Barred Rock or Marans?

[ontheridge]

Please help me figure out what I got! These are my first ever chickens. I have posted in a couple of other threads but people don't seem to agree. I was told (when I purchased them as chicks form our local coop in the early summer) that they were barred rock, but I was also told I got 1 maran at that time and she has since turned out to likely be a black sex link (people tell me?)... so basically I have no idea what's what.

Heres are two of the the gals I was told were barred rock that I now think might be marans.... what do you think? Is there anything specific I can be looking for to know for sure? The curiosity is killing me.







And just in case you're curious, here's my girl I was told was a maran as a chick that folks now tell me is a black sex link -- which, I might add, wasn't even named as an option when we got the chicks... only marans, barred rocks, and welsummer. (You'll see 2 of the black and whites in question in the back, as well as a welsummer who did actually turn out to be a welsummer).

 

[CayuseRanch]

Oh wow. Wish it was a simple science. I have posted on other threads so you can discount my comments if you want but had to comment on this one since I think one of the pics are new.

I have cuckoo marans now and have had barred rocks in the past. My cuckoo marans have a very small amount of feathering on their legs. You wouldn't know it unless you were looking for it. If I were to have both breeds at the same time, you probably wouldn't know the difference unless they had leg feathering. I will comment that cuckoo marans have a more grey leg where barred rock have a more yellow leg. So your top pic looks barred rock, bottom looks cuckoo maran. BUT some of that could be due to poor quality breeding.

I think the best way to answer that question is to find out if the barred bird is laying the light brown or the dark brown. Can you separate them for a day or two?

 

[ontheridge]

Oh wow. Wish it was a simple science. I have posted on other threads so you can discount my comments if you want but had to comment on this one since I think one of the pics are new.

I have cuckoo marans now and have had barred rocks in the past. My cuckoo marans have a very small amount of feathering on their legs. You wouldn't know it unless you were looking for it. If I were to have both breeds at the same time, you probably wouldn't know the difference unless they had leg feathering. I will comment that cuckoo marans have a more grey leg where barred rock have a more yellow leg. So your top pic looks barred rock, bottom looks cuckoo maran. BUT some of that could be due to poor quality breeding.

I think the best way to answer that question is to find out if the barred bird is laying the light brown or the dark brown. Can you separate them for a day or two?

If I look super close would the marans definitely have some amount of feathering on their legs, or not necessarily? It was the leg color that originally tipped me off that they might not be barred rocks -- they definitely have more grey/pinky legs than yellow. The top photo is the most cleanly barred of the three, the other two (one is in the second photo) is more spotty than barred.

Seperating them might be next to impossible... but I'm so curious I just may try!! The range of color I'm getting with the eggs now has me wondering if the 3 gals I thought were the same could be split - 1 barred rock and 2 marans?! Ack! I'm so confused!! Thanks for you thoughts...

Would still love for as many others to impart their wisdom as possible...

 

[BantamFan4Life]

They all look like Marans.

 

[CayuseRanch]

I have never had a cuckoo maran that didn't have atleast one feather pin on one of their legs, but I have heard that they don't always have leg feathering. If you did find feathering though, you would know for sure that it is a cuckoo maran.

 

[tlcarnes2176]

They look like my cuckoo marans that I have.

 

[Percheron chick]

CM, CM and don't know. #3 is not a black sex link. I wouldn't put much into egg color. My CM lay lighter colored brown eggs than my BR. BR would have yellow shanks.

 

[Sixpets]

I think they are marans

defiantly not barred rocks

 

[Wyandottes7]

The first two are Cuckoo Marans, and the third might be a Marans/Marans mix.

 

[ontheridge]

Most folks seem to think my black and white girls are marans, but I'm still confused about egg color. If my flock of 6 has 3 marans and 2 welsummers, then my mystery hen ("Cruella" the mtty/ black sex link/ maran mix/ who knows what) is the only one left to be laying any eggs that aren't dark brown -- right? But as you can see in this photo (or I hope it shows, anyway) is that some of the light eggs are more yellow/brown/tan (bottom middle) and some have a pink tint (bottom right). New thoughts?