Cuckoo Marans or Barred Rocks?

[Dhartanya]

The gal on the right we bought as an adult "barred rock" and the one on the left we bought as a "cuckoo maran" chick.



"Cuckoo Maran" in foreground. "barred rock" in the background]



"Barred Rock"











The "Cuckoo Maran"








"Cuckoo Maran" on left, "Barred Rock" on right

 

[Dhartanya]

Bump

 

[hdowden]

ones a rock and ones a marans

 

[Fred's Hens]

You didn't really get a Barred Rock, maybe half of one.

I'm a real lover of hens, so please take no offense, as they are gorgeous birds. But Barred Rock? Ah..... not very much.
Never mind. May she be healthy for you, lay eggs for you and may you enjoy her.

 

[ChickenExtreme]

ones a rock and ones a marans

X 2

 

[Dhartanya]

You didn't really get a Barred Rock, maybe half of one. 

I'm a real lover of hens, so please take no offense, as they are gorgeous birds.  But Barred Rock?  Ah..... not very much.
Never mind.  May she be healthy for you, lay eggs for you and may you enjoy her.

Lol she's as old as dirt... Never has layed eggs for us.

Why do you say she's not a full barred rock?

 

[Fred's Hens]

We've bred lots of Barred Rocks and bred lots of mixes and crosses off the BR.

The "muddied" coloration is a give-away that she's a bit of a mix. Age alone wouldn't do that. She's been muddy cuckoo feathered all along. You can put a BR rooster over just about anything and call the offspring a BR, as the barring is a powerful coverup. This is why there are so many birds that people call BRs that are so far from type. You can only go so far with mixing some breeds as their coloration is effected so noticeably that people see it right off. With Barred Rocks, you can mix, mix back to BR and mix again and often the bird is only 1/2 Barred Rock but it'll "pass".

Here's what they should look like, of course. These are only 14 week old juveniles.




Here are some hatchery quality BRs of a similar age.




Here's a 1/2 BR pullet we bred. You can see how she'd pass as a BR, but she's not, although a great hen.

 

[Dhartanya]

We've bred lots of Barred Rocks and bred lots of mixes and crosses off the BR.

The "muddied" coloration is a give-away that she's a bit of a mix. Age alone wouldn't do that. She's been muddy cuckoo feathered all along. You can put a BR rooster over just about anything and call the offspring a BR, as the barring is a powerful coverup. This is why there are so many birds that people call BRs that are so far from type. You can only go so far with mixing some breeds as their coloration is effected so noticeably that people see it right off. With Barred Rocks, you can mix, mix back to BR and mix again and often the bird is only 1/2 Barred Rock but it'll "pass".

Here's what they should look like, of course. These are only 14 week old juveniles.




Here are some hatchery quality BRs of a similar age.




Here's a 1/2 BR pullet we bred. You can see how she'd pass as a BR, but she's not, although a great hen.

Thanks for the explanation! She came from an auction, and we always have a soft spot of the oldies that end up there... so we brought her home, as she had lived in a cage for of her life (as per her discription). We figured she would only last a couple months. However we've had her for years! She is quite spry now!