4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

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Amongst others we hatched 2 very dark brown French copper black Maran eggs (which we bought fertile) under our broody The chicks are now 3 weeks old. One is large and has feathered quickly with black brown colouring and the other is small, has stayed black and has very few feathers. They both have no combs to speak of.

Any ideas Is one male and the other female or could they actually be different marans?

Edited June 5, 2009 by Guest

[Egluntyne]

Can you post some pictures?

[HENthusiastic]

Oooh yes pictures!!! (not that I will have a clue about answering your questions; I just want to see the pictures )

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Here goes would welcome any views on genders

 

first s/he french copper black maran

 

second s/he french copper black maran

 

s/he Exchequer leghorn

 

s/he blue splash maran

 

pretty certain blue male leghorn

 

s/he white leghorn and male legbar

 

mum and babes

 

They are 3 weeks old today

[Chook n Boo Mum]

No idea as to sexing nor query about the same coloured eggs....but what gorgeous little chooks !

 

I am trying hard not to be tempted by lickle fluffy chooklets....I must be strong though as I haven't got the space (housing-wise), as the chooks have moved back into the eglu again..their choice not mine !

 

Sha x

[HENthusiastic]

Lovely .

 

Ive got little feed pots like yours attached to the side of the eglu bars. Did you get them from flytsofancy? Bargain aren't they.

 

Beautiful girls. Oh how I'd love tohave a bit gang like that ranging about together

[Egg Lou]

No idea on sexing.. but absolutely gorgeous!

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HENthuiastic says "Ive got little feed pots like yours attached to the side of the eglu bars. Did you get them from flytsofancy? Bargain aren't they?".

 

Actually I got them from a closing down pet shop and they were 20p each so very much a bargain. wish I'd got lots more now

Flytesofancy sell some lovely coloured grit pots which are very similar

My chicks are such bruisers and when they are togther they make a formidable team.

Just slight eye contact from the other chooks unleaches Rocky (mother hen) a fiend in feathers when she's protecting them. Shame as the other girls don't seem in anyway aggressive towards them just mildly facinated.

[Chickvic]

Gorgeous chickies

[Jules.]

Do you think they had different fathers? Because the eggs werre all laid by the same breed of hen then that explains why the egg colour was consistent.

 

Bet you all can't beat my grit pots- I got 8 of them free from the feed store I go to as they were seconds due to their colour. They are lovely purple & green marbled, which of course matches my set-up perfectly

[Charlottechicken]

Bet you all can't beat my grit pots- I got 8 of them free from the feed store I go to as they were seconds due to their colour. They are lovely purple & green marbled, which of course matches my set-up perfectly

 

Well done

 

Just wanted to say thanks for posting your lovely pics, I think one of my chicks must be a French copper black marans, she is a dead ringer for your first pic

[feemcg]

My Copper Blacks looked like your second pic, not sure what the first chick is at all. Also the one you say is a Blue Splash is just a Blue.....Splash hatch white then get dark grey/light grey flecks.

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Thanks for more info. I'm rather bemused by chick in the first pic! I'm pretty sure now it is female but I'm wondering whether it might be a cuckoo/copper black cross. Both the same very dark brown eggs! Maybe different dads!!or mums I suppose!

The black chick is still much smaller with a very upright stance.It looks male but has no comb to speak of though and the slowest of all to feather and is not displaying any cockerel behaviour yet either unlike the blue leghorn who is a boy for sure, big pink comb and squares up to the 3 male legbars.

I was told it was a blue splash but maybe I got it wrong! Shame he's gorgeous and I would love to keep him

[Helly Welly]

They are all gorgeous, keep them all, ignore the neighbours

[Valkyrie]

My cuckoo Maran looked very much like the second photo. She remained fluffy for weeks - then all of a sudden she looked just like the other two feather little monsters. I think Maran boys feather up faster than the girls. Could the first one be a Barnevelder?

http://www.dtbcentre.co.uk/barnevelder.htm

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Could the first one be a Barnevelder?

 

Well it certainly has the colouring ! It does have very feathered legs and came from very dark ( mahogany) egg. Are these characteristic of Barnvelders?

 

We got the eggs from a breeder who had each breed segregated from other breeds so not sure how we could have a Barnvelder but the mystery continues

I was so surprised that 2 such different chicks could come from the same Maran looking eggs!

Just they are girls as I have fallen in love with all of them and it would be sooooooooo sad to have to give them up now

Will try to post some more pics as they are now 5 weeks old.