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I want to stress that these eggs are from the
same chickens that lay the smooth, un-speckled eggs. Sometimes the
colour, which is applied just as the eggs exits the vent, comes out
"clumpy". I don't know if the speckled eggs are all from the same
chicken or it just happens by chance to all of them, and I can't
guarantee whether or not the chickens raised from these eggs will also
lay speckled eggs. I thought it might be fun to offer these separately
and see what happens.
Hard-to-find
heirloom breed that produces a very dark brown egg with a rich yellow
(nearly orange) yolk, Cuckoo Marans are the hot new favourite.
The gallery photo is an actual picture of six of my eggs, and
the other pictures are of a couple of my roosters, "the girls"
free-ranging in the pasture, and, of course, a few gossips hanging
around the water cooler.
Cuckoo
Marans eggs are very large and like all Marans, tend to be darkest at
the beginning of the laying cycle. Although they get progressively lighter as time goes on, they remain dark brown
throughout the laying season, much darker than any other chicken.
A little history:
This
breed originated in France in the town of Marans and is best known for
its dark mahogany colored eggs. It is a fast grower and does well in
damp areas. The original French birds have feathered legs, but this
characteristic has been bred out of the British and many American
lines. The males are lighter in color than females (see photos). It is
possible to color sex them even as chicks with pretty good accuracy.
About my flock:
My Maran hens have
three Cuckoo Maran roosters from which to choose as a boyfriend every
day. This makes for an excellent fertility rate. In fact, my broody
hen consistently sits large clutches with a 98% hatch rate. The
indications are good that these eggs should be just great for hatching
out your own flock of Cuckoo Marans.
My flock is a
mixture of both British and French strains, with a good percentage of
the chicks having feathered legs.This has no bearing on the colour of
the eggs, however.
In
France, marans are allowed to have feathered legs, but in the UK this
is a fault. I am unaware of what the rules are in the US. Asfew are shown, it is not a matter of life or death; the main importance is on the egg colour.
I
live in Oregon, where it rains. Free-range chickens get muddy feet in
rainy weather, which sometimes leads to mud transfered from feet to the
eggs that are already in the nest when "mama" goes in to lay her daily
egg (they all seem to want to lay in the same nests, despite how many
unused ones there are). Although eggs are collected daily, with 3 dozen
hens it is impossible to keep this from happening. I wipe or lightly sand the eggs as
clean as possible prior to shipping, and although a little dried mud may remain, I will
not ship exceptionally dirty eggs.
***A note on egg
washing:
I do not wash my eggs before I send them. If you want them washed, that is up to
you. Some people wash eggs before setting them, some don't. I do not.
If you do wash them, make sure you use water
that is warmer than the egg (but not hot), or you will pull any
bacteria that is on the
outside of the shell inside. Some people use an anti-bacterial soap, as
well. There is a protective coating on the outside of the egg called
"cuticle",
and washing will remove it. This coating helps them to stay fresh while
traveling, and also while they are in the incubator. My goal is to ship
the freshest, most viable eggs
possible, and I believe that leaving the cuticle intact increases your
chance of a successful hatch.
The rest of the story:
Of
course, I can't guarantee hatch rates, as there are too many factors
outside my control when shipping and incubating eggs. However, I do
guarantee that my eggs are fertile and viable when I send them. I will
pack super carefully, using scads of bubble pack, packing peanuts, and
egg crates, and wrapping each egg individually. I ship Priority Mail
for speedy delivery and cover the package on all sides with "Fragile,
Live Eggs" labels. I will include extra eggs when I can, provided the
girls cooperate.
This is as far as my control extends, and from then on, it is up to others to make sure
your eggs arrive safely. This is where things can go wrong!
There
is the possibility that they will get thrown around by postal workers during loading and
unloading. Even if the shells aren't broken, the sensitive embryo can
be damaged. They can also be subjected to temperature extremes; either
too hot or too cold can spell disaster. Too hot, and the embryo starts to
grow or dies if temps are really high. Too cold and the embryo freezes.
Hatching eggs should be kept at a cool
temperature of
between 45-60 degrees. If you live in an area that has excessively high
or low daytime temps, you might consider making arrangements with the
Post Office so they don't sit outside. Even with all the extra
precautions, there is still no
guarantee.
The
last factor is your incubator. Whether you use a broody bird or an
artificial means of incubating your eggs, things can always go wrong
here. Power interruptions or failures. Temperature and humidity settings go crazy. The turner
stops turning. The list is
endless, and Murphy's Law is always in effect.
I am
not trying to scare anybody. I just want my customers to be as
informed as possible. I also want you to realize that if they don't
hatch, it's most likely not MY fault, so please don't leave
me negative feedback. Leave feedback based on your buying
experience, and your opinion of the eggs when they arrive, not your
rate of hatch. This is something I have little to no control over. Plenty of
people, including myself, have great success with hatching mailed eggs,
but you need to know that there are definitely things that can go
wrong!
Please read my feedback to see all the satisfied egg buyers
from previous listings. I take my little egg business, my chickies, and their welfare all very seriously. I
am (justifiably, I think) very proud of 1000+ feedback score.
On Apr-11-07 at 14:51:43 PDT, seller added the following information:
*Sellers are not responsible for service transit time. This information is provided by the carrier and excludes weekends and holidays. Note that transit times may vary, particularly during peak periods.
Return policy
Return policy not specified. Read item description for any reference to return policy.
Shipping can be combined for multiple purchases up to 18 eggs with no increase in shipping. I accept only PayPal for this listing, as time is of the essence with hatching eggs. Shipping insurance from the USPS on perishable items like eggs is a real grey area, so I don't offer it as an option. I pack extremely carefully.
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