Australian and English standards are the same or similar.
I look at it more as sorting than convincing. I sort out the ones who are unable for some reason to hear and offer what I know to those that truly want to learn...as I have been so freely given the information I have learned from...
Study Steve Neumann's OE color breeding chart. I'm thinking these chicks may not lay olive necessarily. Your anwers are in the chart. It's an adventure!
Interested in theories regarding how to go about this. Since they all came from very few birds, just crossing different breeder's birds wouldn't seem to do it. We had good luck with vigor in our first line birds, but others clearly have had other experiences and some serious issues...
Sylvester017, the only way to know the Marans egg color is to show the egg with the official Marans egg color chart in the same photo. We like to punch a hole in the chart and put the egg behind it to compare, as having the white between the egg in question and the chart will lead your brain to...
For clarity: APA standard for Marans is feathered shanks and outer toe. Variety is irrelevant. ALL Marans mush have feathered shanks and outer toe to meet APA Standard of Perfection, color variety notwithstanding. That being said, many cuckoo Marans do not have the required shank/toe...
From this photo he is very nice. Best for evaluation are a top view showing the whole bird straight down from the top for width, both sides straight on at bird level, front and back views. He has a lot of tail for a Marans!
He is young, however...his eye color is not anything I've ever seen before. His chest feathers are mossy rather than copper (and you only want a few of them if they were copper instead) and his entire chest shows shafting. He is young, yet at this age I'd want to see more substance and width...
Welcome! It sounds like your cockerel may be a blue copper Marans as well as the two pullets. The all black may be a black copper Marans that is not expressing the coppering in her neck, as pure black Marans are not at all common. The black with white in her neck may be a Birchen Marans. APA...
That is a pullet, and too light to go into a RB breeding program. She's not showing the characteristics needed (dark coloring, clear dark striping, eyeliner, horn color on beak etc.).
That's an individual choice. It's a huge (and often expensive) learning curve with this breed. The person I got my original hens from did not know she had recessive white in her flock, and discovered it after I started having white chicks show up here. She did the same, taking the time and...