Black tailed red Marans (BTR)
>>> Are you tired of Black Copper Marans (BCM) that disappoint in the egg color department and breed type? Well look no further!
BTR are a project variety Marans, meaning they are not yet accepted by the American Poultry Association (APA). They are a recognized variety in Europe. The goal of this variety is to obtain the New Hampshire coloring on a purebred Marans.
I got my original stock from Cackle Hatchery in 2023. With additional stock from Bill Grover, out of Oklahoma, in March of 2024.
>>> The question everyone wants to know: What number do your girls lay? Well, super exciting to update you all: my line now officially lays 4-9!! Yes! At the end of 2025, my birds have produced 8s and 9s. I am over the moon about this, as it means the potential is there to continue to darken my eggs more than I ever thought possible! Please KEEP IN MIND, I consistently get 5s and 6s. These very dark eggs are rarer, but possible. I cannot guarantee what color your girl will lay, but I do only set eggs that are true #4 or darker. Quality over quantity.
Let's talk about the variety, Black Tailed Red Marans: There are six color genes responsible for this feather coloring:
eWh - Wheaton, s - gold, Co - Columbia, Db - Dark brown, Mh - Mahogany, and Di - Dilute
As Bill Grover would say, I have all the genes between the two lines, now I need to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I am extremely happy with the results from selective crossing of both lines in 2025. The girls are starting to color up more evenly. With the addition of Bill's beautiful birds, type has also improved over what I was originally working with. I do not feel I could have made this progress with Cackle's birds alone.
I intend to keep my line free of Euro blood as I feel I have all the building blocks I need to create this variety from US breeding stock alone. Many others have had the amazing opportunity to acquire some of Skip Bittner's European line of Black Tailed Red Marans.
May your journey be blessed with good fortune as you continue to help breed this variety forward with hopes of it becoming accepted in the APA someday. And to those of you who simply just love the dark brown eggs, ENJOY!
Check out the Facebook group dedicated to this color line:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/561299870945837/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
It's been a wonderful project to be a part of. I look forward to improving this variety more each year. I'm incredibly excited to see what 2026 breeding will bring.
Egg production: 200±
Avg. POL: 20-24
Egg color: dark brown/chocolate
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