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

[CockFarmer]

They're all just over 1 week old. I keep going back and forth on chicks 2 and 3. One day I say they're pullets the next I think they're Roos.

 

[CockFarmer]

Chicks 2&3

Chicks 1,2,&3

 

[wynn4578]

I'm still going with 1.pullet 2 and 3. Roos.

 

[tarnish]

Here is my 2 month old. I'm thinking pullet?

 

[K Spot]

Here is my 2 month old. I'm thinking pullet?

yes, pullet

 

[themenagerie]

Hey guys new too the site. I was wondering if yall would take a guess at what sex these week old chicks are? Roo or pullet? They're a cross between a LP Roo/cuckoo maran hen.

My guess,pullet.

I'm 60/40 Roo.



I'm thinking 55/45 pullet.

What does the LP roo stand for? I'm only asking because I know you can make sex links with a solid roo and a barred female. The male chicks feather in barred, the females are solid.

 

[CockFarmer]

LP stands for Little Peddler. It's a Black Copper Maran bloodline that originates in France. Just to keep every1 posted: I ended up with 2 Roos and a Pullet. Thanks for all the help.

 

[azygous]

I caught a quick glimpse of copper-tipped pin feathers on my five-week old BCM pullet Sable, and had that sick feeling you get when you go, uh-oh, not a roo!

I was under the impression only the boys got copper neck feathers, but then saw pics of Molly, and now I'm un-sick.

How hard is it to sex these BCMs at the breeder's or hatchery?

 

[birds4kids]

I have 5 BCM that are 3-4weeks old any tips on angles to photograph? One is HUGE compared to the others, two are tiny, all seem healthy.
This is the big one, angle probably isn't any good, but if anyone wants to venture a guess.


Here is the whole crew. You can see two of the other BCM are tiny by comparison, wasn't much size difference when I got them thursday before Memorial day.

 

[One Chick Two]

I caught a quick glimpse of copper-tipped pin feathers on my five-week old BCM pullet Sable, and had that sick feeling you get when you go, uh-oh, not a roo!

I was under the impression only the boys got copper neck feathers, but then saw pics of Molly, and now I'm un-sick.

How hard is it to sex these BCMs at the breeder's or hatchery?

Pretty tough- unless they are being lab tested. Vent testing and wing sexing isn't always accurate, unfortunately,

Black Copper Marans are not usually easy or precise to visually sex the young in many of the lines. It really depends on how well that line has been linebred, and selected out for fast growing (and fast feathering) cockerels.

We have had 8 BCM lines. 5 of the 8 will show cockerels from birth only because we know what signs to look for in the young of that line. The other 3 lines had a few "hennish" roosters who stayed small, with tiny, undeveloped combs and wattles until they finally reddened and grew, and some feathers finally colored in- almost the 2-3 month point- late... as all the other lines males are already determinable by that point. By a few weeks unmistakably male looking. We will not be using these lines for these reasons (besides others).

All the other lines we have, are visually determinable from birth from looking at the comb at the bridge of the nostril connecting to the comb. Those males will show (even from birth) light colored combs that have greater width than pullets combs. The pullets in these lines show thin, tiny, dark combs. There is one line we have with the females also having a light-colored, small comb. However, the comb is still daintier and less wide than the males, so have to watch that line a bit more than the others since the comb color between the sexes is close. The males will always grow in larger wattles faster so that can be a determining factor in some lines too.

Here is a pullet from out of the incubator with dark comb (bottom), above, a cockerel (lighter, wider comb right above nostrils.). Again, this won't be true for every line.
.

There are other signs to help sex them if they are a few weeks old. Some people swear by color sexing of white on the face. (Males having more white on face.) We look at this too, but, for us it has not always held true. Here is a one day old male below with his obvious comb, but he has a moderate amount of facial white, and not a lot.



Sable is definitely a cockerel if it is getting copper in the saddle pinfeathers. Some pullets in some lines will start to color is their hackle in, at starting at 2-3 weeks old. Others color in later.

If there is copper leakage (or mossiness) on wings/body on feather ends from an early age, a chick may be split for Wheaten, like this chick, below.


If the chick expresses chest copper leakage at a few weeks old when chest feathers come in, it is a male, and will likely be overcolored.

This cockerel was far too overcolored by 5 weeks old- and only worsens over time. Cockerel brother on left had colored hackle and a few dots of color on wing and saddle pinfeathers and colored out correctly. Pullet on right has notably small comb and wattles than her brothers.