Super light-colored Black Maran Chick?

[suliah]

Cute chick though! If it is a wheaten, you'll be able to determine gender around 2-3 weeks. The pullets will be brown/red and the cockerels will start to grow in black feathers.

Wait, what??? I didn't know this!
I got two chicks from a guy who said they were wheaten marans... they feathered in all black (look like a partridge cochin) and the whole time I've been thinking he gave me the wrong chicks!

They are both roos, I'm pretty sure... so this would make sense.

Wish I'd known that sooner!

 

[ochochicas]

Yep, Wheaten birds as well as Salmon (Faverolles) all hatch yellow. The males feather out very dark or black, while the pullets are tan, buff or reddish. I hatched a batch of both over the summer. They all hatched totally yellow. I could start to tell at 2 weeks which were cockerels and which were pullets. I could definitely tell at 3 weeks. I'm sure people with more experience with the breeds can tell sooner. Maybe that is why you ended up with two boys.

 

[MisfitMarie]

Hi, everyone! I Just wanted to follow up. I had contact the breeder who sold me the eggs. He told me that he has been separating the rare, random light-colored chicks over the years and has a small flock of them. He said that they end up COMPLETELY white... Does this mean that this chick could possibly not a wheaten...But rather just...a white Maran?

So weird! And it hatched out of the darkest egg!

 

[enola]

White marans? Who knew?

 

[donrae]

I guess he could have recessive white hiding there somewhere, but IMO it shows he's not dedicated to breeding black coppers or he'd cull and start with better genetic stock. That, or at least tell folks they may get a white sport bird, in the interest of full disclosure.

 

[suliah]

Random... MPC is going to be selling "White Marans" that lay medium brown eggs... saw that today and did a