Sexing my peafowl

[Garden Peas]

Here's a few more photos. I noticed today that she is definitely getting wispier on the backend feathers... go figure. Topaz (the 2 year-old) is a higher percentage spalding than the opal SP. So I've been chalking it all up to spalding-ness. But these feathers are getting wispier

 

[barkerg]

That's an interesting question, @barkerg , how do you tell the difference between the shape of spurs on a male versus the occasional spurs which occur on a female? Aside from the fact that a full grown male's spurs are bigger... Is there a different shape? Here's an interesting picture I just took -- I didn't realize I got both birds until I came back inside. I've been looking at my 2 year-old purple pied spalding hen for... two years now ... and about once a month I go back through the "huh, I wonder if she could really be a he" checklist... I always convince myself she's a she, but I'm really starting to wonder again. Check out the spurs on the feet closest to the camera (the young spalding hen) and the spurs on the full-grown opal silver pied across the gate from the 2 year-old spalding. (It took me a long time to figure out he's also a spalding, though a very low percentage.) "Her" spurs are definitely growing...

Spurs, (this is especially true in greens) can help you determine sex ie... Both sexes will normally get spurs and they usually start at around 10-12 months, when the spurs first start to bud a young males spurs will have an oblong shape to them similar to a bean and they will be dull. A young hens spurs will be small, round and have a slight point. The reason the males have this shape is because its the base of the future larger longer spurs. Gerald Barker

 

[Garden Peas]

Here's a photo of Topaz's neck feathers. Just starting to get color on the neck in the past few weeks...



And here's the top shot that goes with those four spurred feet

 

[Garden Peas]

Purple is a sex-linked color... I keep telling myself they could not have gotten the gender wrong... But noticeably more wispy today, and those spurs are growing, and those neck feathers, hmmm. But then I remind myself this is a spalding

I haven't had those before (except for that bonehead -- and he's a very low percentage, and it took me a couple years to click)

So whaddya think, @barkerg ? Could my little purple hen have been masquerading all along?

 

[Garden Peas]

That would also pretty well pin down where the funky soft-shelled egg came from

I keep looking at the photos of those hind feathers -- first time I have seen "her" have feathers shaped like that!

Hmmmm.

 

[BYC-user-174785]

@Garden Peas it's great to see pictures of Topaz. She is a bit farther in terms of molting her faded feathers than her sister that I have here. Some of my Spalding hens develop spurs like those that Topaz has, but her sister that I have here does not have spur growth as far as I know. I am convinced that Topaz is a hen, since from a genetic standpoint, her Silver Pied Spalding father was split to Purple. Her neck color will be a beautiful purple coloring once she is done molting. I have yet to get good pictures of that with my hen.

Now onto her train feathers— I totally see what you mean about the whispiness, but the feathers that add whispy are her faded and sun damaged feathers. Same applies to her flight feathers. It happens with any bird, but it is most noticeable on my hens. Once she had completely molted she will have nicely squared off train feathers that have the characteristic barring of a Spalding hen.

Also, I really love Topaz's face markings!

 

[Tbonter101]

Topaz is BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[barkerg]

Purple is a sex-linked color...  I keep telling myself they could not have gotten the gender wrong...  But noticeably more wispy today, and those spurs are growing, and those neck feathers, hmmm.  But then I remind myself this is a spalding    I haven't had those before (except for that bonehead -- and he's a very low percentage, and it took me a couple years to click)

So whaddya think, @barkerg
?  Could my little purple hen have been masquerading all along?

Very good looking bird. My observations are that Topaz is indeed a hen as for spalding, she looks to have green blood, her neck feathers are consistent with an IB hen. The whispy train feathers are as @Blue Creek described. As a caveat concerning whispy train feathers on greens and spaldings, green hens will have longer fringe vs IB hens, this makes the train look whispy like a young male and can fool you. Its the length of the fringe you are looking out for, young green males and most spalding males will have long fringe at that age. Topaz is a beautiful creature and in great hands. Bravo GP's,

.

Gerald Barker

 

[Garden Peas]

@Garden Peas it's great to see pictures of Topaz. She is a bit farther in terms of molting her faded feathers than her sister that I have here. Some of my Spalding hens develop spurs like those that Topaz has, but her sister that I have here does not have spur growth as far as I know. I am convinced that Topaz is a hen, since from a genetic standpoint, her Silver Pied Spalding father was split to Purple. Her neck color will be a beautiful purple coloring once she is done molting. I have yet to get good pictures of that with my hen.

Now onto her train feathers— I totally see what you mean about the whispiness, but the feathers that add whispy are her faded and sun damaged feathers. Same applies to her flight feathers. It happens with any bird, but it is most noticeable on my hens. Once she had completely molted she will have nicely squared off train feathers that have the characteristic barring of a Spalding hen.

Also, I really love Topaz's face markings!

Me too! Her face markings are really special

@Blue Creek , what color was the hen that laid these eggs? Is your chick a full sibling? (I guess they aren't chicks any more

) I'm tickled to hear you have one also. Diamond is also gorgeous -- totally different body profile. She's built like an IB in body shape. Topaz is unmistakable in profile -- she has a much more "spalding" shape than Diamond. Topaz fans frequently, which I hadn't paid any attention to... until I noticed the wispiness today

If the mom wasn't purple, there's not a lot of options besides hen

 

[BYC-user-174785]

Yes, my hen is a full sibling I would assume, as the hens in the pen varied. I had another hen from that pen, a White Spalding. I checked the notes I have of the pen setup that the breeder had and the peahens were a Spalding split Charcoal, a Spalding split White, a high percentage Spalding, and an IB Silver Pied hen. So none of the potential moms are purple. I just remember being stunned by their father. He was a nice, high percentage Spalding Silver Pied.