Peahen or peacock?

[Dany12]

Hat ... what color?

 

[Kedreeva]

Hat ... what color?

I'm not wearing a hat

 

[PlatinumBlue]

I'm not sure why everyone jumped on Hen except for the neck lacing, but that's definitely a cock if he's still got all that barring at 6 months old, and the lacing is almost gone by 11 months old... his face, to me, has absolutely no spalding bone structure and he looks JUST like my own blue pied boys at that age.

Here's Des, one of my blue pied males from a couple years ago, at 6 months for reference:

EDIT: Additionally, if you're up in Alaska (or even Oregon, though Oregon is generally warmer than Alaska), where it's quite cold, peas just... grow slower in the cold. I live in Michigan where it's not nearly as cold but still takes a long time to warm up in the spring and winters can get bitter and deep, and I've never seen a boy raised here get a train before 3 years old, and usually the ones I've seen don't REALLY get their trains until 4... Until I started housing babies indoors in my warm barn, I didn't even see eye feathers on boys at 2, not even 1 feather. So, considering your (potential? maybe you just travel to cold places) climate, a slower growth rate would not surprise me at all.

Des does look similar to my pea. We only overwinter at warm places though. We were up in Alaska only for the summer and some of the fall (before it got too cold) and then we came down to Oregon by the coast were it was very warm for the winter season.

Do you have any experience with male black shoulder peas? I have one that I'm pretty sure is related to my pied (they both have the same eye color and they are the same age to the day). I was wondering if you know what color the male's neck turns if it's an India blue peacock vs. a Spaulding? My boy has an almost all green neck at 11 months old -- is this normal for an India blue?

 

[Kedreeva]

I'm still getting a handle on blackshoulders, and my experience with them is entirely bs purples so I'm likely not the best to ask there. Pictures would certainly help if you have more recent photos? I think Spalding birds are usually given away by bone structure and the way the color falls on them over the color itself (green vs blue).

In my own experience, the boys also get a different quality of neck feather? I am exceptionally sensitive to textures (to the point where I can't touch some things), and to me, a female has much much different texture to her neck feathers than a boy. The boys have an almost grimy, dog-fur feel to their neck feathers because of the structure. Girls are softer and the barbing is more copious so an individual feather doesn't look sparse. That may just be me though.

 

[PlatinumBlue]

The general characteristics, the shape of the head, the color of the green neck, wide barring, length of the legs and the fact we are having this discussion at this age. An IB would have no guessing at this age.

Very cool. What do you think about my other pea? He is a black shoulder. Does he look like he's a Spaulding? The first pic is at 1 month old, 2nd pic is at about 2 and 1/2 months, 3rd pic is at 4 months, 4th pic is almost 5 months old, and the last pic is 11 months old.

 

[Kedreeva]

Very cool. What do you think about my other pea? He is a black shoulder. Does he look like he's a Spaulding? The first pic is at 1 month old, 2nd pic is at about 2 and 1/2 months, 3rd pic is at 4 months, 4th pic is almost 5 months old, and the last pic is 11 months old.

I'd guess certainly a male, given those full black shoulders. VERY cute kids, both of them.

Here's a reference of Spalding blue bs from Legg's farm, hen on the left, cock on the right:

 

[PlatinumBlue]

I'm still getting a handle on blackshoulders, and my experience with them is entirely bs purples so I'm likely not the best to ask there. Pictures would certainly help if you have more recent photos? I think Spalding birds are usually given away by bone structure and the way the color falls on them over the color itself (green vs blue).

In my own experience, the boys also get a different quality of neck feather? I am exceptionally sensitive to textures (to the point where I can't touch some things), and to me, a female has much much different texture to her neck feathers than a boy. The boys have an almost grimy, dog-fur feel to their neck feathers because of the structure. Girls are softer and the barbing is more copious so an individual feather doesn't look sparse. That may just be me though.

I just checked how my pea's neck feathers feel and they do feel different, especially at that place where the neck bends just above the crop (just below halfway up their necks). My pied feels silky smooth and my black shoulder feels more rough. Very cool trick!

 

[Kedreeva]

I just checked how my pea's neck feathers feel and they do feel different, especially at that place where the neck bends just above the crop (just below halfway up their necks). My pied feels silky smooth and my black shoulder feels more rough. Very cool trick!

In that case I might have to change my vote for your first kid

 

[casportpony]

How cool, he's wearing a harness!

 

[KsKingBee]

Very cool. What do you think about my other pea? He is a black shoulder. Does he look like he's a Spaulding? The first pic is at 1 month old, 2nd pic is at about 2 and 1/2 months, 3rd pic is at 4 months, 4th pic is almost 5 months old, and the last pic is 11 months old.

He is def spaulding, the dark green neck gives that away.