No Clue???

[JennaPonraj]

Hi! Having problems with my super rare chicken. She's a French copper maran, and because barely anyone knows anything about her I have like 5 different people giving me different advice.

So for forever we thought she was a rooster and now we know she isn't.
Shes 16 weeks old, [same as our 7 other chickens] an no one else does this. In the morning everyone comes down except her. She acts as if she's broody even though she hasn't layed yet. She walks around up in the roost part of the coop and makes these strange noises. If she comes down that day she eats and drinks like crazey, swallowing whole pieces of salad. She is a broody breed, but isn't it rare for her to be broody before laying???

I'm going on vacation tomorrow and i don't want her to die.

Thanks.

 

[aoxa]

It sounds like she is getting ready to start laying. What would make you think she's about to die?

 

[hdowden]

ummm if thats the one in your avatar then its a cockerel you can see the red in the wings coming in and marans aren't as rare as they sound

this is ur avatar

 

[JennaPonraj]

Well she doesn't eat and drink unless we force her to, so if I'm gone for ten days she could really hurt herself.

 

[JennaPonraj]

Yes that is the bird in my avatar. But she was 8 weeks old then. Now she's 16 weeks, and she hasn't crowed so she can't be a rooster. The problem is that whenever I go on line I never get a French copper maran. It's either a black copper maran, or a cuckoo maran. The french copper marans are the ones with feathers one their feet. Do you think the red you see in the picture is just her slightly tinted copper wings?

 

[hdowden]

shes a he pullets do not get any copper on them besides there necks and HE has it on his wings which makes him a cockerel and if he is 8 weeks old in that pic then that also conforms that it is a cockerel pullets combs and wattles aren't that big at 8 weeks old...can you post a newer pic?

 

[akcountrygrrl]

French Marans can come in more than one color and they are the ones with feathered legs. "American" Marans also come in several colors and do not have feathered legs. It is not uncommon for a rooster to not crow until it is older. Those feathers coming in over the wings are indeed indicative of a roo. Can you post a more current picture? My vote right now is roo.

 

[hdowden]

roo

hen

flock

young cockerel

 

[HEChicken]

Do you have someone coming in to feed and water while you are gone? 10 days is an awful long time for them to be left to their own devices. Even if you have auto feed/water set up, there is always the chance it could malfunction - I wouldn't want to leave mine more than 2-3 days without having someone check in on them.

Is the bird you're talking about the one in your avatar? If so, how old is it in that picture? I agree with hdowden that that picture looks like a cockerel.

French Black Copper Marans are really not that rare. They are always Marans with an "s" even when you a talking about a single bird. They are popular for their dark brown eggs. You are correct that a 16-week-old who is not laying is unlikely to go broody. My guess as to why he/she doesn't want to come down from the roosts is bullying. A bird who is low in the pecking order and gets bullied a lot, tends to want to stay where no one else is. If everyone else is on the ground or outside, then the best place to avoid being bullied is to stay on the roosts during the day.

 

[HEChicken]

Yes that is the bird in my avatar. But she was 8 weeks old then. Now she's 16 weeks, and she hasn't crowed so she can't be a rooster. The problem is that whenever I go on line I never get a French copper maran. It's either a black copper maran, or a cuckoo maran. The french copper marans are the ones with feathers one their feet. Do you think the red you see in the picture is just her slightly tinted copper wings?

Oh, you posted this while I was writing my last post. If that bird is only 8 weeks old then he is definitely a cockerel. That comb is way too big and red to be a pullet. Many of my roosters have crowed for the first time around the 16-17 week mark so by the time you return from your vacation he will probably be crowing up a storm.

FBCM can be feather-legged or clean-legged.