Does the color of comb matter for the sex of a 10 day and older Black Copper Marans chick?

[UGLYFOOT]

I was told that you can sex a FCBM by the color of the comb and beak at 10 days? That the Boys will have a yellow comb and beak and the girls will be dark. Is this true????? If that is the case then I have a brooder full of boys!!! There might be some Isbars in the group since I won an auction on Rare breeds for mixed chicks. Help??? Oh and if I do have boys how long till they are big enough for freezer camp?

 

[Egghead_Jr]

There is probably something to the beak color but I'm unfamiliar with Marans. With all single comb birds it's a guessing game that you get better at the longer you raise chicks. I'm not 100% accurate by any means but can with fair accuracy tell cockerels from pullets by leg size and stance as chicks. Certain breeds will have other defining traits that aid in accuracy but still are not 100%. Barred Plymouth Rocks have many small gender identifiers but by no means are they sex links and can only aid in accuracy of guess. I suspect there is something to the beak color on BC Marans and you could ask on a Marans thread in Breeds forum.

10 days is still guessing but as early as 5 weeks you can rely on the color of comb. Depending how fast your particular breed matures the cockerels will start to show red in comb between one and two months. This is an undeniable method to determine cockerels, pullets wont show any red in single comb breeds until point of lay. This won't be 100% to determine all the birds sex as a young cockerel could just be a late bloomer and still hiding in the fold of pullets but of any with red your certain it's male if single comb. Rose combs like Wyandotte are an exception to this rule and may be others so I say single comb only as there lays my experience.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

You cannot determine the gender of FBCM by comb/beak color.

However, FBCM typically telecast early. The boys will often have a much larger comb by 10 days to 2 weeks than the girls. It is turning pink by 4 to 6 weeks, and continues to far outstrip the girls.

See my FBCM hatch photos below to see what I mean.

LofMc