Black Copper Marans - Time progression of sexing - UPDATED with WEEKs #1-3 PICTURES

[FVRM]

I don't know anything about the wing test BUT I can tell you I have done a TON of research on Black Copper Marans ...breeding, hatching, raising, etc ....and while I've got varying opinions on some things determining sex was NOT one of them. Even some of the most experienced breeders I spoke to of BCM's say they get surprised all the time by these guys!!!

I guess they are difficult all the way around and maybe that's why we love them so much?! Poor things have a harder shell ....harder time to hatch, require different humidity than most all other breeds and I guess often you can't tell if you have a roo until he crow's! Mine were 4 weeks old on Thur and I'm pretty lucky I have 2 that have become obvious are roo's. (they are even starting to fight around the ladies when I put them outside for the day!) 1 was obvious from fairly early on, just from behavior but the other wasn't quite so much. I have a 3rd that I'm still on the fence about. I thought it may be a roo....3 looked the same from the get go and the other 2 were the same ...making you think you have 2 pullets and 3 roos .....but then they grow and catch up, some change , some don't. lol I see what they mean about waiting til one crows.

How much humidity do they need? more or less? I did noticed my hatching batch of bcms took a little longer than my other hatchings

 

[keith92]

for a successful hatch don't add water till the 19th day.

 

[gapey]

I've got a couple black copper maran chicks and am doing some progression pics on them too. They are one week old today. They are supposed to be pullets so we'll see. They are growing crazy fast, much faster than my easter eggers of the same age.

 

[gapey]

Here they are at 2 weeks old. One has a lot more copper than the other.

 

[gapey]

3 Weeks old today. They've lost most of their white breasts. I noticed while taking pics today that one of Molly's toes is turned slightly. Never noticed it before but looking back at old pics it seems to have always been that way.

 

[gapey]

My BCM's are now 4 weeks old and getting chubby. Still hoping they are both girls.

 

[Bazy]

My BCM's are now 4 weeks old and getting chubby. Still hoping they are both girls.

Are my eyes playing tricks, or does Molly look like she has partridge patterned feathers? Did you say they were both Black Copper Marans? they are very pretty, by the way, and your pictures are very good!!

 

[gapey]

Are my eyes playing tricks, or does Molly look like she has partridge patterned feathers? Did you say they were both Black Copper Marans? they are very pretty, by the way, and your pictures are very good!!

Yes both are supposed to be black copper marans. Even if they aren't traditional colored I think they are pretty. I especially am liking Molly's coloring. I enjoy unique colored birds. I just hope they lay me some dark brown eggs as that was why I got them, I didn't have any intention of breeding them.

I wasn't sure what partridge pattern was so I just looked it up and I think you are right. I was taking a close look at some of her feathers yesterday and I know at least some of them have that pattern. Good eye! I'll be taking their 5 week photos on Thursday and will post them here. There can't be too many partridge patterned black copper marans out there huh?

 

[Bazy]

Yes both are supposed to be black copper marans. Even if they aren't traditional colored I think they are pretty. I especially am liking Molly's coloring. I enjoy unique colored birds. I just hope they lay me some dark brown eggs as that was why I got them, I didn't have any intention of breeding them.

I wasn't sure what partridge pattern was so I just looked it up and I think you are right. I was taking a close look at some of her feathers yesterday and I know at least some of them have that pattern. Good eye! I'll be taking their 5 week photos on Thursday and will post them here. There can't be too many partridge patterned black copper marans out there huh?

Undoubtedly she is VERY pretty! She almost has the body shape of an English Partridge Orpington.

I think there may be some project birds out there, but I guess it would depend on where you got the chicks from as to if that might be a possibility. Chicks can look VERY much alike when first hatched so someone could have made a mistake. I guess you will know when she lays. I liked to never figured out if my pullet was langshan or marans! and that was embarrassing because I hatched them myself!

Her feathers are so pretty, who cares what color her eggs are anyway?

 

[gapey]

Here's a close up phone pic of some of her neck feathers. They have a black center and then edges are copper. Some have copper in the center then black around that and then copper again on the edges.

I just came across this pic of a BCM and it looks very much like mine: http://cccorns.com/freepics/Hurley/BlackCopperMarans.jpg

Well I got them from a local farm who got them from a breeder who claims they originated from Bev Davis and Wade Jeane lines. Weird that the two would be so different in color if they came from the same breeder.