Mystery 3 week old....

[jshreck]

I bought four "easter egger pullets from someone two weeks ago- One is an easter egger but has far better odds of being a roo than a pullet. One is a RIR (hopefully a pullet??). One is apparently a Jersey Giant (sex TBD) ...This is #4; now I'm no chicken expert but odds are that this isn't an EE---- could someone be so kind as to give me an indication as to what it is.....

Feet are a pearly pinkish color with dark wash down the center.

 

[Deerling]

Could it be a barred rock with off color feet? I did a google search for barred rock and one of the first that came up actually did have pink feet.

Sweet little chick!

 

[Pele]

It's a cuckoo marans.

 

[jshreck]

Hmm. It's funny you should say that, I've been wondering the same thing. My first batch of chicks (first in my life) are currently 6 weeks old BR pullets. This sweet little chick is a lot lighter than them and is feathering differently-- I feel like my barred rocks started black and very slowly got barred (closer to 4-5 weeks) this one has been barred for about a week now. That has me wondering is this a BR roo?? But I can't find a comprarable picture to a young BR roo. The feet also had me second guessing it being a BR- as you mentioned they're typically yellow, but I guess you say (goole says) there are others out there with pink feet? I'm so confused, I just want to know what this baby is.

 

[Pele]

Hmm. It's funny you should say that, I've been wondering the same thing. My first batch of chicks (first in my life) are currently 6 weeks old BR pullets. This sweet little chick is a lot lighter than them and is feathering differently-- I feel like my barred rocks started black and very slowly got barred (closer to 4-5 weeks) this one has been barred for about a week now. That has me wondering is this a BR roo?? But I can't find a comprarable picture to a young BR roo. The feet also had me second guessing it being a BR- as you mentioned they're typically yellow, but I guess you say (goole says) there are others out there with pink feet? I'm so confused, I just want to know what this baby is.

The pink feet you are noticing are the giveaway that it is NOT a rock. Pink feet are your clue that you have a Marans.

 

[jshreck]

The pink feet you are noticing are the giveaway that it is NOT a rock. Pink feet are your clue that you have a Marans.

Thank you!!!! I guess I was writing my post as you posted so I initially missed it. How do I sex it? Do same rules apply as BR's ? The dark wash on the legs and the overall light or dark body color? Would you venture a guess as to roo or pullet here ?

 

[Pele]

Thank you!!!! I guess I was writing my post as you posted so I initially missed it. How do I sex it? Do same rules apply as BR's ? The dark wash on the legs and the overall light or dark body color? Would you venture a guess as to roo or pullet here ?

Yes, they are supposed to have the same gender rules as barred rocks (you can see the light roo in the pic I posted in the front, and some dark females in the back).

Unfortunately hatcheries can get sloppy with thier genetics, however. Going by the rules, your chick is a male. But I would watch it for a while, it could surprise you if the hatchery is being lazy.

 

[jshreck]

Thanks again for your help! Evidently this "hatchery" was lazy and sloppy- 4 birds that were supposed to be EE pullets and I end up with this, a Jersey Giant, an EE roo and a questionable RIR... Super..... So maybe I will get lucky. Clearly I'm not getting any of the blue eggs I was hoping for but Marans look to lay beautiful dark eggs which would be a decent consolation prize and if their personalities are anything like BR's I'd be really happy to have one.