Let's talk Golden Cuckoo Marans!

[buckabucka]

It looks like this thread has not been very active, but I'm hoping someone might be able to help me sex my first golden cuckoo chicks. I read that a bigger white spot on the head means male. There are 7 chicks:
I can't preview the photos on my IPad, but assuming they are in the order I selected, starting with the top very blond chick and moving clockwise, I am guessing
Male, female, male, ?, ?, female, female.
I am uncertain if all that white around the eye means male.

In the second photo, only 6 chicks are showing. The two on the left have a white area lower on the neck and on their butt. Does that make them male? Or is feather sexing not so reliable in golden cuckoos?

I know time will tell, but I appreciate any feedback from those with more experience!

 

[JinsuneHite]

You've definitely got one Roo. Maybe two judging by the second pic but i'd have to see the one next to the Roo better. The best way to tell is the males are blonde. They've got a big blonde head and a grayer body than the pullets. Lucky for you the Golden Maran Roosters are the most gorgeous thing with wings in my opinion. I have three golden Cuckoo Roosters and Six hens. Gotta cull one out and i'm dreading having to cull one of my other boys. But i'm keeping one.

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks for the reply. I was confused, because I read that the girls will be darker and browner, and boys will be lighter and gray (not brown).
The two brown chicks are very light and blondish, with a bigger head spot, so I thought both were boys. If I look at the size and stance of the chicks though, one of the blackish chicks (just left of the light brown chicks in the second photo), really looks like a roo.

I hope there at a few girls in there. I will be keeping a roo. The photos I have seen of the adult males look very much like my Basque roo. I've never seen one in person yet though. This is my Basque:

 

[chickee]

It looks like this thread has not been very active, but I'm hoping someone might be able to help me sex my first golden cuckoo chicks. I read that a bigger white spot on the head means male. There are 7 chicks:
I can't preview the photos on my IPad, but assuming they are in the order I selected, starting with the top very blond chick and moving clockwise, I am guessing
Male, female, male, ?, ?, female, female.
I am uncertain if all that white around the eye means male.


In the second photo, only 6 chicks are showing. The two on the left have a white area lower on the neck and on their butt. Does that make them male? Or is feather sexing not so reliable in golden cuckoos?


I know time will tell, but I appreciate any feedback from those with more experience!

I think you have 3 of each sex. New pictures taken from the side would help.

Here are pictures I took of the girls vs the boys. Maybe this will help

"Girls"


"Boys"


I am working towards the standard and improving egg color. I have 4 hens and one lays a dark egg that has not lightened over her laying cycle. I hatched out a couple of her eggs a couple of weeks ago and got 2 pullets that I will add to my breeding program in hopes of developing a line with dark color holding power

Here is the rooster what I hatched this year that I am keeping because I love his color and he has the correct tail set. No white so far in the tail either, which his father did develop. I would like to see more feathers on his shanks though. He is 6 months old. My hens are pretty uniform in color and produce proper colored chicks. They came from Rockin G Ranch and my rooster from Harris5. So far these lines have clicked well.


My rooster from Harris5 + Hens from RockinG Ranch~




Egg color~ Eggs that are holding their color and not lightening during the laying cycle.

 

[buckabucka]

Thanks so much for the photos and the reply! Your chicks look so uniform. Mine are all over the map, -different shades of gray, black, brown, tan and golden. They are about two weeks old, and judging by stance and leg size, I believe I have at least 4 boys, but not if I judge by color or head spot size. I will try to get new photos this weekend.
Your birds and eggs look very nice!

 

[chickee]

Thanks so much for the photos and the reply! Your chicks look so uniform. Mine are all over the map, -different shades of gray, black, brown, tan and golden. They are about two weeks old, and judging by stance and leg size, I believe I have at least 4 boys, but not if I judge by color or head spot size. I will try to get new photos this weekend.
Your birds and eggs look very nice!

My first hatch was all over the place with color too, but they all feathered in about the same. Some just had more or less gold on them. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when they get all their feathers

I will look forward to seeing pictures of them

 

[ImpulsiveFarmer]

I have a Golden Cuckoo Maran hen that is light colored. Someone called her a blue golden cuckoo maran, but I've been unable to find anything about them. She is pretty much the same shade as the rooster.

 

[chickee]

I have a Golden Cuckoo Maran hen that is light colored. Someone called her a blue golden cuckoo maran, but I've been unable to find anything about them. She is pretty much the same shade as the rooster.

She sounds pretty! I would like to see a picture of her. I have thought about breeding for blue gold cuckoo Marans for some pretty, dark egg layers

 

[buckabucka]

I took some photos of my chicks this afternoon. This was a much harder task than I had imagined! I ended out getting DH to hold each one firmly by the legs, so sorry there is no view of the legs for comparison. I really appreciate any feedback on whether I have boys or girls! These chicks are currently 2 weeks old.

Chick 1

Chick 2

Chick 3

Chick 4

Chick 5

Chick 6

Chick 7

 

[chickee]

I took some photos of my chicks this afternoon. This was a much harder task than I had imagined! I ended out getting DH to hold each one firmly by the legs, so sorry there is no view of the legs for comparison. I really appreciate any feedback on whether I have boys or girls! These chicks are currently 2 weeks old.

Chick 1



Chick 2



Chick 3



Chick 4



Chick 5



Chick 6



Chick 7

I am seeing quite a bit of comb development on them, so I am seeing mostly cockerels. # 1 and # 5 are possibly pullets. A couple of more weeks and it will become obvious what sex they are.