Sexing marans chicks (wheaten & black copper)

[Choook]

Hello chicken whisperers!

I bought some sexed day old marans a couple of weeks ago, but i'm worried they are looking like roos - they are from a breeder I haven't used before, so I'm not sure how reliable her sexing abilities are. One is a wheaten marans but the wing feathers are very slow growing and they look mostly black to me, which I've read on the boards here is a reliable way to sex wheaten maran roos? The other two are black copper marans, but they are quite coppery at 2 weeks old (early colour is a roo I've read) - one with copper on the top has wings that have developed quickly ("copper top") and the other has copper on the wing tips, but the wings are feathering much slower ("copper tip").

But I also read about 'mossy' copper marans - are they marans which have more red than usual in the pullets? I'm not breeding from them, just hoping they are not roos, and I spent the extra $ on sexed chicks so I wouldn't have to re-home any of them...

None of them have much by way of combs yet, but they are of course only 2.5 weeks old. I know I"ll probably have to wait a bit longer to be sure, but would still appreciate advice from those of you with experience! Pics following...

Wheaten marans

And the two copper marans - front view (copper top on right, copper tip on left)

Wing view of the "copper-top" fast featherer

and wing-view of the "copper-tipped" slow-featherer

 

[ChickNanny13]

They are CUTE Too young to sex, don't know the breed/coloring so can't help there. Post more when they're 6 - 8wks Others maybe able to help but too young for me to figure out.

 

[Ravynscroft]

That wheaten also has a way too pink of comb for 2.5 weeks of age, I would put good money on it being a cockerel...

 

[drumstick diva]

That's just what I was thinking

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I agree with Chick Nanny. Post some more pictures around six weeks please! Thanks! They are so adorable!

 

[Alicat4244]

So cute! I love my marans !! I have a cockerel who is awesome he's in my avatar pic , he's still a youngin but doing great and is pretty calm for the most part . We have a 6wk old We believe to be another cockerel (sigh) my husband wants to keep it but I'll get into that whole chicken math thing if I keep him I'll have to get 10 more pullets at least lol

 

[chicken4prez]

Wait a few weeks but like the others said the first pic is almost sure to be a cock. The colour is quite red for its age.

 

[chicken4prez]

So cute! I love my marans !! I have a cockerel who is awesome he's in my avatar pic , he's still a youngin but doing great and is pretty calm for the most part . We have a 6wk old We believe to be another cockerel (sigh) my husband wants to keep it but I'll get into that whole chicken math thing if I keep him I'll have to get 10 more pullets at least lol View attachment 1168227

I feel you! Out of 20 chicks this summer and fall there are 10 cocks and 6 definite pullets. I guess my luck faded this year.

 

[Choook]

Thanks all. I will post more pics as they get older. I had read you could sex marans much younger than some others due to the colouring - I guess it will be interesting to see if that is correct with these ones! (Although I very sincerely hope I'm wrong and the breeder was right )

 

[Choook]

Okay, for folks playing along at home, here are the chicks at 3 weeks old. The wheaten seems to be fulfilling predictions of rooster-hood. But the two black copper marans are so wildly different I don't know. They both have quite obvious colour - which in this breed probably means roo. But they look wildly different to each other - almost like different breeds - so could that mean at least one is a hen? (Pretty please, chicken gods?) After driving three hours to pick up these three "sexed" marans girls, I will be most unhappy with the breeder if they are ALL boys

Wheaten - most likely roo due to black feathers on slow-growing wings.

The two black copper marans next to each other - see how different they are! One feathered really quickly (the original "copper-top") and the other still has stumpy wings (the original "copper-tips"). But both have lots of colour already which is bad - from what I've read they should still be all black at this age. (I was hoping the fast featherer is what seems to be called "mossy" though...)

But! Oh no! The fast-feathering copper-top one now has a pinker comb than the copper tip one. Does this mean both are roos?

It's looking increasingly like I will have to get rid of all our cute marans babies in a few weeks (no roos allowed where I live)