When we first got chickens we purchased one of each breed that we found appealing. Each breed has different characteristics; how many eggs they tend to lay, temperament, how well they deal with heat and cold, etc. The idea was to figure out what breed we liked best and when we decided to order more we would get all of that breed. I was convinced that it was going to be the look and temperament of the bird that would attract me to a particular breed, but I was wrong! All the birds were funny and interesting to watch, regardless of what they looked like… It was the eggs that I was interested in. I love having a bunch of beautiful colorful eggs! I love the different shades of brown and green. So when it came time to add to our flock we ended up ordering a bunch of chickens of a breed that we hadn’t tried before… Black Copper Marans. Maran’s lay chocolate brown eggs! At the same time we ordered more Easter Eggers, who lay green eggs. Now we have a beautiful mixture of green and light, medium, and dark brown eggs!
The marans are funny birds. They all look so similar that I cannot tell them apart and because of this none of them have names… although once you have enough chickens naming them kinda goes out the window anyways. There are a few stand out though. We have “punk rock maran” who’s markings make her look like she has a mow hawk. We also have the “troublemaker,” who is always the one who is off somewhere and you have to search for her to get her in the coop at night. It’s been a fun breed to have and I absolutely love their eggs!
