The Marans are famous for their dark brown and often speckled eggs

But Victoria Roberts BVSc MRCVS says that's only part of the story of these striking birds

- 

Whatever fallacy it is about a dark brown egg that makes people think it is better, healthier or tastier than a white one has always persuaded people to keep Marans (the s is not pronounced). It was Lord Greenway in 1929, attending the Paris Exhibition, who brought some eggs back with him. The breed originated in the Marandaise district of France and according to Edward Brown’s book was produced by crossing Game, common fowl and Langshan together. The Croad Langshan certainly would provide some colour to the egg, but other breeds such as Coucou de Malines, Rennes, Faverolles, Barred Rock, Brakel and Gatinaise were apparently used as well. This mix of breeds left the legacy of a cuckoo coloured bird with feathered legs, but laying a dark brown egg. The British immediately wanted to breed out the feathered legs and eventually the cuckoo colours were standardised. The French, as usual, also appreciated the birds for their table qualities, thus creating a dual purpose bird. Subsequently, a commercial firm created a hybrid, the Speckledy hen, based on the Marans, to provide many more beau