Why is a green or purple sheen in black feathers an issue?

[instar8]

I've bred black Ameraucanas and now I'm getting ready to breed Barnevelders, and I just want to know why a purple sheen in black feathers is good, but a green one isn't? Is there any concrete reason, or is this just pulled out of some covert cloacal conclave?

 

[nicalandia]

I've bred black Ameraucanas and now I'm getting ready to breed Barnevelders, and I just want to know why a purple sheen in black feathers is good, but a green one isn't? Is there any concrete reason, or is this just pulled out of some covert cloacal conclave?

is the other way around. green shine is what people is looking for

 

[Poultriary]

OK, I have been reading [quick apology, I was not a good researcher and didn't write down my resource] and apparently the purple sheen in chickens is an indication the bird did not have enough protein in its diet, or had something else going on that inhibited proper feather development. I will have to go back and find thhe reference again, unless someone else can confirm this.

 

[Poultriary]

I have discovered a "breed" for which the purple sheen is part of its standard, it it was practically under my nose. The Bantam Standard calls for it in "Light Brown as in Red Junglefowl Plumage": "Tail: . . . Sickles & Lesser Sickles - jet black with rich purple sheen, Coverts - jet black, with rich purple sheen." The description for the wing coverts is similar.

 

[instar8]

Really? I guess I was confused, cause mine had green, and i read that was bad...Still, I kinda want to know why....I think both are lovely!

 

[Poultriary]

I've always read it's the green sheen that is desirable as well, Marvin.

But I personally cannot see why purple would be undesirable. I think both are beautiful.

I had two Cuyuga hens that I got as duckllings from hatchery. One sheened green and the other purple, so they were named Emeralda and Indigo. They were both beautiful (though I wouldn't own another Cuyuga - not the best feed-to-egg ratio there).

Anyhow, I do not see any reason that there shouldn't be a couple of breeds where the purple sheen is favored over the green, especially if this is a matter of genentics. From an aesthetic perspective, it would make sense to me that the purple sheen would be favored for breeds where the gypsy or mulberry is standard face/wattle color.

-Den

 

[instar8]

That's a place to start! I just never knew why it mattered.

 

[Poultriary]

Agreed - to me they are both beautiful, but if theres a good reason behind it, well that's different.

 

[3riverschick]

Here ya go:

Standard Poultry for Exhibition: A Complete Manual of the Methods of Expert ...
By John Henry Robinson (Karen: a legend in the poultry world)
http://tinyurl.com/lhhpsk4
Page 81 purple and green barring
-----------------
Laws governing the breeding of standard fowls; a book covering outbreeding,
inbreeding and line breeding of all recognized breeds of domestic fowls, with chart,
1912
Author: Card, Wetherell Henry, 1860-
https://archive.org/details/cu31924003158312
(Karen: another renowned poultryman. Creator of the White Laced Red Cornish fowl.
Judge Card's great talents was being able to explain complex things very simply.
This pithy books explains laws, not opinions. Lots on color breeding too. One of my fav authors.)
Purple barring discussed on pages 26 thru 29 and 2 other places in the book.
------------------
Best,
Karen

 

[NYREDS]

I've bred black Ameraucanas and now I'm getting ready to breed Barnevelders, and I just want to know why a purple sheen in black feathers is good, but a green one isn't? Is there any concrete reason, or is this just pulled out of some covert cloacal conclave?

As someone else pointed out you have it backwards.
If you just have backyard chickens & like the purple sheen it doesn't matter at all-breed them any way that pleases you.
If you plan to show however it does matter. One, green, is desireable & the other, purple, is a defect. Beyond that there is a real feather-quality issue. A black bird with a strong green sheen will have a much smoother feather feel than one with purple. An old time Judge I learned from used to say "you can feel the green".