New Chicks This Spring? How About Black Copper Marans?

Will you be buying eggs to hatch or ordering chicks this spring? Have you ordered yet? Do you have a specific breed in mind, or are you going to be a little adventurous and order a few chicks of a different breed?

I’d like to suggest you consider Marans—specifically Black Copper Marans. According to www.pickinachicken.com, these birds are “well-known to be amazing egg layers, [and] they are also visually pleasing”.

Copper Maran Chicks-1 day old

Let’s take a look:

Hardiness: As you probably know by now, I live in Western New York State where winters are long with several weeks, usually, of frigid weather. Summers tend to be short, hot and humid. When I’m researching chicken breeds to add to my flock, I look for those that are listed as “hardy”. The MEYER HATCHERY catalog notes that the hardiness of Black Copper Marans “varies”; the PickinAChicken website states “they are good with cold because they were initially bred in a damp environment”. This makes me think they are probably going to be fine throughout the cold winters, especially in our draft-free coop filled with thick straw bedding, but that I may have to watch them carefully during the few very hot days we have in the summer—make sure they have plenty of shade and cool water.

Percy the Rooster –5 months

Productivity: These birds are particularly known for their dark, chocolate brown eggs. They are “good” layers, which translates to laying an average of an egg every other day or so, but those eggs are large and lovely. I wonder if the note about these hens being “amazing layers” doesn’t refer to the beautiful eggs. We have two pullets that have not yet started to lay, but I’m hoping to find one of those dark eggs in a nest box any day now.

Copper Maran Pullet, about 5 months old

Disposition: Black Copper Marans are listed as being quiet, calm and gentle birds. In the few months that we have had them in our flock, I’ve noticed that they get along very well with the other chickens. I have read that these birds tend not to be as vocal as others, but I have NOT noticed that –we have two pullets and one rooster, and one of the pullets chatters to me most of the time I am in the coop. Percival, the rooster, crows when it’s appropriate –in the morning, when he’s hungry, when he’s startled, when he wants to…a vocal rooster, to be sure. They are very friendly birds, even Percy doesn’t seem to mind being picked up and handled. Honestly, I’ve referred to him as “sweet” many times.

These are dual-purpose birds, growing quickly into an average mature weight of 7 pounds for hens, 8.5 pounds for roosters. They can be happily confined in a coop or set out to free range—in fact, one source notes that they do well on free range because they do not cause damage through heavy scratching (Meyer Hatchery catalog description). Our birds will only be serving one purpose here—once they receive a name, they are no longer a dinner option, but they are heavy, with meaty thighs and full breasts. And they are beautiful birds!

The breed originated in France, and for showing purposes, it apparently does not yet have an American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection –there are many varieties. Even though the class is not recognized, the eggs of the Black Copper Maran are the darkest of all breeds, and there is a French Standard of appearance that seems to breed true.

Black Copper Maran Roosters should have continuous shade of copper on the head, back and sides

Copper on head, darker on saddle, green sheen on tail feathers…..our “sweet” Percy!

of neck. There should be a slightly darker shade of copper on the saddle (swoop of back), and a mix of this darker shade with black feathers as you move towards the wings. On the lower part of the wings, and tail, there should be all black feathers, with a very prominent green sheen. Other parts as you move to the chest and under the wings will also be black, but without as much of a sheen, if any at all. “ (

www.pickinachicken.com) The comb is large, single and red; the legs should be feathered on the outside extending to the outer toe. I noticed when our chicks were very small that it seemed they had disproportionately large feet and feathered legs. (As they grew, their bodies caught up to the foot size!)

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Black Copper Maran Hens should have a nearly completely “black body with copper on the head and neck areas.” Again from the criteria noted in PickinAChicken, “It is good to have intense copper in these areas, but if any is found in the chest, or back, it is considered bad genetics, so you might want to stay away from mothers who may have these characteristics if you are going to breed your chickens. Also look out for white spots anywhere.”

Hatching chicks and their adoptive mother–see how dark brown those eggs are?

Now, I don’t intentionally plan to breed and hatch any little chickens, Black Copper Maran or not, but it does appear that the ones I have are true to the French Standard. They are listed as being “broody”, and we do have a neighbor that breeds these birds on a regular basis. (In fact, she sells hatching eggs—which is how we came to raise these birds, using our broody Buff Orpington as the adoptive mother. (See “The Perfect Story”). If one of these girls goes broody, we’ll have chicks. That’s how it works in my coop.

If you like to have an assortment of varieties in your backyard flock, or if you are thinking you might like to try a different breed this spring, I suggest you find some Black Copper Marans. They are a rare breed, but worth the search.

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156 Comments

Suzette Martin

5 months ago