Black Copper Marans in the U.S.
The Black Copper Marans is one of the rarest breeds of chicken in the United States. It is a fascinating breed of laying chicken; producing one of the darkest chocolate-brown eggs known. It is one of the rarest breeds in this country due to the import ban on fowl in the US. They are quite common in France.
Black Copper Marans eggs are prized by French chefs. They are also the favorite egg of James Bond. Using them for eating in the United States is almost unheard of, as they are so rare and prized. A three-egg omlet would cost more than $30; wholesale.
One of the difficulties faced by breeders of the Black Copper Marans in the US is the lack of genetic diversity. Much of the breeding stock left in this country 10 years ago was of the English variety; with smooth, unfeathered legs. The French standard calls for lightly feathered legs. There are only a few breeders that have been able to produce Marans stock that comes close to the French standard.
This site is dedicated to encouraging the pursuit of the French standard in US Black Copper Marans stock.
Keep in mind that the overarching goal of this pursuit is the production of a gourmet egg. Eventually, the cost for birds and eggs of the black copper marans breed will be closer to that of less rare heritage breeds. This isn’t something to fear or hurry to beat, it is inevitable. Don’t enter the breeding market of marans with the thought of making big money on these now-valuable birds. Get involved with the eventual thought of more valuable eggs for sale to discrimitating buyers such as chefs and higher income consumers. Rushing as many birds and eggs to the breeding market before the values drop will only futher the downfall of the breed rather than the building of it.
26 Responses to “Black Copper Marans in the U.S.”
I am interested in having a few of these chickens but I am not interested in egg production for sale.
I have been successful hatching supposedly Black Copper Marans. They do not have the feathering on their legs and their legs are not light. I would like to find someone who might send me some fertile eggs to hatch.
Thanks
There are two places where you can quickly acquire fertile hatching eggs for sale. Search for “Black Copper Marans” on ebay.com and you’ll see some there. Be careful, though, as there are the kind you already have available as well. Look for “French Standard”. I got some from Littlepeddler and several others that are very good there.
You can also find them on eggbid.com. The same cautions apply there as well.
I would like to know what gland is responsible for the painting of the eggs. I also am interested in exactly what it is they are painting with… Have any studies been done on any of the “painting hens” such as Barnevelder and Penedesenca and our beloved Marans???
I’m not familiar with a particular ‘gland’ that is responsible for the painting of the egg..
But it is quite clear that the substances that are painted are blood by-products and bile wastes. Bilirubin is one such substance, and oocyaan is a bile byproduct that colors the eggs of the Araucauna breed. Bilihumin and Biliprasin are the most important substances for BCM eggs, as they are the dark outer surface of the egg – the super dark part that can be scrubbed off.
if you will look on craigs list (springfield missiouri) you can find a guy with black copper marans for sale
What is the best place to get Black Copper Marans, and what do they look like after they hatch?
I from time to time see them on http://www.backyardchickens.com. Great site with wonderful forum! I just ordered hatching chicks~
It is really bad to see that the copper black is in such decline in the usa as for over this side of the pond in Ireland we are using these birds as growers for meat. I recived 12 cocks last saterday 8 weeks old and i have no othere use for them then to eat.
I have 3 black copper maran roosters, 2 of the three have characteristic coloring and lightly feathered legs. I am looking for a few hens near Little Rock, Arkansas. If anyone can help me with that, email me at richard.chemist@gmail.com
Thanks!
This letter intended for Sandra Tye:
Hello Sandra—I received 7 one day old chicks from Thom Dean in Missouri last May. See his offerings on E-bay. They are direct descendents from France and all of my chickens have feathering on their legs. These Marans are so incredibly unique! They’re very intelligent, extremely docile and Love to interact with people. They simply Love my wife, whom spoils them at every chance with greens or a fresh ear of corn. I can simply go into my back yard and clap my hands and they will skirmish toward their coop at sundown before my sprinkler system starts.They all have names and the one rooster is named “007″. He is so cool! He has began crowing but it isn’t the loud crowing I expected. We feel very blessed with this breed of chickens and there aren’t words to describe for the pleasure and delight they give us. Good Luck!! Jerry—Las Vegas
Im new to Marans, and I really like how clearly you listed the desired traits and what are flaws. Very helpful. Thanks
what is up with this webpage? http://www.adamsonacres.com/news.htm . Firstly, is it Black Copper Marans or Copper Black Marans? And crossed boodlines being billed as o.k..?
