How to Raise Laying Marans Hens

Maran hens lay glossy, dark, chocolate brown eggs. In some cases, the color appears speckled or with spots of deeper brown. Maintaining a stable laying environment will help alleviate the hen's stress so it produces nicely colored eggs. Genetics can also play a role in the hen's egg production. A gentle, hardy bird, the Maran hen enjoys human interaction.

Things You'll Need

  • Shelter (shed, portable hen house, hen house, barn)
  • Nest boxes that measure 16 x 18 inches
  • Nesting material (soft straw or sawdust)
  • Poultry water dispenser
  • Poultry feeder
  • Organic layers' pellets
  • Chicken corn mix
  • Laying hen oyster shells
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Instructions

    • 1

      Provide a shelter for the Maran hens to retreat to during the night, in inclement weather and where it can safely lay eggs. The shelter can be a portable hen house, old shed, barn or nonportable henhouse. Chickens are not particular about housing.

    • 2

      Place nest boxes inside the henhouse structure. Nest boxes should measure 16 inches wide by 18 inches deep to offer the hen ample room. Suspend the first row of next boxes 18 inches off the floor and the second row of nest boxes 36 inches off the floor. Each hen requires its own individual nest box.

    • 3

      Line the nest boxes with sawdust or soft straw. Harsh or rough nesting material can cause discoloration to occur on the Maran's brown eggs.

    • 4

      Provide a feeder filled with high quality organic layers' pellets mixed with a basic chicken feed corn mix. Maintain clean drinking water daily for the hens. Provide oyster shells for the hens to peck at. Oyster shells help the shells of the eggs form by providing adequate calcium to the hen.

    • 5

      Turn the hens loose each morning to roam. Free-ranging Maran chickens during the day in areas where predators are not a threat will help the hens maintain their weight. Marans benefit from foraging for insects during the day, so they do not become overweight.

    • 6

      Gather the Maran hen's eggs daily in the morning. Carefully handle the eggs so the color is not smudged. When the hen first lays the egg a bit of the color often adheres to the egg in wet spots and can smear when handled.