“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!
“We ordered 2 of these chicks, both arrived happy and healthy. Only downside is, we cut off their leg bands, so it’s really hard at this stage to tell them apart from our copper marans. Looking forward to watching them grow.”
We're so glad to hear your chicks arrived happy and healthy! It sounds like you have a beautiful little flock coming together. We totally understand how tricky it can be to tell them apart at this stage—sometimes subtle differences in feather patterns or personalities start to emerge as they grow. We do recommend removing the colored bands on arrival to prevent leg injury as they grow quickly. Watching them develop is such a fun part of the journey! We’d love to hear how they turn out as they mature. Enjoy your chicks!
“This is my first time with my pet chicken but I have ordered chicks many times before from other sources. While they may be on the expensive side, they had the varieties that I wanted and they didn't disappoint. These chicks came well packaged in the mail and I did not lose one, which is rare. They were so pretty, healthy and hardy and are such easy keeps.”
Thank you for your 5-star review! The Blue Black Splash Birchen Marans are such a stunning and unique breed—watching them grow and develop their beautiful feather patterns is always exciting! Plus, their rich, dark eggs will be such a treat when they start laying.
We’d love to hear an update as they mature! Wishing you all the best with your new additions, and thank you for choosing My Pet Chicken!
“I waited until my Birchen Marans had started laying and gone through her first molt to leave this review.
The chick I received is black, and besides her foot feathers is almost indistinguishable from my Jersey Giant (who is a much more productive layer). Despite going through a hard molt she never achieved the Birchen coloring around her neck, which is not the end of the world. I bought her more for egg color than anything else.
The problem is that her eggs are the same color as my Salmon Faverolles and lighter than my Splash, Lavender and Wheaten Marans. I bought her based on the description that her eggs are “as dark or darker than a Black Copper Marans. In reality her eggs are indistinguishable from most of the standard brown egg layers that cost much less. (If you’re looking for a more friendly Marans, my Splash Marans is an absolute doll. )
Ultimately, if I could redo my order I would have just ordered a Black Copper Marans, and I would suggest if you’re considering this breed that you do the same.”
We understand how you may be disappointed in your Birchen Marans appearance and appreciate you taking the time to wait until your Birchen Maran had fully matured before reviewing.
While genetics can sometimes produce unexpected results, we always want our customers to be happy with their chicks. If you ever have any concerns about an order, please reach out to our team—we’re happy to help!
Birchen Marans are primarily known for laying dark chocolate eggs but as noted on our breed page, a small percentage will lay a lighter brown.
We appreciate your honest feedback and are glad to hear your Splash Marans has been a wonderful addition to your flock! If you ever have any questions or need assistance with future orders, we’re always happy to help.
“I {think} I received one blue and two black Marans. New chicken mom and I’m really bad and telling them apart. The greyish colored one is my absolute favorite baby. She is so snuggly.”
Shhhh, we won't tell the others! We know how easy it is to have that favorite little one and she is so adorable, we can see why! The Blue/Black/Splash Birchen Marans may look a bit different as babies and wait until they get their feathers! They will all be absolutely stunning we are sure!
We are so happy for you! Thank you for letting us know how the babies - well I guess young ladies now - are doing! My Pet Chicken appreciates you allowing us to be a part of your flock keeping journey and hope we can provide further assistance in the future whether with flock additions, their care needs or any questions you may have. We truly do care!
