Used Omlet outdoor rabbit run Width 2.2m Height 2.05m Length 3.1m vgc.

[AmberSky]

Picked up 2 new girls today from ollieschirpychickens.co.uk

 

Double Decker:

 

And Starbar:

 

Double decker is a cuckoo maran and i was told that Starbar is a copper black maran but she looks just like my black rock Rocky, have i been sold a Black rock or are the birds normally very similar?.

I wanted marans for the dark chocolate eggs which is also why i named them after the chokky bars me and the OH were eating on the way back home on the m42!

Edited July 26, 2010 by Guest

[Plum]

Congratulations, make sure you post pictures of those lovely brown eggs when you get them

[4Clucks-minusOne]

I got two new girls from Hinchliffes in Huddersfield and Lettie just looks like your Double Decker but she has feathers on one side of her legs.She is a real sweetie, a bit of an airhead that has many blonde moments. I had a lovely surprise when I got her first egg last week which was a beautiful deep caramel colour.

[Space Chick]

Lovely girls

 

And good choice on your car snack food I love both of those choccie bars

[Charlottechicken]

Lovely girls!

 

I have a copper black Marans and she started out looking not too dissimilar to my original Omlet pepperpot, black feathers with a little coppery tinge to the end, more pronounced around the neck. Now she is a year old she is noticibly larger, different shape (much wider ), the biggest fluffy knickers too, with feathers down to her toes.

 

You'll know for sure when she lays

[AmberSky]

Lovely girls!

 

I have a copper black Marans and she started out looking not too dissimilar to my original Omlet pepperpot, black feathers with a little coppery tinge to the end, more pronounced around the neck. Now she is a year old she is noticibly larger, different shape (much wider ), the biggest fluffy knickers too, with feathers down to her toes.

 

You'll know for sure when she lays

 

Thanks Charlotte, i'll wait n see what presents they leave me.

[Charlottechicken]

Have a look on ***this link*** for some nice pics of Marans (keep scrolling down, it's a long page ). Might put your mind at rest! Mine doesn't lay eggs quite that brown though

[AmberSky]

Have a look on ***this link*** for some nice pics of Marans (keep scrolling down, it's a long page ). Might put your mind at rest! Mine doesn't lay eggs quite that brown though

 

 

Thanks Charlotte, i have the 1st pick of my girls eggs look at the 2 smaller eggs in the centre the one on the left is from the cuckoo maran, Double Decker, the one on the right is paler and is from Starbar.

Neither eggs are the colour i wanted but hey ho, they are nice girls. Maybe next time, i'll try and get to see the dark brown eggs before i buy!

 

[Redwing]

English Marans have clean legs (like your cuckoo) they dont lay particularly dark eggs

 

I have never heard of a Copper Black English Marans (but that doesnt mean they dont exist) so am not sure about your second chook

 

Its the French Marans (feathery legs) that will lay darker eggs, French Copper Black will lay a dark egg with the French Coppe Blue and French Wheaton often laying the very dark ones (dependant on strain of course)

[Jools]

They both look like Marans hybrids to me. The Cuckoo has white ear lobes, which should be red on a pure Cuckoo Marans and the Copper Black has clean legs and as Redwing points out, French Copper Black Marans have feathered legs.

 

It doesn't really matter though if you're not using them for breeding and it's all about about egg colour as both should lay reasonably brown eggs.