The main claim to fame of the Maran chicken is the colour of its large eggs! The shells of the eggs from the Maran chicken are a dark chocolate brown, the eggs of the Black Copper variety being darkest of all. The Maran originated in France around the mid 1800s as a dual purpose breed, producing large, brown eggs and a fleshy, tender carcass. The town of Maran is situated twelve miles north of La Rochelle.

The Maran chicken made its way to England where the dark brown eggs were soon popular. Breeders in Maran continued to improve the breed and in 1929 the first Maran bird was exhibited in Paris at the Poultry Breeders Society. They became very popular show birds following the World War II and appeared in a variety of colours including Gold and Silver Cuckoo, white, birchen, blue and wheaten. As a meat producer, the Maran has thick, succulent breasts. It was very popular in London as a table bird.

Today most Marans in the United Kingdom are Dark Cuckoo in colour, ranging from very dark grey to silver. In the USA, Silver Cuckoos are more readily available. The Maran is not recognised by the American Poultry Association.

They are a heavy breed, quite fat and lazy but are relatively quick to mature reaching a weight of six to seven pounds at six months of age. Sexing of day-old chicks isn't always the easiest of tasks, however it is no trouble sexing Marans as the male chickens have a large white spot on the top of the head and the hens have a smaller spot.

The body is medium in length with good width and depth as befits a good meat producer. They have a high tail. All colours have a red to bright orange eye, red earlobes and white legs. They have a neat head with prominent eyes and a single comb. The Maran comes in standard and bantam varieties. It is considered rare nowadays but is still prized for the colour of the eggs.

Being so placid and sedentary these birds tend to get dirty and clog up around the vent area. They will then need to be manually cleaned. They do best if given plenty of space and kept on a free range management system. They are disease resistant which is just as well as being so sedentary they would be prone to pick up lice or other parasites quite easily. They are not as easy to raise as some breeds. The Maran will need good protection in winter as they do not do well in cold conditions. They are quite flighty and never become particularly friendly. The hens are not inclined to go broody, and, if they manage to hatch some chicks are not particularly good mothers anyway!

While the Maran may need more maintenance than some breeds, they are a very attractive bird showing a nice contrast between the colourful plumage, white legs and bright eyes.

Sources:

www.chickenkeepers.co.uk

www.mypetchicken.com

www.poultrymad.co.uk

www.poultryclub.org

Learn more about this author, Judy Evans.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Poultry breed facts: Maran chicken?
We want to hear your view. Write now!