cuckoo marans?

[mama hen]

That's a rooster. My CM is 23 weeks and has red combs and waddles but not nearly as big as yours.

 

[Bogart]

Thanks mamahen. What I would like is input on why they look SO different. Why is Belle dark not light if she is he. Phillipe screams rooster but Belle is like in between.

 

[mama hen]

Hi Bogart, Belles tail feathers look long and flowy to me. My hens tail feathers are short and rounded. Also Belles comb and waddles are just huge and really red. Has Belle's comb and waddles been big for long? My CM just started recently growing hers. They were practically non existant before they started growing in.

I'm not an expert by any means, but Belle just looks like a rooster to me.

 

[mama hen]

Hi Bogart, Belles tail feathers look long and flowy to me. My hens tail feathers are short and rounded. Also Belles comb and waddles are just huge and really red. Has Belle's comb and waddles been big for long? My CM just started recently growing hers. They were practically non existant before they started growing in.

I'm not an expert by any means, but Belle just looks like a rooster to me.

Also, my CM is mostly black with just a bit of white barring. When you see her from a distance she looks all black. I agree that Belle is darker than Phillipe, but Belle still looks light to me.

 

[Bogart]

Phillipe (L) and Belle (R) at 4 weeks
Belle (L) and Phillipe (R) at 6 weeks
Belle (L) and Phillipe (L) at 8 weeks
Belle at 10 weeks
Phillipe at 10 weeks

Hope you don't mind all the pictures....Belle's grew right along with Phillipe's as you can see, but has always been lighter. It's hard to see the shades in the pictures. Phillipe's are deep cherry red and Belle's are dark pink. It's easy to tell them apart from a distance because Phillipe looks light gray and Belle looks dark charcoal or almost black depending on the light. Also, Phillipe's tail sticks up and Belle's sticks out. The tail is one thing that puzzles me. I notice the long feathers on Belle but they don't stick up and she has a definite tail underneath. When the wind blows the few long feathers back you can see a tail that has even feathers. Notice on the 4 week old picture how Phillipe almost doesn't have a tail and Belle does. What did your hens' tails look like at 4 weeks? Do you have any pictures? I would be really interested in seeing.

 

[yinzerchick]

I have 7 CM hens and a CM roo. I'm thinking you have 2 roosters there. Belle should be Bill. The tail and saddle feathers, along with the size of the comb and wattles are what make me think this. My CM hens are much darker. They almost look smokey black with gray/white spots, like the picture on the first page. Belle probably just has larger black, or smaller white, cuckoo barring than the other one. Mine are 24 weeks and the hens still have very small combs and wattles, but the roosters are much larger.

 

[aggiemae]

Our Maran, Dumpling, was the last hen to start laying. Thy were all hatched around April 1st, she laid her first egg on Sept 2nd and laid one spectacularly beautiful egg every second day. She never really warmed up to being held but she wasn't unfriendly either and the first one to come waddling to me when ever I came out into the yard.

She was lots larger than the other hens but basically very mellow though she did try to mount out obnoxious Buf Orp now and then.

Sadly Dumpling died this morning, we are not sure why, but we will miss having her in out small flock.

 

[Habibs Hens]

 

[Bogart]

First of all I'm so sorry to hear about Dumpling, aggiemae.
Secondly I can see where everyone is coming from, but no one has given me any input on why they are so different. Is there something wrong with Belle? It seems strange that roosters would look so different.

 

[BeulahBreezes]

I have 2 cuckoo marans who look very different from each other. One has golden feathers on her head and neck. The other chicken is a very typically colored and barred cuckoo marans. They both are the same age....from the same hatchery, but I suspect something is very different in one parent..........????