“I have 1 black splash birchen marans in my group and while I am very excited for the potential for dark chocolate eggs and she is VERY cute, her name is Morticia, I'm not otherwise overly impressed. At 4 weeks shes still more than 80% down, and feathering incredibly slow, so unfortunately she is going to set the pace for getting everyone outside since I dont want her to be alone, and she is tiny compared to everyone else and seems to get her wings stuck open a bit when she stretches because they're so small compared to others which worries me about future angel wing problems. There were 2 of these in the order and the other one was the only one that died during transit for that group so maybe it was just a weak hatch/incubation or this breed is just known for being less hardy. Will probably stick with black copper in the future.”
Thank you for sharing your experience — we have to say, Morticia is the perfect name for a Black Splash Birchen Marans! These beauties can sometimes take a little longer to feather in, and individual chicks often grow and develop at their own pace, even within the same breed. It sounds like you’re giving her great care and attention, which will help her thrive as she matures. With a little patience, she’ll reward you with those beautiful, rich chocolate-colored eggs Marans are so well loved for!
“I got multiple kinds and love those ones that will lay blue eggs for me as they are jumping crazy. And my kids loved them. Except we lost few chicks due to mishandling at usps. But the company replaced them.”
“My girl is black. The first one laying, but her eggs are not dark at all. My golden comets eggs are darker. Nothing in her coloring or personality are exceptional. I ordered this breed for the dark egg. I should have gone with the Copper Maran, but didn’t because the description on this hen said her eggs would be at least as dark.
I ordered silked Easter egger and this maran along with a speckled Sussex. Hoping for some color variation in the eggs. But nope- silked lays brown, maran lays light brown, and Sussex brown (as I expected)”
Thank you for your feedback, and we understand your disappointment. While Birchen Marans are known for their dark chocolate eggs, there can be natural variation in shade—even within the same breed. That said, we want to make sure you received the correct birds, so we’ll be reaching out directly to look into this further. We appreciate you giving this breed a try and are here to help however we can.
“Blanche is only birchen marans I ordered, and she turned out black. She is also the smallest but the first one of my new babies to lay a cute little pullet egg at 21 weeks. So exciting, two days in a row! They are dark, but not as dark as I expected. What was really amazing is that my ancient nine year old chicken took her to the nest box and showed her the ropes. They both sat for a while side-by-side but didn't lay. Two days later -- voila! She is friendly and gets along with all the girls. I like her!”
What a sweet story! It’s amazing how older hens can mentor the younger ones—it’s like a little chicken apprenticeship! Blanche sounds like a lovely addition to your flock, even if she surprised you with her coloring. And starting to lay at 21 weeks is fantastic! These little first eggs are sometimes called "fairy egg," since they are so small. As she matures, the eggs will get larger!
Thanks for sharing your experience and the photo!
