What type of Marans is this?

[tbmorgan]

Ok, color me confused...

I just hatched out some eggs that I got from a man who raises Marans...he said they are Bev Davis/Wade Jeane lines and he's been working on them for 5 years or so. Anyway, I got a little over a dozen BBS Marans eggs (and they were VERY dark, so I'm not questioning the breed) and a few barred rock eggs as well. Imagine my surprise when I got 3 chicks that look like this out of dark brown eggs! What the heck?? I asked him what's up and he said they are Wheatens, but I thought Wheaten chicks were a pale buff color. All three of the chipmunk chicks have a nice line of feathers down the outside of their legs/toes. Anyone have any insight as to what variety these are?

 

[nicalandia]

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Not a Wheaten Maran for sure, I can see the shank feathering so if I had to guess I would say, the Only possible cross would have been Welsummer x Wheaten Maran , I know of some breeders have used Welsummers to encrease the Darkness of the eggs as the welsummers have a few different brown egg shell genes,... yes you heard it right, the Brown egg shell is not a single gene, its a Polygenic Trait, there are many undocumented genes and it seems welsummers and marans dont share the same genes making any cross of them enhance the dark egg shell trait.. here welsummer chicks.. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/256360/welsummer-chicks-how-do-you-tell-hens-from-roosters but why would a wheatenx welsumer (from wheaten maran) and wildtype(from welsummer) look like pure or close to pure wildtype chipmunk chick?.. well wheaten is one of the most recessive e allele and when crossed to wildtype it can and it has produced wildtype looking chicks...

 

[nicalandia]

OR........ it could be the Rarest of them all(in Maran terms) the Golden Salmon Maran.. Which are not recognized as of yet... but I dont know if this could be the case, I am just giving you some ideas
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[tbmorgan]

Those Golden Salmon chicks sure do look just like mine!