No clue on breed, trying to learn how to tell gender.

[moneeleann]

I bought nine chicks from a lady on craigslist. She mentioned Easter eggers, and maybe leghorn? She talked to me about pea comb and rose comb, but to be honest, at the time I didn't know what she was talking about... so I'm going to post some, a few at a time, to see what you all think. So any help on breed, and sex, I would appreciate!

The first is omelet, who is my chicken. I'm really hoping for a girl.

Here is a couple of what, to me, are obvious boys (larger comb, wattles already).

What about these two white ones?

LeAnn

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[Lady of McCamley]

To me it looks like you have mostly French Marans...the black one is a Black Copper Marans, the blue (Omlet) is a Blue Marans and yes, a pullet, and the pure whites could be recessive white that some Marans lines have and are not SOP...so the breeder probably sold them to get them out of her line as breeders don't want white Marans. I believe one white may be a Splash as I see some dark smudges on her feathers like spots...Splash is part of the Marans colors...while the pure white is a "no no."

One bird looks over feathered on the feet, a blue roo. Marans should have feathers only down the outside of their leg onto the outside third toe only. Fully feathered footed would be a flawed Marans. But I can't see the bird fully in the photo, and it might have short tail, round rump, which would mean it might possibly be a Cochin and explain the stronger foot feathering.

They all have single combs. No pea or rose comb. The white birds have the wrong color for Marans feet (yellow), they should be more white/grey...which may mean they are a mix of something...but they do not look like EE's or Leghorns, so I still think they are the recessive white in the Black Copper Marans line.

The boys are the ones with the big red comb and wattles...the rest are girls.

If they are Marans...good snag if you want dark eggs, which hopefully they will give you. If you are looking to breed, you will have trouble with recessive white which will make them unfavorable to those who seek SOP Marans.

It is possible they are mutts...hybrids...but an EE (while techincally a mutt that could look like anything) should have Ameraucana or Araucana on one side (usually Ameraucana as that is far more common), and would typically have pea combs and beards/muffs which your birds don't have. They are far too heavy and built wrong to be Leghorns....plus while Leghorns have yellow legs, they do not have any foot feathering and show larger comb...so I do not think they are an EE/Leghorn mix.

My thoughts
Lady of McCamley

 

[KieksterChicken]

I bought nine chicks from a lady on craigslist. She mentioned Easter eggers, and maybe leghorn? She talked to me about pea comb and rose comb, but to be honest, at the time I didn't know what she was talking about... so I'm going to post some, a few at a time, to see what you all think. So any help on breed, and sex, I would appreciate!

The first is omelet, who is my chicken. I'm really hoping for a girl.

Here is a couple of what, to me, are obvious boys (larger comb, wattles already).

<<<<<<<< It looks like the blue little lady hiding behind the feeder in this picture..way in the background there could be an Easter Egger as I think I see muffs and a beard on her face and yellowish green legs.

What about these two white ones?

LeAnn

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

See my remarks in red at the bottom of the third picture down.

 

[moneeleann]

See my remarks in red at the bottom of the third picture down. 

Here is another pic of that little lady you were referring to.

 

[KieksterChicken]

Hmm no that doesn't look like the one..too much leg feathering. The one I think is EE is the one in the third pic down half obscured by the feeder way in the back of the run and it looks like she is standing on one leg...Then again the pic shows her a bit fuzzy since she's so far from the camera and she might have been moving which gave her the appearance of muffs?

 

[moneeleann]

To me it looks like you have mostly French Marans...the black one is a Black Copper Marans, the blue (Omlet) is a Blue Marans and yes, a pullet, and the pure whites could be recessive white that some Marans lines have and are not SOP...so the breeder probably sold them to get them out of her line as breeders don't want white Marans. I believe one white may be a Splash as I see some dark smudges on her feathers like spots...Splash is part of the Marans colors...while the pure white is a "no no."

