Black Copper Maran + Barred Rock baby Gorgeous!

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

Okay this sweet baby hatched after a long rough go in the incubator where I finally helped and it came out beautiful!! It’s definitely my favorite! It is about 5 weeks old now and the colorings are so unique! The wings tip feathers are largely all white as shown and the breast checkered like mama hen! There was no definite spot in the head but rather a mix as you’ll see. Any ideas of the sex? Wings seems female as well but that can be hard to determine.
Dad is a Black Copper Maran and mama is a Barred Rock (90% sure)

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Any ideas of the sex? Wings seems female as well but that can be hard to determine.
Dad is a Black Copper Maran and mama is a Barred Rock (90% sure)

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

If your stated parentage is correct the cross is extremely easy to sex at hatch according my experience.. and that would indeed be a pullet that will eventually feather in solid black. The mottling you describe in the chest plumage will continue to change as the bird matures and not the same as barring which would show up throughout the whole body.

A cockerel with stated parentage would already be displaying barring.

Also, it might just be my difficulty seeing in photos.. but for the stated age the comb looks extremely small for a straight combed bird.. Is it actually a straight comb or does it look pea? Since you're 90% sure, what are you other possibilities? That baby almost looks beaded to me.. the feathered baby not the other cutie!??

 

[TaylorChickadoodleFam]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

If your stated parentage is correct the cross is extremely easy to sex at hatch according my experience.. and that would indeed be a pullet that will eventually feather in solid black. The mottling you describe in the chest plumage will continue to change as the bird matures and not the same as barring which would show up throughout the whole body.

A cockerel with stated parentage would already be displaying barring.

Also, it might just be my difficulty seeing in photos.. but for the stated age the comb looks extremely small for a straight combed bird.. Is it actually a straight comb or does it look pea? Since you're 90% sure, what are you other possibilities? That baby almost looks beaded to me.. the feathered baby not the other cutie!??

The father is 100% a BCM but I do have black Australorps in my flock but I recall them no looking this slepckly this old. I observed all my eggs after they did not hatch and many were all black and this one along with one other that didn’t pip looked this way with white and black. I should have gotten a better picture of her chest. The individual e multi colored.
mom new to any breed mixing as my neighbors BCM just loves my flock lol

 

[LaFleche]

At five weeks of age this is a pullet as a cockerel of that cross would already have quite a big comb and showing wattles too.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The father is 100% a BCM but I do have black Australorps in my flock but I recall them no looking this slepckly this old.

This cross also produces solid black hens.. Genetically speaking (and black roosters). There COULD be leakage.. but NO, the head on that chick hasn't even feathered in yet. That white WILL change throughout the next few weeks.. So many things effect feathering rate, Nutrition, genetics, etc.. some breeds are fast fathering and some are slow. Crossing the two.. there ya go! I don't know which gene any of those 3 breeds mentioned carry. I agree with the poster that said their should be way more comb and wattle development from the stated cross and age IF it were male... The dark beak and very dark legs.. signs tell my brain Australorp dame if those are the only two hens possible.

A cross would not feather in at the same rate or pattern as a bird from another line. Even if the have the same parent the differences in genetics received by separate offspring can be quite stark. So I wouldn't expect any consistency in this instance.. though referencing past experience is often helpful. I guess this paragraph is in addition to the previous one..

I do see what your describing as multi colored individual feathers.. after raising literally hundreds of chicks per year... FBCM being one the first breeds I chose to focus my energy and attention on breeding towards the (French) standard of perfection.. I still KNOW you have changes yet to come on the feather scheme. I would be VERY surprised to see your chick retain ANY of the white at all.. BUT.. I do see new things all the time so I'm still humble and here to practice and learn and share the adventure.. Guess the breed/gender/age.. is one of my favorite games! Honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either one of those crosses.

Check out this color calculator as fun little starter tool. It doesn't account for pattern leakage or hidden genes.. but still gives a good basic idea.. The second drop down tab is in English and it shows you the offspring outcome in the blue bar underneath.
http://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm#kipcalculator