Backyard Poultry Forum

I've been told you can sex wheaten marans around two weeks old. Currently with my uneducated guess, I think I have 4 pullets and a cockerel [number 2] but could just be wishful hoping. Here are photos of my five, what do people think?

1.


2.


3.


4.


5

_________________
Ravyk
4 Wyandottes, 2 Dogs, 1 Carpet Python, 1 Green Tree Frog, Tropical Fish, 2 Blue Yabbie, 1 Fiancé and a bub on the way.
It's a ZOO!

Gee looks like you're right!
Way to go ..... Any tips?

_________________

I wish! I ended up with 5 hens from 14 last year...

_________________
Ravyk
4 Wyandottes, 2 Dogs, 1 Carpet Python, 1 Green Tree Frog, Tropical Fish, 2 Blue Yabbie, 1 Fiancé and a bub on the way.
It's a ZOO!

Marans can be sexed as soon as the wing feathers come in. Males have a dark band, girls have pale brown. It gets a bit trickier when the feathers get longer and then, by about 4 weeks, it's very clear which is which.

Based on that, I think 1 and 2 are boys, 3 and 4 are girls, and oddly enough 5 is hard to tell because of the down but I have a nasty suspicion it's another boy.

Happy for more experienced people to chime in though. I tend not to see many before about 8 weeks.

I would think that only #2 is a cockerel chick based on how mine looked. The dark coloured shoulder feathering is also indicative, compared to the reddish brown shoulders on the pullets. I managed to get 5 pullets and 3 cockerels from 12 purchased eggs...very happy with that!

Also noticed today that all but number 2 have started to get their chest feathers.

_________________
Ravyk
4 Wyandottes, 2 Dogs, 1 Carpet Python, 1 Green Tree Frog, Tropical Fish, 2 Blue Yabbie, 1 Fiancé and a bub on the way.
It's a ZOO!

I agree with infoaddict. 1,2 and i think 5 are boys and i also have a asneaking suspicion that number 4 may also be a boy. Please keep us updated as its always helpful having pics for reference and I like to be proved wrong LOL. You will love them and dont ever leave the front door open as there normally the first to come in and have a stroll around the house
Sally

Right where you have your thumb in EVERY photo is the best patch of feathering to judge by . Much darker here for the males.
Edit so 4 is adefinate female and 2 a definate male . Can't tell with the rest because of the thumb .
Don't be confussed with the wing feathering this can be anything ,and IF you could tell by this , you could sex 3 days since wings have reasonable feathering by then

So, Martin, you are basically looking at the feathers on the shoulder?

_________________
Cheerio, Rach
Blue Swedish Ducks

EXACTLY and the reason for looking at the shoulder feather is that "clay " females sometimes have a dark band through the wing . The clays being a lot darker than the wheaten females but are produced sometimes from the normal wheatens .

little bit longer and it looks like the guys are wearing a dark jacket..... it becomes very very obvious!

_________________
Rita(4), married, two girls,
dogx2,catx2, brahma and 2 sheep, and a council and neighbours who have it in for me...

Alrighty, got some overhead photos, but missed the one time the 5 Marans were all standing in a row! The other chicks are araucanas.

Suspected male is in the top corner.

_________________
Ravyk
4 Wyandottes, 2 Dogs, 1 Carpet Python, 1 Green Tree Frog, Tropical Fish, 2 Blue Yabbie, 1 Fiancé and a bub on the way.
It's a ZOO!

I'm still going with 1 cockerel and 4 pullets! Well done with your hatch ratio!

1 cockerel , 4 ladies

_________________
Rita(4), married, two girls,
dogx2,catx2, brahma and 2 sheep, and a council and neighbours who have it in for me...

Easy to see one male ( with the black shoulders ) and 4 females ( note that 2 females have dark and one with small black flecks on the shoulders , these will be the clays I mentioned earlier .) All you have to do now is keep them alive ( they tend to pick up any and everything going around )