Question abont BCM feathering...

[chicken_china_mom]

I have two BCM chicks that are 5 weeks old now. One I am 100% certain is a male. He has the copper color around his neck and if he weren't such a punk I'd be admiring his beautiful feathering more, lol. It's the other BCM that has me stumped. I don't know if it's a roo or a pullet. It is solid black with faint flecks of copper on it's wings. It's rounder than the roo is, and fuller in feathering, if that makes sense. It doesn't have any copper on it's neck though. Combs are about the same size, but the little roo's might be just slightly larger. What I am wondering is, does one sex get more of the copper on the neck as they grow? Why are they feathering in so differently if they are the same breed? Anyone have pictures of their BCM's at about 5 weeks of age for comparison? I can't find my camera right now, but I'll look for it tomorrow and try to take pics of both of them. Also, I have two CM's that I believe are both pullets. They seem to be feathering in black. Does the barring show up later? I thought they would feather in barred, like Cochins do. I'm so confused with these birds, lol. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Tala]

BCM roo: almost 4 weeks old

his sister, same day:

5+ week old cuckoo Marans pullet on far right, BCM roo on left

The cuckoo Marans pullets aren't as strikingly barred as the the BR or Dominiques, but they are still barred. Pullets are darker, but cockerels are lighter and look almost just like a BR.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Ok, so then since both my Cuckoo's are basically black, then I most likely DO have 2 pullets. That's a relief! And just what I needed and wanted too since I have a gorgeous Silver Cuckoo roo that they will eventually go in with. Your Cuckoo girl has WAY more barring than either of my girls do though. Time to figure out where I put that camera!

It's a little hard to tell from your top picture, but it looks like your BCM cockerel has the copper on his neck, but the pullet does not. Am I seeing that right? If so, then maybe, by some miracle, I actually got 3 pullets and a roo from this batch. I wasn't sure with the BCM and I was thinking I had 2 roos. I have more Marans eggs in the bator now in case they are both boys at least they will have some ladies! But the more I observe them, the more differences I notice, in coloring, personalities, etc. I'm going to go see if I can't find my camera now and take a few pics of them all...

 

[Happy Chooks]

1 of my BCM pullets got coppering around her neck pretty early. The other pullet stayed black, she's just starting to get the coppering now at 15 weeks. But my BCM roo had coppering coming in on his chest by 6 weeks. I don't have him anymore, I gave him to a family wanting a BCM rooster.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I don't have any pics at 5 weeks, but here's my pullet at 9 weeks. Ignore the Ameraucana in the background.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Ok, I found my camera! I'm now typing thos w/my two CM chicks perched on my left hand so I have to type this one handed.

Here are some pics:

This is the one I think is the BCM roo:

This is the BCM I'm unsure of:

And here are my CM's that I'm now pretty sure are girls:

Any thoughts on their coloring? Will my CM girls develop more barring later? I do not have the parent birds, but I have seen the parents, and they have nice barring. The BCM come from Wade Jean lines and I saw their parents too, they are gorgeous! But the way they are all feathering in is throwing me for a loop!

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Quote:
She's so pretty, and now I'm more confused than ever, lol. The one BCM that I believe is the roo, he does the chest bumping, the challenging, and is just mean. The other one is quieter, doesn't do chest bumping, and is fluffier. It's like it has more feathers than the one with the copper on it's neck. The combs aren't getting red on either of them though. I have an EE with a straight comb and he was getting pretty red by 5 weeks of age, so I'm wondering if the BCM's should be getting red already if they are roos? Well, the one that I believe is a roo. I'm just trying to figure out what I have here and it's turning out to be a real mystery!