Solitary chicken - need advice

[Janty]

Does anybody have one of these (see above)?

 

I collected one from Merrydale poultry and was trying to look it up on the internet. I can see several pieces which mention their distinctive coloured eggs but with no mention of what colour they are or how they are distinctive. I'm guessing that as they are a maran based hybrid, that they may be dark brown. Just thought that one of you lot might know!

 

Hubby says he's hoping for sky blue pink with a speckled border. Sarky piglet!

 

[Snowy]

My friend has one, lovely bird, but it's the same as a speckledy isn't it? My friends lays normal, darker brown eggs.

[Janty]

Hubby will be disappointed.

 

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Yes they are a French maran hybrid, also known as speckledies. The eggs are a lovely 'rosy' brown colour. Mine arrived today. A cou cou is a cuckoo in French. I am guessing they are called this in English because cuckoos have speckley bellies?

 

Anna

[Fizzle Knit]

I have a fenning coucou, very similar to the Merrydale. She lays brown, slightly speckled eggs, that tend to be long and narrow. Would be interested to know the shape of yours when she starts laying.

She, Dora, is also the unfriendliest of our 4 - I did read somewhere that marans don't like handling very much. What is yours like?

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

I read that too.

 

And blues are supposed to be unfriendly too.

 

Yesterday (I have only had them a day), the cou cou let me pick her up regularly and had no beef or running off with stroking. She practically fell asleep on my lap too. The blue allowed some hesitant stroking, and my Sussex and Fenning Black hybrids which are supposed to be the tamest by nature weren't having any of it! The Sussex was haughty and the Black was very timid.

 

I love my cou cou!

 

Anna x

[Janty]

I also collected two Merydale Copper blacks which are maran based hybrids. The smallest loves her cuddles already and fell asleep on my knee yesterday so no problems with her. Also, Ginger Spice, the copper black that we lost last month was a lovely, friendly hen...hubby's favourite and the only one who seemed to be allowed through to hubby's growing area of the garden!

[Janty]

By the way, I will keep you posted about the colour of the eggs.