“There is a possibility you may hatch some Wheatens from my French Copper Black Marans eggs. This is because the Jeane line contains a recessive Wheaten gene. With my girls being a blend of three different lines; and having put a pure rooster over them that does not have this recessive gene, I would guess this to be a slim chance. However, as a responsible breeder, I want you to know this possibility exists.”
Should I be concerned/leery of buying hatchers from this person.?
As the owner of BlackCopperMarans.org, I would argue that its’ Black Copper Marans.
Crossing of lines is fine for purity of the breed, but can produce some highly unpredictable results when it comes to the first generation. I wouldn’t purchase eggs from a first-generation cross. It’s fine to do this if you then spend a few generations weeding out the culls.
Very nice site. Glad to see it.
Brenda
New to Black Copper Marans…purchased 15 chicks from Egg Bid>> all are well! Just wanted to introduce myself…lots to learn and have many questions???? David
I was given a hen over the summer she is very sweet and loves people and bunnies. She has no chicken friends does anyone know the best breed of chicken to raise with her that stays small and is easily found at feed stores?
Question: I have three Marans pullets who have recently started laying. None of the three have as dark a egg as I was expecting from photos i’ve seen. Is the black copper egg specifically much darker than that of other marans? Mine are two blue splash which I believe were bred from cuckoos, and one that was referred to simply as “black.” She is solid black with a little bit of light irridescence on the hackle feathers and feathered shanks. I have no idea if she is a black copper or some mixed-heritage marans. Is initial egg color stable or do they lighten or darken as the hen matures? I’m suprised by these eggs — they are darker than those produced by the rest of my mixed flock, but nothing like the deep, bitter-chocolate color i have seen from other people’s pics. any insights?
There is a “Black Marans” which is different than the Black Copper Marans. Yes, Black Copper’s have the darkest egg of the Marans line. But there are many different lines of Black Coppers in the United States. Some have egg qualities more similar to the other Marans, which is undesirable. A B.C. should be at 5 or better on the Marans Scale at all times. Egg color tends to lighten during the laying cycle up until the first molt, when they will stop laying for a while and then start at their darkest again.
i had a wheaton hatch from my black coppers should i keep it
My husband and I raise Black Copper Marans. If you have any questions feel free to contact us. My husband is very informed about these rare chickens and could help you with questions or concerns. We love ours. They are absolutely wonderful and have brought us much joy.
I was wondering about the feathered legs. Only out of our batch developed feathers. Does this mean they’re mixed breeds? Also, I have been told they are auto sex (sex-links) is this true? Do you look for a light spot on head for pullet and darker for roo?
I am in Oklahoma. I purchased 15 black copper maran chicks from “My Dark Eggs”, Terry Mitchell. I got beautiful chicks. The are from the Wade Jeane line and show real quality. I am looking forward to selling eggs when they start laying. They are now 7 weeks old and they think I am their mom. Very beautiful and show all the characteristics of pure french black copper marans.
I recently purchased eggs from an individual from Kentucky and the hatch was not very good. The incubator was perfect and the humidity was right on. I don’t think getting eggs in the mail is the way to go.
Is there a reputable company to go to and obtain BCM chicks. I purposely ordered 3 males from Meyer so I would start out with a good mix.
Thoughts?
I have been very disappointed with the stability of strains that I have sampled. If you mix lines from different breeders, you will have to cull a LOT. But it will produce a more stable breed in the long run. I have yet to find a hatchery that can reliably produce these birds, without a lot of defects.
There is a U.S. strain of BCMs that does not have feathered shanks. It doesn’t mean they’re bad birds in any other way; it just means they don’t adhere to the French standard. In my experience, BCMs are not sex-linked. They all have a light spot on the top of the head as chicks.
That is actually fairly common. It is rumored that Wheaton Marans were intermingled with BCMs in the US at some point. If you like it… keep it! But don’t leave it in your breeding program!
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