Morning Houndsman!
HF, pull your horns in and leave Lindeggs alone
You probably wouldn't be so grumpy if you were asleep in the middle of the night like normal people
Anyway Houndsman, French Marans are lovely, OK I'm a bit biased lol as I'm a member of the Marans club de France, and I've started a breeding flock of silver black and copper blue French Marans.
Marans originate in a particularly marshy area of France, and the hens have devised a method to prevent the eggs being waterlogged in the nest, and this is to add several coats of colour to an underlying white shell. This colour is laid down in layers as is passes through the oviduct, and it can be scratched off as the egg is being layed.
The very best hens will lay a very dark "extra-red" egg, which may also be speckled. In the UK, the hens which produce the best colour eggs are Copper Black and Copper Blue, as they are the most popular (and therefore easier for the breeders to choose amongst).
Although each hen will lay a slightly different colour, if you are getting POL hens which are not yet in lay, I would ask to see some of the eggs layed by other hens in the breeding pens. As HF mentioned (and this is one of the downsides to copper black and copper blue being popular), some breeders will not select for the darkest eggs, just to make money, and some "Marans" lay even a supermarket-pale egg which is not what we want in the breed. the colour of the egg doesn't affect the taste
French Marans should have lightly feathered legs, both an abundance of feathers (like the brahma) and a lack of feathers is a fault.
Generally, Marans are a very hardy breed, and a good dual pupose bird (cockerels make a good roaster at about 24-26 weeks)
I heartily recommend them *nods*