Marans Thread for Posting Pics of Your Eggs, Chicks and Chickens

[littledel]

Something killed two of my three blue splash marans today and my rhode island roo. Now, I only have one splash hen left of this variety. Dang varmits, I have put out a big live trap and hope I catch whatever it is before it get any more.

 

[Rockpile99]

I need some opinions on chicks I hatched a couple weeks ago:

These first three pics I believe are blues: What can anyone tell me about the color pattern difference between the two, Male & Female? The darker one seems to have yellow legs?

Means the supposedly reputable breeder I got them from didn't fully disclose his breeding practices. Oh well...

I think all three of these are cuckoos, although I was hoping that the larger one in the middle of the 1st pic, right side on 2nd pic was a black but he seems to be showing some barring, or is it mossiness?

All comments are welcome, I'm just looking to determine sex and color and see if there are any glaring problems visible at this early age (darn yellow legs!)

Thanks!

 

[pinkchick]

Littledel~ I am so sorry to hear that.

Rockpile~ First of all......they are all very cute!

The first 2 are blue. Sadly there is not a color pattern difference between males and females, only with the Cuckoo variety. The leg color looks off as you suggested on the larger of the 2 chicks...but it could just be my monitor as lately all leg color looks off to me.

The 3 babies in the last photo look like they are cuckoo to me. Hope this helps and hope more fabulous BYC'ers come by to give you their opinion as well.

 

[kathyinmo]

Are you saying that the first pictures are not Cuckoo Marans?
They are all Cuckoo Marans I believe, as they all have the spot on top of the head.

 

[pinkchick]

Kathy~ Are you replying to me.....I was sorta confused by the OP's post and read it to say that the first 2 pictured are different from the last 3 pictured. I was just responding to the fact that they are blue as I thought that was the posters question and that the only variety of Marans that is sex linked is the Cuckoo and you are probably correct about the white dot on the head, I didn't address that because that is not how I read the question....thanks for catching that and bringing it up

. Reading and re-reading the post I gathered from it that the poster is asking about the last 3 birds pic'd being cuckoo right? I'm so confused...but as we know that is not hard to do to me!

 

[kathyinmo]

I'm confused about the question, too!

At any rate, they all appear to be Cuckoo Marans.

 

[Rockpile99]

Thanks Ladies,

Perhaps the first two are Blue Cuckoos? I've raised 6 other silver cuckoos (or ones based on a black color whatever you want to call it) besides the three posted here and clearly the two chics in the first photos are blue in color. I was hoping for just regular blues but I see what can be referred to as barring coming out on their wings. They also seem to maturing much more slowly than the other three.

ETA - Didn't mean to be confusing! That's what I get for trying to be intelligent at midnight! I really just want opinions on all the chicks. The large cuckoo seems to be mossy, anyone heard of that before? Also I just went and looked at he two chicks I'm calling blue again, maybe they're not blue, maybe I'm seeing blue because I want to see blue. They could in fact be the boys with the other three being girls. And all five are just plain ole regular cuckoos.

I guess I'll take it and be happy if that is what I got. At least there is some leg feathering to work with.

 

[pinkchick]

Quote:
Rockplie~

I confuse myself more often than others confuse me

I think it was me, I was reading it with one eye closed and still trying to focus with the other......and my first cup of java hadn't kicked in yet.

Those first 2 babies in the first 3 pics are blue, your not just seeing that because you want to see that.

 

[bibliophile birds]

i'm new to Marans and having a bit of trouble telling the difference between a FBC roo and a Wheaten roo. the BYCer i bought them from said they hatched out of really dark eggs (she said 8s or 9s) and were sold to her as Wheatens. she thought they may have been 1/2 Wheaten and 1/2 FBC. i can't tell the difference between a FBC roo and a Wheaten roo, so i really can't even guess if they are pure. (it doesn't really matter, since i really just wanted them for eggs, but i like to have an idea about what i actually have in my flock)

advice? opinions?

 

[geebs]

Red triangle on lower part of wing... Best thing to do is look at pix of wheaton and look at pix of BC.... I cannot tell from the angle of the pix because I cannot see the wings.