Wheaten and Blue wheaten Marans Discussion Thread

[wlhtx]

He was always much lighter as a chick, not really showing much black until recently. He just turned 3 months - so, I'm not sure if more black will continue to come out or not as he continues to mature. Here he is beside my other WM, who I have known from early on was male. Not the best pic because of shadowing, but the other does have darker coloring. (Pink legband on left, blue legband on right.)

 

[AZBootsie]

I bought them as one day olds. (They have their hatches scheduled for every weekend, and I picked them up on Easter Sunday.)

Mainly from reading this thread, I knew that wheatens are supposedly easily sexed at a couple weeks old depending on whether there is more or less black on the wing feathers (as well as quickness of feathering out, etc.). That's why I am stumped! As a baby, this one really fit all the descriptions of a little pullet... If I hadn't banded them so early, I would have thought that someone switched chickens on me. I guess it just goes to show that you really can't know for sure until they mature. Dang it.

I would be surprised if the breeder deliberately sold all roos. I'm leaning towards it just being a really BAD luck of the draw. But, then again, I'm an optimist.

The good news is that I now have five specimens to choose from to determine which one gets to be the patriarch of my new wheaten flock (once I track down some pullets, of course). I have the older two that are three months old, and three more that are younger at six weeks old. By what age can you typically know which rooster is worth keeping and which one isn't? My plan is to post pics on here at some point of each roo in order to get some advice from the sages on which one of my five is the keeper...

Yep... sounds like you just got luck of the roosters on this batch. I would have sworn little pink banded chick was a pullet in that first pic too.

Sorry, I have no advise on picking your rooster.

There was a lot of discussion on this thread a couple of years ago. It seemed the consensus was that you had to have 2 flocks. One for breeding a great roo.....and the other to breed the nice creamy breasted hens.

 

[Bangarang64]

I would have thought that chick was a female too. It certainly didn't have the look of my male Wheatens. The way he looks now, he doesn't really look like he has the right markings that Wheaten breeders are looking for. I hate to tell you this, but I would find another use for him other than breeding.

I always have too many males when I do a hatch. I just took 6 young males to a small animal auction last week. ( I hate to cull, but will if I have to)

 

[wlhtx]

I don't have any problem with culling - and, to be honest, I've decided that this one is pretty much on a path straight to the freezer now - but I've just never been so tricked by a chicken before...

 

[berkeleysprings]

Iwait till adult first molt

I bought them as one day olds.  (They have their hatches scheduled for every weekend, and I picked them up on Easter Sunday.)

Mainly from reading this thread, I knew that wheatens are supposedly easily sexed at a couple weeks old depending on whether there is more or less black on the wing feathers (as well as quickness of feathering out, etc.).  That's why I am stumped!  As a baby, this one really fit all the descriptions of a little pullet...  If I hadn't banded them so early, I would have thought that someone switched chickens on me.  I guess it just goes to show that you really can't know for sure until they mature.  Dang it.

I would be surprised if the breeder deliberately sold all roos.  I'm leaning towards it just being a really BAD luck of the draw.  But, then again, I'm an optimist.

The good news is that I now have five specimens to choose from to determine which one gets to be the patriarch of my new wheaten flock (once I track down some pullets, of course).  I have the older two that are three months old, and three more that are younger at six weeks old.  By what age can you typically know which rooster is worth keeping and which one isn't?  My plan is to post pics on here at some point of each roo in order to get some advice from the sages on which one of my five is the keeper...

 

[CountryFriedChicken]

Does anybody know anything about Teasdale wheatens? How they came in this country and how did Ms. Teasdale develop her line? I located an almost pure Teasdale flock , the lady does well with them but does not know much about Teasdale either.

Thanks.

 

[Runawaylobster]

I was just googling around this morning and i found some pictures of the most awesome wheaten marans. Of course they
were show chickens but still... something for me to aspire to.

it gave rise to some questions for me. First is how can i breed girls that have that awesome white cream underside. Mine are
nice looking but not as white as the pics i saw. In particular is there any feature that one could look for in the roosters that would
indicate that they might throw these types of chicks, or would it all be based on the dam that they came from?

Secondly, i love the blue wheatens but am not sure how to get the blue gene into the wheaten line. Do I have to have a blue
wheaten bird or can i get it in another way (I have many blue coppers and quite a few that are not showing any copper but they are blue coppers).. ?

L

 

[knjinnm]

Does anybody know anything about Teasdale wheatens? How they came in this country and how did Ms. Teasdale develop her line? I located an almost pure Teasdale flock , the lady does well with them but does not know much about Teasdale either.

Thanks.

Can you post pictures??

 

[knjinnm]

I was just googling around this morning and i found some pictures of the most awesome wheaten marans. Of course they
were show chickens but still... something for me to aspire to.

it gave rise to some questions for me. First is how can i breed girls that have that awesome white cream underside. Mine are
nice looking but not as white as the pics i saw. In particular is there any feature that one could look for in the roosters that would
indicate that they might throw these types of chicks, or would it all be based on the dam that they came from?

Secondly, i love the blue wheatens but am not sure how to get the blue gene into the wheaten line. Do I have to have a blue
wheaten bird or can i get it in another way (I have many blue coppers and quite a few that are not showing any copper but they are blue coppers).. ?

L

Please post pictures.

 

[OldChurchEggery1]

At last I have some Wheaten babies at my house! I ordered a dozen eggs from the Fitzgeralds and the eggs I received are significantly darker than what mine are laying, so I'm pleased in that regard. I had a total of 9 to hatch, but I think 2 may be culls as they seem very weak. They had pipped in odd places so I wonder if their air cells get mangled during shipping, but they did hatch so there's that. The other seven were up and about toddling 'round the brooder when I left this morning and it looked like they'd managed to peck around at least out of curiosity at the feed.