Black Copper Marans - SOP Line Hatching Eggs

Pre-Orders Open December 1 
 
Bring the very best of France to your flock with our Black Copper Marans hatching eggs, sourced from multi-national and international champion bloodlines across the US and France. These birds have been carefully selected for exceptional conformation, health and vigor, temperament, and egg color – all in alignment with the Standard of Perfection (SOP).
 
Our method of breeding is via clan breeding otherwise known as line breeding. We maintain two lines of Black Copper Marans: Our dark egg line with eggs consistently ranging from 7 to 9, and an SOP line. This season’s SOP line will focus on outstanding conformation males and high-copper females. The Colonel is currently over our high copper line, and hatched from a highly-speckled 8 egg on the Marans chart. 
 
Because this season is focused on creating a full-headed copper female, we have chosen The Colonel for this purpose as he has the right amount of chest leakage to achieve this goal. Though some chest leakage is allowed in the APA SOP guidelines, we typically would not prefer this in our males, and you may see leakage in his male progeny. That said, his leakage is minimal with just the faintest shafting in a few feathers. Our long-term plan will be to retire The Colonel after two seasons, once we have our females where we want them, and then Major or his progeny will take over.  The Colonel will then move to our layer pen where he will enjoy a long wonderful life with an abundance of ladies. :)
 
This line also produces rich, dark eggs, but on a slightly less intense scale as our dark line. Additionally, we send eggs as they are available in this selection, which will produce a variety of egg colors from 5 to 8. 
 
For those looking for exceptional exhibition-quality birds with high copper females and outstanding temperament, the Colonel’s clan is for you. If you follow our Facebook and Instagram stories, you know how special the Colonel is. Beyond being just drop-dead gorgeous, he is incredibly sweet, loving, cuddly, and charismatic. He is truly a once in a lifetime bird, and my hands down favorite. I'm honored to share his progeny with you - who may or may not also inherit his foot fetish. (IYKYK lol)
 
What Sets Our Birds Apart:
Direct lineage from show-winning birds in both the U.S. and France (new import in 2025 exclusive to Little Chicken Farms)
Deep, rich egg color ranging from 5 to 8 on the Marans scale, many with heavy purple or speckled blooms - *please note - we have yet to see a 9 from this season's SOP line-up, but their offspring may surprise you. Nonetheless, this clan has been bred for a balance of egg color and exceptional conformation. 
Our SOP line has been bred for correct copper hackle, feathered shanks, and true breed type, with particular emphasis this season on full, copper-headed females. Our minimum standards also include females that are heavy in their size, with absolutely perfect body type, tight wing set, and teepee pointed tails at the correct angle. 
Temperament is paramount. We do not compromise the docility of our birds just for their beauty. We see these as one and the same. Our birds are loving, affectionate, and for the most part, even the roosters live peacefully together. We do not compromise on this genetic necessity. 
Raised on an NPIP-clean, organic farm focused on health, vitality, and the highest standards for our birds' quality of life.
All orders receive two breeder's choice extras with each order. 
 
Hatching Concierge Service 
As BCM eggs of this color are extremely difficult to hatch, for Local Customers only (from San Diego to Monterey, CA) we offer our hatching concierge service for purchased eggs that we hatch for you in our incubation suite. If you are interested in this service, please add a note to your ORDER NOTES section and we will reach out to you to arrange this. We will update the links for more information on our hatching concierge service as we approach our pre-order date of December 1.
 
Whether you're building your own breeding program or just want to enjoy some of the darkest, most luxurious eggs nature can offer, these hatching eggs are as close to perfection as it gets.
 
Our lines were chosen from the following original breeders, to whom we thank for their tireless work to perfect this beautiful breed:
 
SOP Line:
Exclusive 2025 Import of multi-year-winning, French National Champion lines**
Frank May
HB Marans (Holly Williams)
High Garden Chickens (David Uribe)
Wrather Farms
 
**Please note: Because we include French lines direct from France, you may see small deviations from the APA standards in some of your birds, such as slightly lighter slate shanks on females. We have one female in this line that carries this trait. 
 
Important Notes:
Fertility is carefully monitored, but we cannot guarantee hatch rates due to shipping and incubation variables. 
Eggs are collected fresh, gently packed in our patent-pending silicone capsules, and shipped with care for optimal viability.
Availability is strictly limited and only available from March 15 to August 15 on a pre-order basis – reserve yours early for guaranteed shipment. 
Shipping is included in the price of the eggs. We ship USPS priority shipping for most orders. If you are interested in upgrading to express shipping, please note this in your order notes and we will contact you to arrange the additional shipping fee. 
Local Pick-Up of Hatching Eggs are exclusively picked up from the Thousand Oaks location. If you choose the local pick-up option, we will contact you for your pick-up date on a first come, first serve basis. 
 
Maximum 1 Dozen Hatching Eggs Per Order