Marans Egg Facts and myths

Marans chickens are well known for laying dark brown, almost chocolate colored eggs. I've heard them referred to as "the most expensive chicken eggs in the world" and until recently they have been fairly hard to come by. They are said to be prized by French chefs and are slightly harder to hatch then other breeds.

marans eggs. dark brown (almost chocolate colored) eggs from the Marans hens.

Many people are only familiar with the name Marans because James Bond was said to only eat the speckled eggs from Marans hens in From Russia With Love. While I can't comment on Mr Bonds particular idiosyncrasies, I've had Marans for several years and I have to tell you, not all those other rumors are true!

Is the chicken a Marans or a Maran?


The often confused proper name for this breed of chicken is Marans, though many people think a single chicken is a Maran chicken. Since the breed was named after the town of Marans in France, the S at the end of a name does not indicate a plural. 

A single chicken is a Marans and multiple chickens are still Marans. Along that same line, eggs are called Marans eggs not Maran eggs. I know it seems a little odd, but that sometimes happens when proper names are adopted for native products.

Interesting reading: Marans, France.

Almost all chickens start off laying smallish sized eggs and their eggs get larger as they become more experienced layers. Marans eggs are the same except for a few differences in color.

Marans eggs


1) Marans eggs change colors. When a Marans pullet starts laying she will lay very dark brown eggs. As the laying season progresses her eggs get lighter. After a molt or seasonal break, her eggs start out dark brown again. 

She will repeat this cycle throughout her lifetime however they will lighten up a bit after the first year or two. They'll still follow the pattern of darker in the spring and lighter by fall though they'll never again get as dark as that first year.

2) The color can be wiped off of a Marans egg. Isn't that odd? If you try to clean a Marans egg and wipe too hard, the color will come right off!

3) The color is on the egg shell, it is not the color of the egg shell. It's a wet mucous like coating which dries quickly after the egg is laid. Sometimes it doesn't dry quickly enough and gets marks on the color from nest box bedding.

4) Some eggs are speckled, some are not.

5) The color of a Marans egg is hereditary. If the parent stock lay very dark eggs, the offspring will also. However if the parent stock lay lighter brown eggs, their offspring will also.

Black Copper Marans eggs myths

6) Black copper Marans usually lay the darkest brown colored eggs. Cuckoo Marans and blue copper Marans also lay dark brown eggs, but they are usually a lighter shade than the black copper. (the lighter eggs in the above picture are from my blue Marans) 

As stated in #5 though, it is dependant on the parent's egg color and many breeders are working on only breeding for the darkest egg color in all colors of Marans. (FYI: blue and blue copper are not officially recognized colors)

7) They can be a little harder to hatch. Humidity is a very touchy thing with Marans eggs, more so than other brown eggs. Slightly higher humidity seems to help them hatch better but too high and the chicks don't make it. Hens seem to get a better hatch rate than incubators with these eggs.

and the big bad secret no one wants to tell you....

8) They taste the same as any other farm fresh egg. OMG I admitted it! lol I can't even count how many people have told me "I've heard Marans eggs are the best tasting eggs in the world" Now, that's just silly! 

I mean, compared to store bought eggs then yeah...sure, Marans eggs are better. If you compare them to my other free range chickens though, you can't tell the difference.

on second thought.......we should probably just keep that last one between us. Especially if Mr Bond asks!

Want to know more about farm fresh chicken eggs? Click here for everything you ever wanted to know about eggs!

~Lisa 

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29 comments:

  1. I have three Marans - the eggs look a lot like yours. I have a question - are your Marans noisy hens? Mine are far and above the loudest, most vocal hens in the barnyard!

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    1. I thinks it's in each ones personality. Cleo and Sister are noisy as can be, but the triplets are very quiet. The rest kind of fall in the middle. Then again, I have Guineas too...so maybe I'm underestimating everyone else's noise level. LOL

      ~L

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  2. I wish my Maran eggs would have hatched :( The egg color is beautiful!
    I had such a hard time with that hatch. But not with these little banty Cochins, they are popping out like cockroaches LOL!!!

