Coloring question about Marans chicks

[Hillary Morgan]

So I finally found two Marans chicks!

Yayyy! Cant wait to see the egg color. I heard that the black copper Marans are the only ones that will lay the really dark chocolate eggs though, is that true? I'm still fairly new to the chicken community and don't know a whole lot about it. I was originally looking for the black copper ones, but when I walked in the store and saw these babies I couldn't resist. They didn't know what kind they were, just that they were Marans. I know its still early and really hard to tell, but are there any experts out there who can tell me what color these
babies are???


These are the same chick. The back is pretty dark but the undersides are lighter.



This is the other one.

And the two together. (Sorry for the bad pics)



Any help would be great!!!

 

[Indigosands]

I hate to even say it but they don't really look like marans to me. They actually look like Easter Eggers.

 

[Hillary Morgan]

That's what I thought too, but they assured me that they weren't because they didn't have the distinct lines on their back.

Hmm... hope they know what they're talking about!

 

[Indigosands]

I hope for your sake that I'm wrong but only a handful of the EE's I've had this year were chipmunk striped. I would say 3/4 of the 2 dozen plus I've had were dark brown.

 

[Hillary Morgan]

Ya, I went back to that store today to make sure they gave me the right ones, and of course they didn't. They are Ameraucanas, so I'm told. What are the differences between EEs and ameraucanas? I was told that ameraucanas only have blue feet, while EEs can have any color. Is this true? My little ones feet are more of a greenish color. Does that mean they are not ameraucanas??

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

[Indigosands]

Well I'm going to steer clear of defining the difference between them since I don't feel like getting jumped this morning (LOL) they are different breeds and there is a lot of info out there that will help you understand why. What you have (green legged, mixed breed) are Easter eggers no doubt. You simply won't find a pure bred Ameraucana in a feed store or hatchery. Many stores still insist on calling them Ameraucanas even though that is incorrect.

If you decide to keep them, they are good dual purpose, hardy birds. They have great personalities, and they lay green, blue or tinted pinkish brown eggs with green being the most common.

Were you able to get your marans chicks?