What color hen shoud I get?

[ND Sue]

I am getting 2 pea hens and she has 2 available I can choose from. I have a purple male and am getting a purple female for him. I am also getting a second hen and can get either a black shoulder split to purple which looks close to the purple or an IB split to purple which has a lot of color right now. Which would be the best to be breeding to a purple male? Pic with wings out is the IB split.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

How old are those peagirls?

*edited to say: Wait as second! This absolutely isn't my department, but as I (don't actually) understand sex-linked colors a peagirl can't be split to purple - they are either purple or not.
Purple experts? @KsKingBee ?

 

[KsKingBee]

How old are those peagirls?

*edited to say: Wait as second! This absolutely isn't my department, but as I (don't actually) understand sex-linked colors a peagirl can't be split to purple - they are either purple or not.
Purple experts? @KsKingBee ?

Yes, that is right Suzy, a hen can be split to any color except for sex linked colors. So neither of the hens the OP is considering are split to purple. I would get the IBBS hen, I think they are prettier. Unless the cock is BS they won't make any BS babies.

 

[Birdrain92]

Those chicks aren't Indian Blues. They are both Spaldings. One is a Spalding Black Shoulder, the other is Spalding. I don't think she is a Spalding Purple though. Looks like a Spalding peahen. Purple is a sex link color, only males can be split to Purple. Hens can't be Purple. The reason why, the sex chromosomes in avians is Z and W. Males are ZZ and females are ZW. Purple, Cameo, Peach, and Violeta are sex link colors and only found on the Z chromosome. So females only need one copy of the sex link color to become that color. Males need two alleles to be the sex link variety. If you have a Purple peacock, all his daughters will be Purple peahens.

 

[ND Sue]

From what I know, which is very little, purple is sex linked. So a purple male and any other color hen will have 100% purple hens, but males will be the other color, split to purple. Purple hens bred to any color other than purple will not produce purple, but have offspring split to that color. Copied from the internet. May or may not be correct as I am new to this!

These chicks are 3 1/2 months old.

 

[ND Sue]

I replied to my other person before seeing your answer. We don't have anything other than Pea fowl up here that I have heard of. These ladies breed peafowl only. (as far as I know)
I'm not familiar with spaldings and have never seen one, but aren't they those long legged peas from another area and not the same as peafowl? How can you tell if they are peas or spaldings? Can I tell by just looking?
They are 3 1/2 months old.

 

[ND Sue]

Yes, that is right Suzy, a hen can be split to any color except for sex linked colors. So neither of the hens the OP is considering are split to purple. I would get the IBBS hen, I think they are prettier. