[HesterF]

I think they sell birds too although it's quite a trip down for you guys. Or worth asking whether they've sent any hatching eggs in your direction. Maybe somebody closer has a spare cockerel.

Interesting about the Tescos eggs too. I must admit I didn't check closely - I was really looking at the price point of duck eggs and happened to notice the dark eggs next to them.

H

[AndynJ]

Hester interesting that I show up in the midlands as we now live in Devon Yeo is a bit far but that wouldn't put us off, I 'll be on the phone Monday they are advertising speckled Sussex I 've been trying to add to my bloodline for 12 months without success.
I have a few marans though no cockerel and as there seems to be a shortage I'm happy to add them to my breeding plans.

[darkbrowneggs]

Don't forget there is no shortage of Marans per ser - but a great shortage of good Marans. 


The breeding of high quality coloured egg laying stock has to be one of the most difficult things to achieve as it cannot be judged by eye alone, but the results of ones efforts only become apparent when the offspring come into lay.  That is why I personally would hesitate to introduce a cockerel from a new bloodline into my flock. 


Fine if your birds are laying medicore eggs and you think he cockerel is from a dark egg laying stain as you have nothing much to loose,  but once your flock is established only introduce females as you can monitor what they actually produce.  Even a cockerel hatched from a dark brown egg may have been sired by an indifferent father and in any case as I said in my opening post, not every pairing of birds will "nick" as the old poultrymen say

[AndynJ]

Hi,
 
I currently do not have a maran cockerel so any cockerel would be hit & miss, if I where paying good money for one it would need a guarantee of at least a 5 
My thoughts were I would introduce 2 cockerals as I have a few marans and some copper blacks they could service both after 2 services I would swap them over service twice again, and monitor all off spring all would be numbered, I understand that its the cocks that are important and therefore the cock offspring would then be bred.
The dog loves cockerel for dinner no matter how old (feathers removed)

[HesterF]

Ah, OK, Devon is easier that midlands then - definitely try South Yeo. I first came across them looking for West of England geese. They didn't have much joy with them this year but I did get Araucana, Marans and Cayuga hatching eggs from them and the fertility was good on all of them (only got four eggs for the chickens) plus I've the birds are lovely looking (to an untrained eye!). My Marans hen is yet to lay so not sure what her eggs will be like - will post back next year on that! If the good stock is so hard to come by, maybe I should keep my cockerel alive - husband will be happy!

H

[AndynJ]

Thanks for the yeo, I have sent them an email,
 
The marans could be a little project that may earn reasonable money £20 for a hen that lays over a 5 though £3 for one that doesn't
We get £20 for a lavender whatever they lay and £35 for a speckled though they are show condition
£12 for a legbar as long as they lay blue
We are attempting an autumn natural birth we have a number of young various ages whom all bed up together, hoping this will work 

[darkbrowneggs]

If the stock you are producing are pure and conforms to the Breed Standards then I think you  are underselling if you are talking about young pullets that have just come into lay and producing good coloured eggs.


I could have sold far more than I ever bred and though I charged £28 for a pure bred Marans and slightly more for a pure bred Cream Legbar I was in fact charging far less than others who's stock was certainly no better than mine, if even as good.


But it would have to be pure stock bred to the breed standards and capable of breeding on true - there is not much stock available in this category that is also capable of laying reasonable quantities of either blue or brown eggs.


For the breed standards of either breed check out


www.darkbrowneggs.info
and
www.blue-eggs.co.uk

[Victorian Farmer]

cream legbars Marians i had some off the best cream legbars in Scotland winning the national the job is the same for the Marians i first go through the sales and see who has good stock .I then get 2 hens from each stock so i would get 2 from Scotland 2 from carlile york duram etc i would pen 2 in a pen then get the best 2 cock birds i could find hatch as many as i could using 1 cock bird to 2 hens rotate and see haw this has worked then go to a egg sale like pebbles poultry club and see who has the best all round eggs then work on that it can take meney months to get it right and be prepared to scrap the lot if you don't move forward .I only have 1 breed naw silver lace wyndotts there is only 3 breeders in UK that have good quality stock so this will be hard i don't show eney more just have nice stock .In Scotland you have a breeder ca led            grogan mick good egg colour for Marians he also shows his eggs  at the national so a must for stock dingwall for eggs march sale .So if you have dark brown eggs stock you could use his cock birds as foundation to get dark eggs to start with .its very rewarding to get high prices for you re stock .

[AndynJ]

Wow I'll keep saying thank you if you all keep educating me, I have separated my Marans(spelt incorrectly) their eggs are darker than the others, slightly smaller than I would expect, ours are just about a 5 on the egg scale, we think we have located a couple of cocks from different breeders. you have truly surprised me with the prices you achieved from your Marans, how many birds would you sell per year, & how many eggs.
I don't expect to be able to sell much in the way of Marans in 2014, so my aim will be for 2015 and onwards, If I say so myself my legbars are probably the best I have ever seen, show condition & lay very well, minimum breeding this year, 2014 will be a much heavier breed, we have learn't so much this year, we have had chickens 25 years though never bred prior to this year.
Keep the comments suggestions coming please and sales figures would be helpful 

[darkbrowneggs]

A few points for you to consider


Dark Brown Eggs are dark brown because they have a layer of dark pigment "painted" on to the shell surface.  If there is a finite quantity of pigment each time an egg is produced then depending on the size of the egg it will be darker or lighter, much the same as a red balloon when inflated will not have the depth of colour as an uninflated one.


Marans eggs should be pretty well a 4 even at the end of their lay and in their second year. 


It seemed one of the failing of many of the French types that they would start off with very dark eggs, but only managed to produce very few before the colour tailed off - in some instances half way through an egg.  So that is something you will need to watch as your birds progress


 It those same birds lay on through the winter and then in the spring flush are still laying a 4-5 then I would say they are worth breeding from


I never managed to keep up with demand for my birds or eggs, but I was very picky as to what eggs were send/set and culled any birds not up to scratch in any way.


I would be interested in seeing some good photos of your stock and eggs.

[AndynJ]

So I have tried to attach pictures it says the file for one picture is too big 900 kb needs to be below 500 ish what do we need to do ?

[AndynJ]

can you see these ?

[darkbrowneggs]

Looking eggsellent     If you can produce pullets which lay eggs like that and of a reasonable size ie 60 grms+ then I would say you could sell as many as you can produce at £28

[AndynJ]

they are 56g each,
Not my best Maran,
Are my hens ok 
 

[darkbrowneggs]

Cream Legbar looks pretty good, nice colouring and comb looking reasonably straight and not too floppy which is good for a female.  I presume her beak and legs are yellow and its just the photo is a bit bleached out


Not too sure about the gingery brown in the feathers of the bird which looks like a Marans.  Or is she one of the other breeds you mentioned.  Again it could just be the photo giving the feathers a strange look.  Always difficult to judge a bird from photos and of course if she is coming up to the moult sometimes the sun can discolour the feathers somewhat.


Eggs from pullets at 56 grms are a good sign as they will soon get up to size    Obviously a full grown Marans should be laying large eggs (63 grms to 73 grms from memory) and extra large (73+grms ) are even better.