More newbie questions

[WestKnollAmy]

With all the peafowl I am getting I really am having a hard time telling what color the girls are supposed to be.

I know that in the Opal pen there are 2 girls to the one boy but he told me that this Opal male was a freak hatch and it was only a last minute decision for him to keep it. I am not sure the girls in the pen with him are even Opal gals because I am still not experienced enough. I am not finding a lot on what girls are supposed to look like for their variety but would like to learn what I should see in a hen.

I suppose mostly because as I bring home all these birds as pairs or trios I need to make sure they are suited for each other. I would like to have the best breeding program possible and will certainly share photos with this forum when I can get them home where I hopefully can take decent photos of them but for now I was hoping to see photos of hens of certain colors and have you all teach me the characteristics for them.

Thank you in advance for the help. I need it!

 

[zazouse]

I would leave them paired up the way they have them and see what they are producing, then after the breeding season move them around if you want and that will give them time to get use to each other before the next season comes around, that is just what i would do if i had mine penned heck you may end up with more opals, it is a very pretty color from what i have seen in the photos.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

And in looking around on some web sites I see what appears to be hens but they are called white eye. How would you know a hen is white eye? Is she hatched from a pair that the male is white eye?

Lots of questions, bear with me!

ETA- I think I found the answer to this question but if so, then a few of the web sites are not correct in their photos unless it is like I had previously asked, Is it because there was a white eyed father? However, I would expect there isn't any way to know if the white eye was passed on to the daughter....would I?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Some are paired together but there are also some that are just coming out of one big pen and will be about 2-3 years old this spring. I think this guy knows what colors they are supposed to be but he also said that 1 1/2 years ago they had never heard of Opals and had to figure out what the color was or if it was something they would keep.
This fella is wanting to work on just Peach, I believe so I am getting a lot of birds that I suppose he can't or doesn't want to sell.

I am guessing he will tell me what can go together but his knowledge comes from his mentor that passed away and left all these to him. I will certainly listen to him but I also want to learn as much as I can absorb about peafowl. Genetics isn't new to me but I do know poultry has been more of a challenge to learn.

Thanks for answering. This is going to be most interesting.

 

[Arbor]

Without seeing them, or photos of them, its difficult to tell you what they are supposed to look like. http://database.amyspeacockparadise.com/ has a lot of photos as well. One of these days we'll get a photo directory put together that will help people id their birds. Till then, when you get photos, chuck em on here and we'll help you with the id.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Thanks! Yes, I have been all over that website. I keep trying to learn more about the coloring on these birds and compare them to what I see with the ones I am getting.

Like with this one. I called her a silver pied but to me she has too much color to be silver pied, not enough white. But I am not exactly sure.





The other hen I believe is a silver pied. She is much more white with splotches of color on her. This is what I thought was a true silver pied girl. So the one above is only white pied?

 

[WestKnollAmy]

And I have also been told by a very reliable source about the hen in this photo. The man giving me these birds said they were Bronze but when I posted the photo I got a PM saying this hen is not a Bronze. I appreciated the help, as I don't want to leave them together if they are not correct. Though the breeders may have been going for something different. At this point in time I do not have the luxury of breeding just anything. I prefer to keep them pure. It may change later but I want to know exactly what I may have right now.



Here is the other hen with the same cock.



Of course, how they are housed right now I am having a hard time seeing color and shades. It took seeing the Opal and Bronze side by side in another thread for me to tell the differences. I see iridescence in both of their neck colors but can now tell the difference. Especially with the flight feathers showing here.
But the hens do mess me up so I am trying to learn those better.

 

[Arbor]

And I have also been told by a very reliable source about the hen in this photo. The man giving me these birds said they were Bronze but when I posted the photo I got a PM saying this hen is not a Bronze. I appreciated the help, as I don't want to leave them together if they are not correct. Though the breeders may have been going for something different. At this point in time I do not have the luxury of breeding just anything. I prefer to keep them pure. It may change later but I want to know exactly what I may have right now.



Here is the other hen with the same cock.



Of course, how they are housed right now I am having a hard time seeing color and shades. It took seeing the Opal and Bronze side by side in another thread for me to tell the differences. I see iridescence in both of their neck colors but can now tell the difference. Especially with the flight feathers showing here.
But the hens do mess me up so I am trying to learn those better.

First hen looks like a regular indian blue, but it is possible that it is split to bronze, so offspring with that male may be 50% bronze. The second hen does look like a bronze hen. Generally, the way to tell the colour of a hen is by comparing the small amount of coloured feathers on the back of the head to the colour of the male. They should have the same colouring, or very close anyways.

 

[Arbor]

Thanks! Yes, I have been all over that website. I keep trying to learn more about the coloring on these birds and compare them to what I see with the ones I am getting.

Like with this one. I called her a silver pied but to me she has too much color to be silver pied, not enough white. But I am not exactly sure.





The other hen I believe is a silver pied. She is much more white with splotches of color on her. This is what I thought was a true silver pied girl. So the one above is only white pied?

First hen is probably pied white eyed (single copy of white eyed gene), whereas the second hen will have a double copy of the white eyed gene as it is silver pied.

 

[zazouse]

You pied hens look alot like my IB pieds