Difference in cuckoo marans and barred rock at hatching?

[jrobertson]

I raise both breeds currently and do not keep the chicks seperate at hatch. I just wait til they feather out to tell which is which. I know adult cuckoo marans have white legs and barred rocks have yellow but i was wondering if there were any clear defining marks to tell them apart at the hatch. Thanks.

 

[Debbi]

Well, Cuckoo Marans should have feathered shanks/toes, but a lot of them are clean legged. Why not just seperate them at hatch time? I don't have Cuckoos, but I believe the females are darker than the males at birth, and the males may have a light spot on their heads? The legs should be lighter than the BRs after a few days as the yolk sac is absorbed too. I know with the Black Copper Marans, the new borns have a yellowish tint to the legs for the first few days, then turning to slate and pink. May be something to watch for in the Cuckoos verses BRs?

 

[jrobertson]

Quote:
I am in the process of building a hatcher so i can keep them seperate at hatch time. My cuckoos are clean legged and because of that, i wanted to find some feather shanked ones from good lines to replace them with. But until then, I've got the problem. Both breeds are are almost identical at hatch.

 

[Debbi]

You might try going to the Cuckoo and White Marans thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=495365&p=9

Folks that raise the Cuckoos will surely be more help than me!