23/07/2024
Real talk on purple coppers! ‘Purple Copper’ is the affectionate name our family gave to our pure Black Copper Marans when we experienced the sheer delight of collecting beautiful heavy bloom purple eggs from the nesting boxes. As in, ‘LOOK! ANOTHER PURPLE COPPER!’ shouted across the way. I’ve spent the last few years learning everything I can about bloom. Here’s a brief:
* In the scientific literature, bloom is called ‘cuticle deposit’, understood to be the last layer deposited by the hen as the egg passes through the oviduct, on top of the pigment, just before being laid.
* The egg is a ‘nanoceramic vessel’ that is highly porous, and the cuticle deposit coats the exterior to protect it during incubation. All eggs have bloom; heavy bloom (heavy cuticle deposit) can look opaque or even chalky, changing the color of the egg.
* Heavy bloom changes the way a chick respirates through the egg shell, best hatches deploy low, steady humidity and upright incubation.
* Heavy bloom is speculated to be caused by a number of environmental, nutritional, and hereditary factors. Snakes are known to lay heavy bloom eggs in response to boggy, wet environments, but poultry cuticle deposit is not fully understood.
* In my experience, bloom can definitely be bred for, meaning when you pair birds known to hatch from a line with heavy bloom tendencies, you tend to see more bloom in subsequent generations.
* Heavy bloom is not standard for Black Copper Marans, but we select for it because it brings us joy. We also select for a mauvish-purple-red undertone to the pigmentation of our eggs; Marans eggs with an orangish-terracotta undertone get eaten.
* The three eggs at the top of this photo are all laid by one hen. She tends to lay the heavy bloomed purple egg when she hasn’t laid in a day or two. She’s no where close to my darkest layer but her bloom is ideal!
* Breeders such as myself offer chicks and hatching eggs from their flocks as ‘multiplier breeding stock’, meaning we supply genetics with certain tendencies. How those genetic tendencies express themselves in every bird is different, and the pairings you make from your foundation stock become your own line in subsequent years.
