Do these feathers make my butt look big?

[Soujrnr]

Hello, friends. I'm not familiar with which breeds are the larger ones (I can look it up), but I'm curious to know if my Copper Maran is just big, or if she's fat. Here is a picture of her. I don't know her actual weight, but I know many of you are chock full of knowledge and could look and know immediately is she's fat or just a big breed.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Better pictures might help, or other breeds next to her for comparison. Marans hens should be around 5-7 pounds at maturity. Do you know what she weighs?

 

[Soujrnr]

Better pictures might help, or other breeds next to her for comparison. Marans hens should be around 5-7 pounds at maturity. Do you know what she weighs?

Ya, sorry about the photo. It's zoomed in, which doesn't help. I'm not sure how much she weighs. I'll try to get a better photo....

 

[Soujrnr]

Here are a couple photos. Not sure they help much. We've only had them for a month, and so they are still very skittish and won't let us pick them up or get very near them before shying away. I also don't have a scale, but I can improvise on that.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Here are a couple photos. Not sure they help much. We've only had them for a month, and so they are still very skittish and won't let us pick them up or get very near them before shying away. I also don't have a scale, but I can improvise on that.
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She does look to be of good size. Are you sure it's a marans? Looks more like an australorp to me, but I'm not completely sure.

 

[Soujrnr]

She does look to be of good size. Are you sure it's a marans? Looks more like an australorp to me, but I'm not completely sure.

I was told that she's a Black Copper Maran, but I am so new to "chicken rustling" that I have no idea aside from comparing her to photos on the Internet. How can I know for certain?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I was told that she's a Black Copper Maran, but I am so new to "chicken rustling" that I have no idea aside from comparing her to photos on the Internet. How can I know for certain?

I'm no copper marans expect, but I do know australorp. Both breeds have pink legs. Marans sometimes have feathers on the legs, but not always. There should be some copper around the neck if it's a copper marans.

Your hen is larger, and looks to have soft feathering which is an australorp trait. Marans generally have what's called hard feathers. They have less fluff, and feathers are more ridged.

What color are her eggs? A marans should lay a dark chocolate colored egg, and an australorp will lay a normal brown egg.

 

[Soujrnr]

I'm no copper marans expect, but I do know australorp. Both breeds have pink legs. Marans sometimes have feathers on the legs, but not always. There should be some copper around the neck if it's a copper marans.

Your hen is larger, and looks to have soft feathering which is an australorp trait. Marans generally have what's called hard feathers. They have less fluff, and feathers are more ridged.

What color are her eggs? A marans should lay a dark chocolate colored egg, and an australorp will lay a normal brown egg.

I will definitely try to get a closer look at her. We aren't sure what color her eggs are, but the egg colors we currently get are white, light tan, green(ish), and normally a couple of darker tan, but not dark brown, eggs. I am going to install a "coop cam" to see who is laying what.

 

[rosemarythyme]

BCM hens should have copper around the head and neck, so I don't think that's what you have. Mine has a "wide load" in the rear for sure, and visually is my widest bird, though on a scale she's not the heaviest.

 

[Amer]

In order to determine if a bird is fat you have to feel it. All their fat is visceral and can only be felt around the butt. Feel the pubic bones. (The bones on either side of the cloaca.) They should be prominent. And feel the space between the end of the keel bones and the pubic bones. It should feel soft but you shouldn’t feel a big round fat pad there. It shouldn’t feel swollen.