Now What colors to GET??????

JordanFamily

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I am now pretty sure I'm going to get some Peas but need advice on the bset to get... I am going to build them a large outside incloser... I was thinking of getting about 4 to 6 of them and was wondering what colors are best to start with? If they are nice birds I will eventually sell their babies so I would also like to know which colors sell better... I live in MO and it can get down two 0 a couple of times during the winter and my barn is not heated so I would have to go with a hardier type... And personally I like the brighter colors... So if I like IB, Purple, and midnights, what would be the best to get in males and females to get the best color deversity? Thanks so much
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Stay away from the Greens and higher blood spaldings, they don't handle real cold weather too well.

All India color mutations are the same, only difference is color so go with your own personal color preference.

A lot of the mutations are recessive so it is hard to get color diversity out of chicks, unless you work with split parents. Just about the only 'reliable' one for diversity are Pied because Pied x Pied= 1/4 white, 1/2 pied and 1/4 "looks blue"(really are pure pied and often called Dark Pied in the hobby)
 
The india blue will probably be the cheapest, and if you havent raised them before you should probably start with a cheaper bird so in the event anything does happen you havent lost a bunch of money......just my 2 cents
 
Think you will like the blackshoulder pattern, or pieds. blue blackshoulder cost about same as just the blues.

Check this link for some colors and pattern see which you like, remember some look better in person , like bronze and purple. For sure stay away from greens ,they need heat. with your temps.

http://database.amyspeacockparadise.com/
 
JordonFamily ,, I live about 3 1/2 hrs south of you and your welcome to come and shop and look if you want when it gets better out. I have Silver pied,, midnight B S pattern,,, blue india,,, white,,, bronze,,, Javas,,, peach,,, violete,,purple,, spaldings,,, charcoal,,, and others, that you can look at and ask questions.. your welcome to stop in.. George A Conner @ connerhills farm. web site... http://boxess.com/connerhills
 
Quote:
Ok so in the three colors I like how can I get those colors again if I have 4 or 5 birds that all live together??? If I get two males that are split to one of the other colors and females that are split will that work to make babies come out that are the 2 different colors??? I want to have those 3 colors but want the babies to not all come out IBs so what should I do?
 
You sure are lucky to have Connerhills so close to you with an open invitation to visit him. I would definately see him and his birds before making any decisions. I have blue parents split to white and purple. I get blues, whites and purples and consider that a good assortment to have during the hatch and have had good luck selling any color birds. Good luck, and wecome to peadom.
 
Most of the time good starter birds are the regular India blue, but if you certainly trust that nothing bad will happen to them and peafowl are the thing for you then I would go with pieds. Each pied bird is unique looking. Plus you won't always get pied chicks from them like Kev wrote. That is why pieds are one of my favorites because I like the idea of it being a surprize what you get. I can't wait for my first chicks from my two pied peafowl. I think they could sell pretty well since they look very unique and are easier to tell appart from one another.
Here are my pieds:
2 yr old peahen named Damsel
67904_img_4617.jpg


4 year old peacock named Dragon
67904_img_4545.jpg


I hope you can figure out what kind you want, it was hard for me to decide what I wanted but when it came time to get some I didn't care what I got I just wanted peafowl!
 
Quote:
Ok so in the three colors I like how can I get those colors again if I have 4 or 5 birds that all live together??? If I get two males that are split to one of the other colors and females that are split will that work to make babies come out that are the 2 different colors??? I want to have those 3 colors but want the babies to not all come out IBs so what should I do?

The only way to get all three colors is to have them penned separately, otherwise very likely to get almost all blue looking chicks. For example if a Midnight peacock breeds with a Purple peahen, all chicks will come out looking IB. Or most of the peahens prefer to mate with just one of the peacocks, which is more or less normal even in feral populations- certain males get most of the matings while a bunch either never get to mate or rarely. So having a midnight, a purple and an IB male will not guarantee a variety of colors in the chicks, it could easily end up being almost only the IB getting almost all of the matings because the peahens like him the best.

