Sweetwater Black Copper Marans
ORIGINS (some details from French Marans Club
http://marans-club.perso.neuf.fr/histang.htm#historiq)
Marans originated in MARANS, a small town on the Atlantic coast
near La Rochelle, France. They were thought to originate with birds
bought into France as part of Alenor of Aquintaine of England's dowry
for her marriage to Henri of Platagenet, Duke of Anjou, who later
became Henri II of England. For the next 2 centuries, English ships
stopping in La Rochelle unloaded birds which had survived cockfights on
board the ship. These roosters crossed with the native marsh hens.
The offspring of these crossings were stocky like the cockerels, and
laid dark colored eggs like the marsh hens.
In the late 19th century, Some Langshans were imported by Mr.
Geoffrey St. Hilaire and Mr. Foucault. Also Mr. Louis Rouille farmed
hens in Fouras, south of Rochelle. Around this time it is thought that
Brahma was also introduced into the breeding. The stocky bodied bird
that lays the chocolate brown eggs was established. In 1914, at the
national exhibition in La Rochelle, the first presentation of this breed
took place under the name of "country hen". By the late 1920's a
standard had been established for the Cuckoo variety and the first
Marans Club was established in 1929. By 1931, 3 varieties were
being shown (Silver Cuckoo, White, and Black Copper).
Black Copper and Wheaten varieties are now recognized by the
American Poultry Association (APA). The Marans Chicken Club worked
hard to make this happen. The Marans Chicken Club posted standards
for a few colors on their web page:
http://www.maransusa.org
My flocks consists of
2 ROOSTERS (see pictures, below):
Rodney is Bev Davis line.
Marvin is Cottage Hill/Ron Presley.
MY HENS:
Mostly pure Wade Jeane (descended from birds I hatched from eggs I
bought directly from Wade in 2006, picture of eggs, below)
2 Bev Davis hens(solid black no copper hackles but lay very dark eggs, and
very nice looking birds)
2 Cottage Hill hens from really dark eggs, (Hatched March 21, 2011).
Beautiful color and gorgeous egg color
2 older hens (hatched June 2008) from eggs I got from a trade with Dave
Williams in Ohio. The Dave Williams girls are 2 of my best birds both in
appearance and egg color. Dave said they are from French imports (he
couldn't tell me more than that).
Hatching eggs are available (I have a waiting list)
sweeth2o1@gmail.com
MY BIRDS ARE NPIP CERTIFIED BY THE STATE OF CA TO BE
FREE OF PULLORUM-TYPHOID: NPIP# CA316
| Here (above) are a couple of Wade Jeane girls October 2008 |
| These are eggs I bought from Wade Jeane in 2006. Yes, they really were as dark as they look in the picture! |
| At left is Apollo at 6 months old. Apollo was a Wade Jeane bird, hatched July 2008. His 5 girlfriends are also pure Wade's line. Apollo succumbed to a tumor on March 7, 2011. RIP Apollo. |
| Below, eggs in the incubator from my girls |
| This pretty little hen (below) is from Wade Jeane line. |
| March 10, 2011 -> New cockerel is here. His name is Rodney. More pictures after it stops raining. Missing lobe on comb from a fight with another rooster. |
| <- * Here is Marvin, new Cottage Hill rooster, crowing. Photo taken January 21, 2012. He hatched on March 21, 2011. |