is the cuticle deposit. You might know it as the Bloom. I chose to compare the bloom to lamination of a piece of paper because that is what this bloom does. just like laminating a piece of paper protects it, the bloom does the same thing. An eggshell is covered with as many as 17,000 tiny pores. The bloom is the final coating an egg receives that protects it from bacteria entering the shell. These blooms can be faint or intense in color. Matte or shiny in appearance.  I learned from Brooke over at Crosshatch that “According to the literature, about 38% of bloom is thought to be genetic, with other environmental and nutritional factors also playing a role in its deposit and prevalence”. So. that is great news! We can breed for the bloom. I do so by individually tracking each hen, understanding how often she is producing a bloom, the rates of fertility and if her bloom can be replicated in offspring. In the end if there are any unique variations such as an ombre bloom deposit/the intensity in which the bloom is deposited, how opaque the resulting bloom is and finally how often she provides a bloom determine if she will continue in our breeding program. 

 A final note:

While these birds started with stock from Crosshatch, they are now a part of our breeding program, and our offspring will be the result of the pairings I create. It is up to me to use the amazing start that Brooke provides breeders all over the USA and continue her work. She in an inspiration and her spirit for education is unparalleled. With all this said, I will always work to improve with each generation, and it is important to note that ANY line of chickens can have their thoughtfully planned genetics undone in one generation. It is my belief that the quickest way to undo the work of a great breeder is to bring in new genetics from a separate line. There are many amazing breeders of Marans, but I have chosen Crosshatch and our line is closed with her genetics.