ID on Marans rooster color/pattern

[Hurley]

Hello,

I have some Marans that I got as day olds from a neighbor who has blue/cuckoo genes in the flock. I don't know which hen and which rooster produced my peeps, so don't know the exact genetics of the parent(s). All chicks appeared to be blue, not black. All 6 pullets were blue, no visible barring as adults. 4 chicks were cockerels; I culled 2. The 2 culled were a blue and one that looks like the rooster in question. The 2 kept were a blue cuckoo and this lighter one. I've read on cuckoo that a rooster homozygous for the cuckoo gene will be lighter, but having never seen one I don't know the appearance. I am guessing this guy is a homozygous cuckoo + heterozygous blue (i.e. not splash). Can someone with more knowledge/experience verify or correct my thinking? (Last pic includes the blue cuckoo rooster for comparison.) They are still regrowing after the molt. Sorry for the brassiness, my chickens free range and have access to the weather.

 

[flgardengirl]

They look like they have some golden cuckoo in them or gold leakage.

 

[Hurley]

I don't know. The pictures make the yellow more drastic than it is in real life, for some reason. I guess I thought the yellow was due to exposure/weather since it is only on top and has become noticeable as the summer wore on. Thanks for the response and welcome any opinions.

 

[pinkchick]

Hoping Blackdotte sees this thread....he will be able to help out alot.

There is such a thing as Splash Cuckoo and he could be heterozygous for barring and splash thus giving him the very light appearance but I have not seen one so I don't know if he is just a light blue cuckoo or if he is a splash cuckoo. I would have thought that the 2 copies of the blue gene would dominate and cover the barring.......

. He is a very pretty bird!

Calling Mr. Blackdotte!!!!! Help please!

 

[Hurley]

I really like my Marans, they are just solid looking birds.

Yes, that's my problem is I don't know what a homozygous cuckoo looks like compared to a heterozygote. I'm guessing he's not a splash since the barring is on every feather, all the way through. Logic tells me that splash should override cuckoo barring, but I don't know this for fact.

Looking forward to more input and very appreciative of the thoughts thus far.

 

[Chris09]

Well, I can say he isn't a Blue Cuckoo I see some Black in the saddle feathers he also don't look pure for Barred he has some Gold leaking throughout him.

Could your neighbor have a White Maran at there place? He almost looks to have ghost barring.

Chris

 

[Illia]

Yep, two thoughts -

1) White (golden) Cuckoo. White over barring often makes a ghostly appearance like that.

2) Splash (golden) cuckoo. Yes, it doesn't have much to show for being a splash, but compare to some of mine. . .


splash cuckoo araucana - very mute barring, no black or blue feathers showing up

splash cuckoo araucana - very mute barring, yellow showing up, hardly any blue feathers showing up. Yours actually also has a couple blue showing.

Yours has VERY defined, nice barring unlike mine and that is beside the point. Mine, even in normal "black" and blue coloration, still have very poor barring, but they still show a good comparison.

 

[Hurley]

He definitely isn't uneven and splotchy like splashes. He is an even patterned barring of blue (grey) and white all the way through.

Here is a sibling pullet. 4 look like this, the other two pullets have a more white edged appearance in the neck.

All 10 chicks from this hatch looked blue in coloration when feathers started coming in. The two light males were slightly lighter than the rest when they were chicks with fuzz.


Chick photo - Chick with eyes closed and one below it ended up being my lighter cockerels.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote:
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Hi,
I don't know about the blue gene, but agree with the other poster that there is black in this bird which blue should have diluted. This bird looks like a golden cuckoo with a double dose of the silver gene. there's a guy in the UK who got them as a sport and has been breeding them for years. His website is called "art and verse" , add "silver cuckpp" to the search keywords. Okie had one show up in her flcok and has been breeding them under the name platinum cuckoos.
Best,
Karen Tewart

 

[3riverschick]

http://www.artandverse.com/marans.html
Here's the Art and Verse website. They call them Silver Marans.
Best,
Karen