Southern Delights Poultry works with Black Copper Marans mostly. We do have a few blue copper marans hens on the property. We are on our fifth generation of Marans. We have been working with our stock for so long that we consider them 100% our own. Our flock has been a closed flock since 2009.
You may want to know how we select our breeders. We look for open tails, long backs, leg feathering, correct eye color, correct hackle copper coloring, and large size. Common faults in our birds include comb issues (too many points, thumbprints, or twists), middle toe feathering, and white undercoat. There are some issues that our flock has NEVER had: mossiness in the hens or yellow legs.
What about personality?
Part of our selection process includes personality. If a rooster has perfect type and a nasty attitude, it will not become a breeder at our farm. Fortunately for us and you, we rarely see aggression issues from our Marans. Our hens and roosters are gentle and friendly. This is a very CALM breed.
Broodiness is another aspect of the breed's personality that you might be curious about. We see a 25% broody rate in our Marans. If they do go broody, they only hatch one clutch of eggs a year. They don't go broody, time after time, like some other breeds.
Our main emphasis in our breeding program has been type, not egg color. We are focusing on consistently producing birds with correct type BEFORE we focus on improving egg color. In 2013, our hens were laying eggs that were at least a 4, but not the super dark that others advertise. In 2014, we are seeing slightly darker egg color. The pictures on this page are from our 2015 pullets.
Visit the Hatching Eggs tab for current pricing.
Hatching Eggs - Available February - August.
