Black Cuckoo Maran - Hen or Roo?

[Alisa]

We have 5 pullets we've lovingly raised and now I'm pretty sure one is a roo, and Esther our 8 week old Cuckoo Maran is looking a little questionable to me too. "She's" a lot bigger and more aggressive than the others. She hasn't made any crowing noises and our flock is mixed - Silver Laced Wyandotte, Amercauna and Buff Orpinton, so I didn't know if this is a breed difference. Please let her be a hen!

Oh, sorry for the bad pictures, but Esther was totally uncorporative and completely disinterested in having her picture taken today.

Thanks so much!
Alisa

IMG]http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/alisafaulk/100_3242.jpg[/IMG]

 

[Chickndaddy]

Pretty sure that is a pullet. I don't see anything that screams rooster to me. Congrats on a pretty girl. Hope she lays nice dark eggs you can enjoy.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

with cuckoo marans boys r gray colored and girls r black so ur girl is a pullet not a roo for definate. there is a noticeable differance in color at hatch even to tell the sexes apart that young.

 

[Chickndaddy]

Wait I just re-read are you sure that it is a Cuckoo Marans??? Looks like a Black Marans to me although now that I am looking at the bird again I noticed some feathers that appear to be tipped in white.

In these pics you can clearly see the difference in a Cuckoo Marans rooster and a hen without even looking at their combs. Just the color. The roos are much lighter.

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y1...otos/?action=view&current=BradenMaransnew.jpg

 

[Chickndaddy]

Also her legs are the wrong color for a Cuckoo Marans. They should be a white-ish - pink. If she is a Black, Birchin, or Black Copper her legs are the right color.

The link to the website with a Standard for Marans:

http://marans-club.club.fr/standang.htm#standard

Quote:

"Legs: average size, with some feathers; white or lightly pink coloured for all the varieties except for the BLACK and for the BROWN-RED and for the BIRCHEN Marans hens (grey or dark grey). 4 long and well separated toes with the outer one sometimes feathered. The claws are white or horn- coloured"

 

[therealsilkiechick]

i agree, i was thinking the same thing after i posted. ur girl has way darker legs than my cuckoos do, mine have whiter/pinkish legs. my girls r more barred than urs is too and way younger but still show it. if u look at the pics of mine on my website u will see a big difference in them.

i think urs is a black marans but it is still a pullet. there is no streamers, hackle or sadle feathers that i see and her feathers r rounded not pointed like a roo would have. i didn't know coppers had darker legs i'll have to check mine and see, never thought to look,lol.

 

[Alisa]

Quote:
I bought several chicks, one of which was supposed to be a Cuckoo Maran, but perhaps not. I'm a newbie. I have a (what I thought was a Silver Laced Wyandotte) that appears to all to be a roo. Do I have them mixed up? Does my black one appear to be a Black Maran or did I end up with something totally different? Here's a pic of what I thought was the Wyandotte.

Thanks so much for all your help!
IMG]http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll45/alisafaulk/100_3228.jpg[/IMG]

 

[therealsilkiechick]

welcome to BYC!!

Silver Laced Wyandotte roo is in the last pic, yes.

top one looks like a black marans pullet to me. i'm on dial up but give me a min or 2 to upload a pic of a cuckoo pullet and young roo so u can see the difference.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

sorry my reboot took so long.

here is one of my cuckoo roos.

here is one of my cuckoo pullets.

notice they have pink/white feet urs has slate colored. my girl is black colored the boy is gray colored. my girl doesn't show much cuckoo pattern in this pic but she does have it now and so do the other girls(i think baring came in about 4 weeks old give or take. ur's is older than mine so by now ur's should show the cuckoo pattern. mine have never had slate legs and my copper blacks don't either (their's r pink with slate shadows on the front of legs). my roo is feather shanked cuz he is a french version my girl is not she is the other version, they come in either but all my flock other than this girl r have feather shanks. i still think it's a black marans, what's ur thought's?
silkie

 

[adeledamate]

She looks a lot like my black copper marans, just without the copper. Here's a pic. of mine.