Starting to suspect Marans are not Marans

[Modell]

Wanted to get some opinions on what these guys are? Very large chicks, and quite heavy. They outweigh and size my orpington by a lot. I thought they were Marans, but not so sure now. What do you all think? I’ve had them 8 weeks now, could be a bit older. They have feathered feet, coming out more and more each day.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

They look like hatchery blue marans to me.

 

[Modell]

Man that's pic overload, it took so long to scroll down I almost went away.

Orps grow slow, Marans not as much. They (Marans) were a superior choice for meat in my personal experience.

Blue and blue copper are actually two different colors. The dark eyes can pop up though definitely not preferred..

Where from? Maybe something hatchery quality??

Sorry! Just was trying to get the best pics I had, they never stop moving!
They were from TSC. Found a D’uccle in one bin and had to get him, needed three other chicks, so I got these two and the orp.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry! Just was trying to get the best pics I had, they never stop moving!
They were from TSC. Found a D’uccle in one bin and had to get him, needed three other chicks, so I got these two and the orp.

I know TSC uses Hoover's, but am unsure if that would be exclusively.

Hoover's doesn't have blue Marans in their line up that I saw.

It wouldn't surprise me if they were possibly an olive egger type hybrid. Maybe Sapphire Olive Egger (with that gorgeous blue feather coloring even though they aren't sporting those stated little crests)..
https://www.hoovershatchery.com/sapphireoliveegger.html

Do you actually remember what the bin was "labeled". They're often mislabeled anyways and sometimes "hatchery choice". Did you get any response at the Marans breeding thread?

I did see you're handsome D'uccle fella!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm not getting a strong Marans vibe. They don't have copper eyes, so definitely not SOP.

Marans are not super large, though they are well built, heavier birds. They should have an upright stance and something of the "U" in the back-tail area leftover from the Langshan heritage used to develop the breed. If French, they should have feathers down the shaft and all the way through the outside toe.

I'm seeing some foot feathering, but that could come from a number of things.

They could be Maran mix...just not SOP as as stated they do not have copper eyes.

My 2 cents.
LofMc

 

[Modell]

Would love to hear how this played out, if you have time for an update

They’ve started laying! The eggs aren’t the darkest, but they’re too dark to be anything else. So the verdict is Marans! The hatchery that I believe this TSC sources from does sell them. They do still have light foot feathering as well. Overall, very happy with them.

 

[Modell]

I'm not getting a strong Marans vibe. They don't have copper eyes, so definitely not SOP.

Marans are not super large, though they are well built, heavier birds. They should have an upright stance and something of the "U" in the back-tail area leftover from the Langshan heritage used to develop the breed. If French, they should have feathers down the shaft and all the way through the outside toe.

I'm seeing some foot feathering, but that could come from a number of things.

They could be Maran mix...just not SOP as as stated they do not have copper eyes.

My 2 cents.
LofMc

They do have an interesting tail shape imo. They seem larger than I expected, very, very sweet birds! The edges on the darker gal’s feathers are really striking in person. This was my first time getting Marans so I have no experience with them prior. I have Welsummers and they were smaller at this age aside from one hen. They just seem massive and grew very quickly. The orpington was initially larger, but these two have been growing like weeds!

 

[chickengr]

They should have an upright stance and something of the "U" in the back-tail area leftover from the Langshan heritage used to develop the breed. If French, they should have feathers down the shaft and all the way through the outside toe.

marans don't have U shape. tail should be small, 45 degrees.

 

[chickengr]

post your pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-marans-thread-breeding-to-the-sop.1122465/

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

Would love to hear how this played out, if you have time for an update