Is she a late developer?

[Newtothis]

Hi

Out of the four hens we bought 2 months ago 3 are laying well and have been for about 5 weeks. We were told that they were all about 19 to 21 weeks at time of purchase. The fourth one, a cuckoo maran, still looks young with only a small paleish comb. she is the largest of the four, but is pushed around by the others. She is a bit clumsey and is slow to race for treats, etc. Always last out of the coop, but the most adventurous around the garden.
She is light and may be a bit underweight, although she eats well and seems interested in all the bits she finds free ranging. I've recently wormed the girls and have given them some cod liver oil a few times. They have apple cider vinegar in the water this week.
But she still seems slow to mature, and I am begining to fear that there is something wrong.
Is this normal for marans? Or do I have a nice pet chicken who will always be a bit odd?

David

[Scarlet]

I wouldn't worry too much, I would say this is fairly normal for a marans. They always take while longer to come into lay - that said, (just counted!) she is around 27 weeks so maybe she will leave it till feb before laying

[Glutton4...]

My Marans are no bigger than my Batties, and two of them have small combs, the other has large. They don't weigh much, either. Other people have much larger Marans, so I guess they vary depending on where/how they are bred. She may be a slow starter, or may even be a younger one that they put in to make up the numbers. Keep an eye on her, just in case, but if she's eating and drinking OK, she's probably fine. Funny things, Chooks. Good luck!

[Suechooks]

Is she pure Marans or a hybrid? If she 's a pure Marans she'll be later than a laying hybrid. I have 2 girls hatched the same day - a spangled hamburg and a cream legbar - who are 25 weeks and the legbar started laying yesterday but the Hamburg still looks like a chick. As G4 says she may actually be younger than the rest.

[frias]

My Welsummer, (hatched at home) didn't start laying until 33 weeks old. Now she rules the roost, only lays on sunny days and takes the whole of the winter off. She makes up for this by being beautiful and laying the most gorgeous chocolate brown eggs. Chickens ay, they are a law unto themselves.

[Newtothis]

I'll just have to be patient then! Actually she is losing a few feathers now so she may have decided to start molting..... I'm not sure if she's pure or a hybrid Sue - they just called her a 'cuckoo' maran?
I'll attach a pic - maybe you can tell. This is a couple of weeks old though.

[Hilary B]

That is very pale for a Cuckoo Marans hen...... May be a crossbreed.
They are one of the very few pure breeds I know anything about, and the hens are usually much darker than the cockerels. She doesn't look close to lay anyway (and doesn't look very cockerelish either).

[Suechooks]

She only looks like a baby. Cuckoo is the colour. Pure Marans usually have feathers on their legs (not always though and I had a hybrid Speckledy who looked like yours and also had feathery legs).
Fact is she'll lay when she's ready!

[Newtothis]

This is a more recent picture. Yes she has feathers down her legs - and no she hasn't started crowing yet!
You've got me worried now Hilary.....

David

[Glutton4...]

Marans? Dunno. Both my Cuckoo Marans were speckled all over, but not dissimilar. The one that died was darker, prettier, and had clean legs. The one I still have is paler, and has a narrow line of feathers down the outside of her legs. She's called Chappy, as they look like Chaps!

However, I wouldn't worry, She's definitely a Hen, and I'd say, definitely young. Nice looking Hen, too.

[Newtothis]

Thanks G4....I'll let here know when I get home.

[Newtothis]

Let her know

[RichmondHens]

It's not a cuckoo maran, sorry. The feathering is more barred with a cuckoo maran and the colour is consistent throughout the head, neck and body. She looks a bit like a silver sussex except she doesn't have the darker feathering down the back. I tend agree with Hilary and think she is a probably a hybrid. She's very pretty though and will probably lay for you in a few weeks. Her comb is a good colour and she looks healthy so I'm sure you won't have long to wait.

[frias]

She looks just like my Sussex Rock. Except there's no feathering on my girls legs. My Speckeldy does have feathering but is much darker than your hen. Her comb looks just like my hybrids did at about 16/18 weeks.

[Scarlet]

Looks like my silver sussex cross! Sussex/maran cross maybe?