2-week old Black Copper Maran's posture looks like a rooster

[Pullet Press]

I have a 2-week old black copper Maran pullet who has a posture like a little rooster, standing tall with her chest puffed out a little. I know that it's too early to tell, but I'm hoping that it's a female. It's the same size as all of my other 2-week pullets, maybe standing taller, but that's it.

 

[kcrandall]

I have a 2-week old black copper Maran pullet who has a posture like a little rooster, standing tall with her chest puffed out a little. I know that it's too early to tell, but I'm hoping that it's a female. It's the same size as all of my other 2-week pullets, maybe standing taller, but that's it.

Please post a picture so people can comment.

 

[Pullet Press]

Please post a picture so people can comment.

I'll post it tomorrow. Sorry to bother you.

 

[kcrandall]

I'll post it tomorrow. Sorry to bother you.

Not a bother at all. Hard to comment on what we can’t see. I raise Black Copper Marans so I’m very familiar with them. I don’t judge by posture because some little pullets can be very bossy.

I look at combs / wattles, beaks and leg /foot size. At 2 weeks a young cockerels comb / wattles will start to turn pink, legs/feet will be larger than a pullet. Pullets will have a black beak whereas Cockerels can have either a horn color or black beak. By 4 weeks old it should be obvious who is male and female.

 

[Pullet Press]

Not a bother at all. Hard to comment on what we can’t see. I raise Black Copper Marans so I’m very familiar with them. I don’t judge by posture because some little pullets can be very bossy.

I look at combs / wattles, beaks and leg /foot size. At 2 weeks a young cockerels comb / wattles will start to turn pink, legs/feet will be larger than a pullet. Pullets will have a black beak whereas Cockerels can have either a horn color or black beak. By 4 weeks old it should be obvious who is male and female.

Thanks for the help! My little BCM has hardly any comb.
Does either sex have more white feathering than the other?

 

[kcrandall]

Thanks for the help! My little BCM has hardly any comb.
Does either sex have more white feathering than the other?

Unfortunately, chick down color plays no part in sexing BCM chicks.

 

[Pullet Press]

Unfortunately, chick down color plays no part in sexing BCM chicks.

Oh, I wish it did.

 

[kcrandall]

Oh, I wish it did.

Cuckoo Marans are autosexing - Cockerels have a large white dot on the top of their head.

 

[Pullet Press]

Cuckoo Marans are autosexing - they have a large white dot on the top of their head.

Don't they lay dark brown eggs too?

 

[kcrandall]

Don't they lay dark brown eggs too?

Technically, yes, they have the dark egg genes in their DNA but most Cuckoo Marans don’t lay as dark as Black Coppers. This is most likely because more people raise Black Coppers. There are 13 to 15 different genes that contribute to a Marans Hen, regardless of variety, laying a really dark egg. Not much is really known about how these genes work.

A Marans Hen can lay anywhere between a #4 to a #9 on the Marans Egg Color Scale. To be considered a true Marans she must lay a #4 at a minimum. Also, a Marans Hens egg color lightens in darkness the deeper she goes into her lay cycle. For example, if a Marans Hen lays a #6 dark egg at the beginning of her lay cycle she will most likely lay a #4 or #5 at the end of her lay cycle. As a standard rule, when a pullet starts to lay, I track her first 25 eggs and record the color of each egg then I calculate the average color that she lays. If a Marans Hen lays, on average, a #5 dark egg she will never lay a #9 dark egg. The genes just don’t work that way. Marans Hens that lay #5 dark egg generally lays 4-5 eggs per week whereas a Marans Hen that lays a #9 dark egg generally lays 1 maybe 2 eggs per week. The longer an egg remains in the oviduct the more pigment that is applied to the shell.

I have been breeding Black Coppers for 6 years and I have only gotten one #9 dark egg (my avatar). The majority of my Black Coppers lay between #5 - #7. A lot of people fall in love with the pictures of those really dark eggs but are quickly disappointed when their new Black Copper Pullets only lays a #4-#5 egg. There are a lot of Black Copper sellers that are way to eager to cash in on this dark egg craze by promising their Marans lay really dark eggs (they call them “lovely chocolate egg layers” as a sales tactic). No reputable breeder will guaranty that any chick they sell as day olds or from hatching eggs will lay a really dark egg. It can happen but its rare. I know this is a lot to digest. Please ask any follow up questions.

If you really want to learn about this breed I suggest you find and read the International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP. I and others from around the world post on this thread. We welcome all experience levels on this thread and there are no stupid questions, ever.