Help! What breeds are these?

[FFChickens]

Hello, I'm having trouble figuring out the breed of my chickens. I originally got these from a friend, who gave me eggs from various types of Marans. The eggs weren't labeled, and I didn't look at the chicks to find out what breed they were. I thought that I'd be able to tell the difference later, after they were full grown. However, there were eggs for both Wheaten and Salmon Marans in the group I got, and both breeds are very similar. I had thought they were Wheatens, and grouped them all together. I only recently learned of the similarities, and that my chickens may be Golden Salmon. I've looked at descriptions and pictures of the two types and am almost positive that the hens are Wheaten, and I think that the rooster may be a Salmon. I was hoping to sell Wheaten eggs and chicks, so I need to be sure of the breed. I'm very new to this, so please answer in simple terms and explain the differences between the two.

These are pictures of the rooster:






I've read that the legs of a Wheaten should be white or pale pink. Nowhere I looked mentioned what color the legs of a Golden Salmon should be, though. The legs of my hens are all white, but I find that my rooster's legs are very red:


Is that natural? Or some kind of defect?

I've also read that the chest and belly of both the Wheaten and Salmon rooster should be black, the belly being a lighter black than the chest. However, my rooster has a black chest and stomach spotted with brown:




I think I read somewhere that some brown is okay, but I can't remember for which breed it's okay, or if it's okay for both breeds. If it is, then which breeds is it okay for, and is this too much brown?

I also took pictures of my hens. I have three hens and I believe all three are Wheatens. Can anyone confirm this? If they aren't Wheatens, how can you tell?

Hen #1:




Hen #2:




Hen #3:




All four are about two years old, if that helps.

Another problem I have, is that when I thought they were all Wheaten, I got eggs from them and hatched the eggs. If the rooster is a Salmon like I think, and the hens are Wheaten, then the chicks would be half Wheaten, half Salmon, right? I read somewhere that Wheaten is dominant to Salmon, so in that case, the chicks should all be Wheaten, right? I have two young hens and three young roosters. Could I replace my rooster (if he's Salmon) with one of the chicks? Would the Salmon genes cause problems? And could i keep the two young hens and add them to my flock? Or should I get rid of my chicks and rooster and get a new rooster? I'm horrible at genetics, so please explain simply.

I took pictures of my chicks as well. Can anyone tell me whether they're Wheaten or Salmon?

Young Hen #1:




Young Hen #2:




Young Rooster #1:




Young Rooster #2:




Young Rooster #3:




Thanks to everyone who replies, and sorry if my post a bit long.

 

[FFChickens]

No one?

 

[FFChickens]

I hate posting again but I really need help. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[my sunwolf]

I am not skilled in Wheaten or Salmon genetics, but that splotchy chest on your first rooster and the results of your first breeding leads me to believe that your original chickens are not pure Wheatens or Salmons but some sort of crosses or at least don't meet their breed standard for some reason or other. That amount of brown in the chest is way out of the standard and add in the fact that he doesn't appear to be breeding true and it looks like trouble. Looks like there's some Blue Wheaten going on in there. However, since I'm not familiar with Salmon genetics, I have no idea if maybe a Salmon in there could screw up the breeding. Your hens look a little off in the breed standards as well, there seems to be splotchiness to the feather coloring.

The red on the feet instead of pink means that he is currently very fertile and ready to breed, or that he's just been chased around the chicken yard and his skin is flushed.

Maybe someone who actually breeds Marans will comment and give you more advice!

 

[FFChickens]

Thanks for the reply. The breeds shouldn't be crossed with anything, they should all be pure, so I don't know what could cause them to be so far from the standard. If the rooster is a Salmon that would explain why he isn't breeding true. Isn't Blue Wheaten just a color variation of the Wheaten? And what's splotchy about the hen's coloring? Sorry for all the questions, I'm new to this.