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    1. They can be harder to hatch then other breeds. Watch your humidity...keep it lower in the first 18 days and higher for lockdown. Banty cochins are awesome...so darn cute and fluffy. Congrats on the hatch!

      ~L

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  3. Those are some cool lookin' eggs!

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  4. I have two Cuckoo Marans and their eggs are not that deep brown I was hoping for :( Mine are hatchery quality and I am sure that makes a difference too. I do love the look of that dark deep brown though :)

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    1. That sometimes happens with hatchery eggs. :-( I've never had cuckoos....only blue, splash and black copper. Do you like them?

      ~L

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  5. I am expecting some Cuckoo Marans in the mail this week, and am curious to see what shade of brown egg they lay. I love the variety in your tray!

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  6. I have a hen that was given to me when we first started out about 18 mos. ago. I was told she was a black copper necked Maran...now, at the time, I didn't know diddly...still don't. Later someone else told me she was just an ordinary sex-link.
    But she is the only one I have that lays a speckled egg. It is light in color, like the lightest one in your photo above...but the speckles are dark like some of your darker eggs.
    She is black and has coppery/golden long feathers in a ring around her neck.
    Very Bossy chicken.
    Do you think she could be a 'black copper' maran?
    I came here via FFBH, Pat

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    1. She could be. The Marans club of America website has a list with the breed standards. See how she compares....sounds close to me!

      ~L

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  7. I'm so excited to get our Maran this spring - just a few more weeks!

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  8. Ha ha. I had one Maran, and she expired as a baby chick? I was so sad. I have not replaced her yet, but I will. I love to have a variety of egg colors in my flock.
    xo Kris

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    1. Awww, that is sad! I like to have different colors too. We lost our blue egg layer and I want to replace her but haven't gotten around to it yet, Maybe this year.

      ~L

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  9. Replies
    1. The Marans have a calm, stable temperament. I had some that were so friendly they'd follow me all over the place and others that are more standoffish. They're not at all flighty or skittish. They're a good flock bird and get along with every breed and type of poultry I've had them with.

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    2. I love my MARANS!!! I have the Black Copper Marans!!! One of my hens actually came in the back door and into my bedroom and got up in my bed .... WITH ME!!!!!I opened my eyes and there she was!! I actually got a pic of it! I love my girls!!They are great!! I also have Ameraucanas!!!! They are great also! I love the egg colors and am a member of both breed clubs!!!!

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  10. I appreciate the knowledge that the eggs get lighter as the hens get older and also through the laying season. I thought I might be loosing my mind or someone swapped out my hens. I kept telling my husband that the eggs were not dark anymore and they were so wonderfully dark when I first got them. Thank you for this info.

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    1. You are definitely not losing your mind! They do get lighter each year and as the season goes by!

      Lisa

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  11. I have a question. My flock is mixed. I have a splash male, 2 black/copper hens, 2 blue(lavender)hens, a a splash hen. I have had limited success in hatching my babies. I was able to get me to broody hens and have had 2 hatchings. The point of this is I now have 2 white babies. What causes this?

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    1. They sound like they're splash. Mine always hatch solid colored and develop the splash colors after they're first true feathers came in. Ok, quick genetics rundown: If your splash rooster breeds with your splash hens all of the offspring will be splash. If he breeds with the blue hen then 1/2 of those chicks will be splash and the other half will be blue. If he breeds with the black hen all of those chicks will be blue. If you add a different colored rooster in it mixes the whole thing up! lol Good luck!

      Lisa

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  12. Do you ever get pink chalky eggs from the marans, almost looks like the fake ceramic egg.

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    1. Once in a while, yes. It doesn't happen very often though and it's usually one of my older girls.

      Lisa

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  13. If I buy Black Copper Marans eggs and their color is like light brown it means the chicken who hatch from this egg will lay light brown eggs?

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    1. Mostly. If the hen that laid those eggs was bred with a rooster that came from a darker egg, the chick that hatches could grow up to lay a slightly darker egg. The reverse is also true, if that hen was bred with a rooster that came from a light egg then when that chick grows up she could lay a slightly lighter colored egg. So basically it's a combination of the parents egg colors.

      Lisa

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