Copper Maran cross with Americauna help!

[LKHudd]

I have 8 birds that we are selling. The most frequent question we get is - which one is a hen. Unfortunately, until it lays an egg or crows, I can't tell.
I've been on the email list of Backyard Chickens ever since we first starting having chickens but this is my first time on the forum.
Because I really care for my birds, I don't want to sell them to someone why needs hens and gets a rooster instead - and then has to get rid of him. I'd rather sell them being upfront with folks.
I am upfront with them now - I don't know/I can't tell. lol
Can someone help me? I've tried to get the best pix I can of these birds. They hatched around October 7, 2013 if that helps. Dad was a blue copper Maran and moms were all Americauna - different colors.
Thanks in advance for any hints.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I have 8 birds that we are selling. The most frequent question we get is - which one is a hen. Unfortunately, until it lays an egg or crows, I can't tell.
I've been on the email list of Backyard Chickens ever since we first starting having chickens but this is my first time on the forum.
Because I really care for my birds, I don't want to sell them to someone why needs hens and gets a rooster instead - and then has to get rid of him. I'd rather sell them being upfront with folks.
I am upfront with them now - I don't know/I can't tell. lol
Can someone help me? I've tried to get the best pix I can of these birds. They hatched around October 7, 2013 if that helps. Dad was a blue copper Maran and moms were all Americauna - different colors.
Thanks in advance for any hints.

Top male, bottom female
Male
Male (see that rusty patch on the shoulder? Dead give-away)
Can't tell from the pic. Too dark around the neck, and the saddle area is cut off. However, my gut feeling is that this bird is male.

Male. There are those shoulder patches again.
Top male, bottom female.
Male

Looking at these babies, your "Ameraucana" isn't--it's an Easter Egger. The pea comb is a dominant trait, and not all these babies have it. That means that there is no guarantee that the offspring will lay blue or green eggs, and I would say that the straight-combed ones most likely do not carry the blue egg gene.

 

[LKHudd]

My hope was that they would lay olive green eggs - the combination of the chocolate egg from the Maran and the pastel egg from the Easter Egger.

Thanks for your assessment of the birds. I'm with you. That's what I was thinking but I've had a couple of people, including my husband, say that there's a bunch of hens and just one or two roosters.

After reading last night about different ways to sex them, I assessed them with the roundness or the pointed ness of the feathers around their neck.

Thank you very, very much!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

My hope was that they would lay olive green eggs - the combination of the chocolate egg from the Maran and the pastel egg from the Easter Egger.

Thanks for your assessment of the birds. I'm with you. That's what I was thinking but I've had a couple of people, including my husband, say that there's a bunch of hens and just one or two roosters.

After reading last night about different ways to sex them, I assessed them with the roundness or the pointed ness of the feathers around their neck.

Thank you very, very much!

Any time.

Just remember, with EEs, it's often super easy to color sex them. If they have red patches on the shoulders, they are 100% male. You can often see these as early as 8 weeks.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[farmerChef]

I have 8 birds that we are selling. The most frequent question we get is - which one is a hen. Unfortunately, until it lays an egg or crows, I can't tell.
I've been on the email list of Backyard Chickens ever since we first starting having chickens but this is my first time on the forum.
Because I really care for my birds, I don't want to sell them to someone why needs hens and gets a rooster instead - and then has to get rid of him. I'd rather sell them being upfront with folks.
I am upfront with them now - I don't know/I can't tell. lol
Can someone help me? I've tried to get the best pix I can of these birds. They hatched around October 7, 2013 if that helps. Dad was a blue copper Maran and moms were all Americauna - different colors.
Thanks in advance for any hints.

2 roosters
rooster
rooster
rooster
rooster
rooster back, pullet front
rooster

At 3-4 months, roosters will start getting their pointed saddle(back) and hackle(neck) feathers. They will also come in shiny and metallic. the dark red coming in on the wings (often called bleed-thru or leakage when splotchy) is a classic rooster sign, along with a larger redder comb. Pullets combs usually stay pale until they are close to laying. If you compare your one pullet to your boys, you should be able to start noticing the differences.

(not by bird) see the bright shiny pointed feathers on this rooster?


(my EEs) now see how these hens have even feathering all over? the wings and back are all the same shade, just the neck is darker.

 

[farmerChef]

Also, if your pullet has a single comb (like your Marans) she only has a small, 3-5%, chance of laying blue/green/olive eggs. If she has a pea comb, she can still lay brown eggs, but has a better chance at laying blue/green/olive. Same with your boys, it is unlikely that any of the single combed ones will carry the blue egg gene.

 

[donrae]

I only see one female, the front bird in the second to last pic. Otherwise, lots and lots of roosters there.

 

[LKHudd]

Thanks you guys! Unfortunately, that's what I was thinking. Man-oh-man, how'd we end up with so many boys! lol

 

[BantamLover21]

I only see one female, the front bird in the second to last pic. Otherwise, lots and lots of roosters there.

I agree.

 

[farmerChef]

Thanks you guys! Unfortunately, that's what I was thinking. Man-oh-man, how'd we end up with so many boys! lol

blame your hens, lol. They lay either male or female eggs, cant blame the rooster.