Marans

The Marans is a dual-purpose chook from western France, best known for laying eggs in deep reddish-brown shades that range from milk chocolate through to near mahogany. That depth of colour is what draws most keepers to the breed in the first place, and it is graded on a comparative colour scale used by breed clubs and fanciers.

Birds are medium sized, with hens sitting around 2.5 to 3.5 kg and cocks a bit heavier again. The body is broad and deep, which also makes the Marans a reasonable table bird, so it is classed as dual-purpose rather than a pure layer. Plumage comes in several recognised varieties, with Black Copper the one most Kiwi flocks carry.

Temperament is where the breed really earns its keep. Marans are calm, good-natured, and keen foragers that put up with handling without much fuss, which suits both family flocks on a lifestyle block and small breeding setups. Egg numbers sit in the moderate range rather than the high end, a trade-off most keepers are happy to accept for that shell colour.

Who it suits

The Marans suits keepers who rate egg colour and a settled temperament above sheer output. It does well in a home flock with room to forage, and copes reasonably with confinement if given enough space. Anyone after a calm bird that can also be dressed for the table tends to land on this breed. Keepers chasing the highest possible egg count year-round are usually better off with a dedicated laying breed.

The breed takes its name from the town and port of Marans, in the Charente-Maritime region of western France, close to the Atlantic marshlands. Local fowl in that low, wet country were a mixed bag kept by farmers, shaped over generations by the damp conditions.

From the nineteenth century, birds arriving through the nearby port of La Rochelle were crossed into the local stock. Game fowl and other imported types went into the mix, and the resulting birds proved hardy and stood out for their egg colour.

The breed was tidied up into a more uniform type in the early twentieth century and shown at a poultry show in La Rochelle in 1914. A French standard followed in the 1920s, with a breed club working to fix type and lock in the dark egg colour that set the Marans apart from other French fowl.

The breed later spread well beyond France, reaching Britain and other countries where regional standards went their own way on points such as feathered versus clean legs. Marans reached New Zealand later again, and under MPI's strict biosecurity and import health standards for poultry, most bloodlines here trace back to hatching eggs brought in under permit rather than live birds. Numbers stay modest compared with the more common layer breeds, kept mainly by fanciers and small breeders who rate the dark egg above everything else.

The Marans carries a broad, deep, fairly long body that gives it a solid, well-fleshed look in the hand. The back slopes slightly, the chest is full, and the tail sits at a moderate angle. The single comb, wattles and earlobes are red, and the eyes run orange through to reddish. French-type birds usually carry light feathering down the outer leg, while some other standards, including versions bred here, call for clean legs.

Feathering and colours

Several plumage varieties are recognised, though which ones are accepted depends on the standard being judged against. Black Copper is the most widely kept, with a black body and copper or red feathering across the neck hackles and, in cocks, the saddle. Cuckoo, carrying irregular grey barring, is the older traditional French pattern. Other varieties include Black, Wheaten and Silver Cuckoo. Shank feathering varies by country and by standard, so leg type is best checked against whichever standard a bird is being judged to, rather than assumed.

Marans have a solid reputation for being calm and even-tempered. They handle well, rarely bolt or panic, and tend to be quieter than flightier breeds, which makes them easy enough to manage in a back garden or on a lifestyle block. At the same time they are active and like to forage, so they do best with room to range.

With family members the breed is generally friendly and puts up with regular handling well, and plenty of individuals tame down nicely with routine contact. Around strangers they tend to be wary rather than aggressive, and settle once a person becomes familiar. In a mixed flock Marans usually sit somewhere in the middle of the pecking order: not especially pushy, and most get on fine with other placid breeds.

Cocks are often described as steady, though temperament still varies between individual birds and lines. As with any breed, early handling and calm management make for the most settled flock. That quiet nature paired with a strong urge to forage is a large part of why keepers rate the breed beyond just the eggs.

Grooming

• Check feathered shanks (on French-type birds) for caked mud and signs of scaly leg mite
• Give feet and footpads a regular once-over, since heavier birds can develop bumblefoot on poor footing
• Watch for external parasites such as lice and red mite, especially around the vent and under the wings
• Only trim nails if they get overgrown; active foragers usually wear them down naturally
• Provide a dry dust-bathing spot so birds can sort out their own feather condition

Exercise

• Allow daily access to a run or supervised free-range time to forage
• Give at least 1 square metre of run space per bird, more if the section allows
• Add perches at varying heights to encourage natural movement
• Scatter feed or greens to keep active birds occupied and cut down on boredom pecking

Environment

Marans are cold-hardy and cope with damp conditions better than most breeds, a legacy of their marshland origins, which suits much of New Zealand's temperate, often soggy weather. They still need a dry, draught-free, well-ventilated coop. Keep litter dry under feathered legs to stop mud balls and skin trouble, and provide shade and fresh water when it's hot, since heavier birds feel the heat more than lighter breeds.

A complete commercial poultry feed should form the base of the diet, matched to the bird's life stage. Chicks need a high-protein starter, growers move onto a lower-protein grower ration, and laying hens need a layer feed with added calcium for shell quality. Because the Marans is a medium dual-purpose bird, it eats a moderate amount and is not prone to running light on a balanced ration. Always keep fresh, clean water on hand.

Treats and supplements

Keep treats to roughly 10% of the daily intake so they do not throw the ration out of balance. Suitable extras include leafy greens, vegetable scraps, mealworms, and small amounts of grain. Offer insoluble grit so birds can grind their feed, and put out crushed oyster shell or limestone free-choice for laying hens to support shell strength. Birds that forage will also pick up a fair share of their own protein from insects.

The Marans is regarded as a hardy, disease-resistant breed with no widespread breed-specific genetic disorders. With good husbandry, hens commonly live 6 to 8 years, though laying tapers off well before the end of that span. Most problems that crop up are the everyday poultry conditions seen in any flock, plus a couple of issues tied to the feathered shanks on French-type birds.

Preventative care

• Keep the coop dry, clean, and well-ventilated, and refresh the litter regularly
• Check legs, feet, and vent for parasites on a routine schedule
• Quarantine new birds before adding them to the flock, in line with good biosecurity practice
• Provide balanced feed, grit, and free-choice calcium for layers
• Keep vaccination and worming on a plan suited to local conditions

As an active, medium-sized forager, the Marans does best with a solid coop and a decent-sized run. The coop needs to stay dry and well-ventilated without being draughty, and the run should be predator-proof and drained well enough that it does not turn to mud. The breed copes with cold and damp well, but standing wet ground causes the most trouble, particularly for feathered legs.

Setup checklist

• Dry, insulated or well-littered coop with vents above the birds
• Roost bars set higher than the nest boxes to stop birds roosting in the nests
• Predator-proof run with buried or aproned wire against diggers
• Shaded area and reliable fresh water for hot spells
• Dust-bathing spot kept dry and under cover

Marans eggs hatch on the usual chicken timetable of roughly 21 days, whether under a clucky hen or in an incubator. The main practical difference is the dark shell, which is harder to candle, so checking fertility and development takes a stronger light and a bit more patience. Marans hens go clucky now and again, but reliability varies between lines, and many breeders use an incubator to protect the dark-shelled hatching eggs.

Hatching steps

1. Set clean, well-shaped eggs at the start temperature after a short rest at room temperature
2. Hold steady heat and humidity and turn the eggs through to day 18
3. Candle around day 7 to 10 with a strong light, allowing for the dark shell
4. Stop turning at day 18 and raise humidity to about 65 to 70% for lockdown
5. Leave hatched chicks to dry off and fluff up in the incubator before moving them to a warm brooder