Sexing marans chicks (wheaten & black copper)

[Fairview01]

@Fairview01 in Dallas also!
those are adorable chicks, good luck with them.. It's hard to get rid of any when you've invest time into them, I know since one of my June hatch is a Too and still trying to figure out what I will do with it.

This is what they look like now. Excuse the Velcro collars but a preferred option over the pucker I think.
View attachment 1202876 View attachment 1202875

Even harder now that they look like this.

 

[deepbluesea]

I have a blue isbar that looks waaaay younger than the other one I got in September at four weeks old. Little Bit still had some down on her head until the something like eight or nine weeks and she was probably half the size of my other isbar until a week or two ago. Now she's just a little smaller. Crazy!

 

[KDMdesigns]

@Fairview01 I have attempted using the 1.5" double side Velcro, when started to loosen up at end of day.. Any pointers?
debating purchasing the No Crow but waiting til payday

 

[rebrascora]

If it is not an auto sexing breed or sex linked hybrid that you are getting, then buying "sexed" day old "pullets" from a breeder is optimistic at best, more likely naïve. Professional chick sexers are few and far between. Private breeders do not usually have enough chicks hatching on a given day to warrant a professional to visit and sex them.....So beware of a private breeder claiming to sell sexed day old chicks!

 

[Fairview01]

@Fairview01 I have attempted using the 1.5" double side Velcro, when started to loosen up at end of day.. Any pointers?
debating purchasing the No Crow but waiting til payday

So my problem was I cut the wrap to short. Even though it wrapped over on itself and grabbed itself the first time he crowed it popped off. I guess there is a lot of air pressure behind the crow. The collar allows them to.inhale for a crow but restricts the blast pressure. Their crows seem to last a bit longer but much much quieter.

I used 2" wide double backed Velcro. I pushed the neck hackles to the head and then put the wrap on them. Soft side against the feathers and had close to a 20% over wrap at the end. I think if the wrap is just over the hackles then the feathers become compressed after a bit and even though it didn't get looser it just seems that way. Push the hackles to the head and given yourself at least a 20% wrap. Then just start experimenting. After they start crowing again if its too loud then catch him and snug it up a tad. When the wrap is first applied they are about as happy as a cat getting a bath acting all stupid falling over, running backwards - it's a real show. That's normal but if they.are in extreme distress catch them.again and loosen it up.

My roosters learn at a very early age they need to be respectful. I practice my capon skills on the ones that aren't. They do not like being handled and were being very cranky about it and were scratching me up pretty good. Normal behavior really.

I was sitting there with an unhappy rooster in lap trying to figure out how to subdue him without resorting to the plucker. The answer was right in front of me. I ran a piece of Velcro around his legs. No more scrambling went limp and calm.

 

[Choook]

@Fairview01 - your roos are very pretty. I don't think mine are going to turn out looking pretty at all since they seem to be a grab bag of genetics rather than the purebreds that were advertised! In any case, it's against the law to keep them where I live, so as soon as they start crowing they'll have to go.

@deepbluesea The little runty one has something wrong with it I think - as well as being *much* smaller than the others, its feathers haven't grown in properly - you can see its poor cold bottom here (also it is already a couple of months old in this pic, but you can see it still looks like a baby chick):

@rebrascora Thanks for the advice - it was my first time using this breeder and my first time paying a premium for sexed chicks, but I think I've learned my lesson after this experience. It wasn't a small outfit - all they do is breed and sell chickens - but given the problems with the breeds *as well as* the gender, I have to say it was not the best experience! They have said they will refund the money for the one that is obviously a rooster, but I can't even begin to tell what this runty one is because it just isn't developing at all. Not sure if I should take it back anyway - at the very least so they can look at the genetics of their breeding stock...

 

[Tiana's chickens]

Red combs in chicks are always a tell-tail sign of roosters. Such a shame, but maybe just wait and see a little longer

 

[Choook]

@Tiana's chickens Yes, the wheatens marans is definitely a rooster (absolutely enormous and super ugly too - the kids call it the Tofurkey - but so sweet natured). The other two have yellow combs still but jury is still out.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You may want to take the "runty" one back too, even if it isn't a Roo, there's something wrong with it and they need to know.

 

[fiveidahoboys]

I’d love to see an update! Especially interested in that little teeny, tiny runt. And I retreated to see what the second Ken turned out to be. I’m curious if they were purebred.