Wade Jean Marans chicks - when do they lose white feathers?

[palrusty12]

Hello all! I hope I'm not repeating a thread, but I've spent over an hour searching through the forums to avoid doing so... but I have what I hope is a quick question:

I have 16 Wade Jean line Black Copper Marans chicks at 4 weeks old now. When should they be losing the white on their faces and white primary feathers in the wings?

About half have lost all their white, a few are still transitioning in their fluff, but I have a couple who are either still "penguin" looking (totally my made up term) in the face and/or have a white first primary feather.

I also have what seems to definitely be a cockerel who is retaining a lot of grey fluff. Would this line produce a blue, or is this typical of the cockerel development?

Mostly I'm watching and worried about those white primary wing feathers....

Thanks for any of your insights!!

 

[Spartan22]

In my experience with BCMs it will have more reddish Copper than gray on cockerel. By about 10-12 wks most of the feathering will be more obvious on both sexes. On gray feathers, my blue Marans had shown mossy gray feathers @6-8 wks. One of my favorite, with dark brown eggs.

 

[palrusty12]

Thanks!

 

[3riverschick]

Contact Bev Davis at www.bevsmarans.com
she can answer all your questions.
Best,
Karen

 

[LilJoe]

My cockerel didn't loose his white primaries until his first most, but my pullets never "grew' white primary feathers.