Marans came to the US from France. There are several varieties, with more being developed every year. Waltz's Ark is working with Black Copper, Blue Copper, and Birchen varieties. For those of you new to the breed, "Marans" is always spelled with an "S" on the end, regardless if you are referring to one bird or an entire flock.

Marans are most well known for their dark brown eggs. They are truly a dual-purpose bird, growing large enough to satisfy the table easily. Some varieties lay a darker egg than others, the Black Copper and Blue Copper being the ones that currently tend to lay the darkest eggs the most often. We do not cross-breed our Marans, so we will not be offering any "olive eggers" at any time in the future. Each variety is kept separate from each other as well as all other birds. In our humble opinion, there are enough problems getting them to breed true without confusing the genetics any further. We've fallen in love with this regal bird, and have dedicated a great deal of space to working with our three chosen varieties.

The Black Copper variety was admitted to the APA Standard in 2011. Therefore we Marans breeders now have a US standard to work towards with this beautiful breed. This variety is becoming quite popular in poultry shows. We are working hard to eliminate some of the "genetic messes" that are hidden within the variety, and will not sell hatching eggs from our BCM until we are certain that each group is breeding as true to standard as possible. Several lines are working in separate pens to prove their worthiness as production birds.

The Blue Copper Marans are quite something to look at. The beautiful shades of blue, the delicate lacing, copper overlay - just a great bird to stare at! We are working with several different established lines to bring about the best of the blues.

Another of the intriguing varieties of the Marans. Beautiful! We are working with two lines to strengthen the birchen pattern and the egg color.