One bird looks over feathered on the feet, a blue roo. Marans should have feathers only down the outside of their leg onto the outside third toe only. Fully feathered footed would be a flawed Marans. But I can't see the bird fully in the photo, and it might have short tail, round rump, which would mean it might possibly be a Cochin and explain the stronger foot feathering.

They all have single combs. No pea or rose comb. The white birds have the wrong color for Marans feet (yellow), they should be more white/grey...which may mean they are a mix of something...but they do not look like EE's or Leghorns, so I still think they are the recessive white in the Black Copper Marans line.

The boys are the ones with the big red comb and wattles...the rest are girls.

If they are Marans...good snag if you want dark eggs, which hopefully they will give you. If you are looking to breed, you will have trouble with recessive white which will make them unfavorable to those who seek SOP Marans.

It is possible they are mutts...hybrids...but an EE (while techincally a mutt that could look like anything) should have Ameraucana or Araucana on one side (usually Ameraucana as that is far more common), and would typically have pea combs and beards/muffs which your birds don't have. They are far too heavy and built wrong to be Leghorns....plus while Leghorns have yellow legs, they do not have any foot feathering and show larger comb...so I do not think they are an EE/Leghorn mix.

My thoughts
Lady of McCamley

You're right, both white ones have a black spot on each side! A couple of them do have very feathered feet. Inside, outside, all around. Some have yellow legs under the feathers, some have black/blue looking legs.

It's this what is meant by pea comb?

Or this?

So at this age, if they're all, or mostly all marans (they're six weeks, by the way), would appearance of wattles mean roo?

 

[moneeleann]

Hmm  no  that doesn't look like the one..too much leg feathering. The one I think is EE  is the one in the third pic down half obscured by the feeder way in the back of the run and it looks like she is standing on one leg...Then again the pic shows her a bit fuzzy since she's so far from the camera and she might have been moving which gave her the appearance of muffs?

Lol, your right, wrong chick. That one by the feeder wouldn't stop eating for me to get a pic lol. I need to isolate them one by one. Silly little things.

 

[KieksterChicken]

Lol..chickens are never boring that's for sure.

 

[Joshua G]

Quote: Welcome to BYC!
It is a good indicator but, don't be 100% convinced that it's a rooster as I have 1-2 hens with big combs and wattles (as well as all my roosters).
Based on the pictures that you posted, I think that the 2 chickens with big combs and wattles (White one and black one) are roos.
Hope this helps.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes, this is a pea comb...and no that means it would not be a Marans...Marans have single combs and will not have heavy feathered feet...this bird is likely a Brahma...or a mix...possible with a pea combed Easter Egger...or again simply a Brahma. And this is male...3 rows of peas and a lot of comb.

An Easter Egger is a hybrid, mixed breed, bird of any breed on one side and Ameraucana or Araucana on the other side...so they vary a lot in appearance.

I still think you still possibly have one or two Marans in the batch as several look like Marans in your first photos...in particular the first two in the first photos...the top blue and top black with half foot feather and single combs.

But, the second batch of photos clearly show other breeds as well, which then puts into question what the white birds would be...with clear photos of fully feathered feet and clear signs of mixed breeds...then I'm not going to guess recessive white Marans but likely just mixed breeds...it was hard to tell in the first photos as so many of the birds were in the background and I was basing my opinion on the top two birds with partials of others and the whites who could have been recessive white Marans or Splash...

So...with the additional photos...I think you simply have mixed breeds. Obviously with some heavy foot feathered in the mix, being Cochin or Brahma.

If the seller was correct, her EE could have been half Cochin and half Ameraucana and the beards and muffs did not transfer down to the 2nd generation. Did you happen to see the parents of these birds? Did any of them have beards and muffs?

Here's a link on Easter Eggers:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/09/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana.html

If someone was attempting to get an Olive Egger, it is possible the EE was half Marans and half Ameraucana/Araucana which also could explain the Marans appearance in a number of them.

Lady of McCamley