I'd say from your situation, would be best to choose just one mutation color(purple or midnight). That way you still could have them free range and be assured of getting both IB and chosen color. For example if you go with Purple, using IB male split purple with at least purple hens*, you will get chicks in both IB and purple. A free range flock of something like a IB split purple peacock, a purple peacock and 2 purple peahens, 2 IB hens would be great for getting half IB and half purple chicks. You can have the IB male not split purple but run into the chance of the peahens preferring to mate with him, so you would get a lot more IB chicks. (pure IB male x purple peahen- all blue looking chicks, The male chicks would be split purple though)

If you like or want white/pied offspring too, having a bird such as pied or silver pied split X(purple? midnight?) peacock with hens either being pied, split for pied or white, could get a wider variety of chicks such as pied IB, pied color X, ib split, color X split etc. (dont forget to include peahens of the color, if you choose a sex linked color) btw pied and white are not sex linked, peacock split for pied/white with pied hens would work just as well.

Midnight has one problem- midnight BS peahens look the same as 'normal' BS hens. If you are using splits, can't guarantee any BS hen out of this stock as being Midnight, split Midnight or a regular BS. The males will be easy once they get color on their necks.

*can have IB hens for this too, but to get *male* purple offspring at all there must be at least one purple hen. This is because purple is a recessive sex linked mutation, hens cannot be split for any sex linked color. Midnight is not a sex linked mutation so a hen can be split for it.

p.s. I agree with advise to visit connerhills. Seeing the colors in person can help a lot in the final decision and he knows genetics too.
 
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Quote:
Ok so in the three colors I like how can I get those colors again if I have 4 or 5 birds that all live together??? If I get two males that are split to one of the other colors and females that are split will that work to make babies come out that are the 2 different colors??? I want to have those 3 colors but want the babies to not all come out IBs so what should I do?

The only way to get all three colors is to have them penned separately, otherwise very likely to get almost all blue looking chicks. For example if a Midnight peacock breeds with a Purple peahen, all chicks will come out looking IB. Or most of the peahens prefer to mate with just one of the peacocks, which is more or less normal even in feral populations- certain males get most of the matings while a bunch either never get to mate or rarely. So having a midnight, a purple and an IB male will not guarantee a variety of colors in the chicks, it could easily end up being almost only the IB getting almost all of the matings because the peahens like him the best.

I'd say from your situation, would be best to choose just one mutation color(purple or midnight). That way you still could have them free range and be assured of getting both IB and chosen color. For example if you go with Purple, using IB male split purple with at least purple hens*, you will get chicks in both IB and purple. A free range flock of something like a IB split purple peacock, a purple peacock and 2 purple peahens, 2 IB hens would be great for getting half IB and half purple chicks. You can have the IB male not split purple but run into the chance of the peahens preferring to mate with him, so you would get a lot more IB chicks. (pure IB male x purple peahen- all blue looking chicks, The male chicks would be split purple though)

If you like or want white/pied offspring too, having a bird such as pied or silver pied split X(purple? midnight?) peacock with hens either being pied, split for pied or white, could get a wider variety of chicks such as pied IB, pied color X, ib split, color X split etc. (dont forget to include peahens of the color, if you choose a sex linked color) btw pied and white are not sex linked, peacock split for pied/white with pied hens would work just as well.

Midnight has one problem- midnight BS peahens look the same as 'normal' BS hens. If you are using splits, can't guarantee any BS hen out of this stock as being Midnight, split Midnight or a regular BS. The males will be easy once they get color on their necks.

*can have IB hens for this too, but to get *male* purple offspring at all there must be at least one purple hen. This is because purple is a recessive sex linked mutation, hens cannot be split for any sex linked color. Midnight is not a sex linked mutation so a hen can be split for it.

p.s. I agree with advise to visit connerhills. Seeing the colors in person can help a lot in the final decision and he knows genetics too.

So what is I got:
1 Cock IB split purple
1 Cock Purple split to pied
Females
1 purple
1 purple split to pied
1 ib split to pied
1 ib midnight
What would be my chick color ratio then???
 

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