Black Copper Marans
Also known as: Marans, French Black Copper Marans
Famous for laying the darkest eggs in the chicken world, deep chocolate-brown and prized by chefs and backyard keepers alike. Black Copper Marans are calm, quiet, and cold-hardy, but they are moderate layers at about 150-200 eggs a year, mature slowly, and the shell color fades lighter as each hen moves through her laying cycle.
Figures verified against 3 sources. Ranges reflect variation by strain and individual bird.
At a glance
- Eggs / year
- 150–200
- Egg size
- large
- Purpose
- dual-purpose
- Class
- Large fowl
- Hen weight
- 6.5–7 lb
- Rooster weight
- 8–8.5 lb
- Starts laying
- 24–32 weeks
- Lifespan
- 6–8 years
- Comb
- single
- Noise
- quiet
- Origin
- France
- Conservation
- APA recognized
Egg color: Dark brown
Temperament & suitability
Appearance
Black plumage with coppery hackles; French type has lightly feathered legs. Prized for the darkest brown eggs of any breed.
Varieties
This page represents the Black Copper, the first Marans variety accepted into the APA Standard, in 2011. The French standard recognizes about ten colors, so US recognition is a smaller set. US birds are the feather-shanked French type.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Lays the famous dark-chocolate-brown eggs
- Calm and quiet, good for close neighbors
- Cold hardy and hardy overall
Cons
- Fewer eggs than production breeds (~150-200/yr)
- Egg color fades lighter through the laying cycle
- Slow to mature
Common questions
Why are Marans eggs so dark?
A genetic trait deposits extra brown pigment on the shell, producing deep chocolate-colored eggs.
How many eggs do Marans lay?
About 150-200 dark brown eggs per year.
When will your Black Copper Marans start laying?
Just got chicks? Enter their hatch date and we’ll estimate the first-egg window for a Black Copper Marans, based on its point of lay of 24–32 weeks. Hens rarely read the calendar, so treat it as a range.
Sources
Verified 2026-07-06. Recognized by the APA in 2011. Famous for very dark chocolate-brown eggs (~150-220/yr); color is darkest early in the laying cycle. Weights (hen ~7 lb, rooster ~8.5 lb) per Wikipedia (Marans) and Cackle Hatchery.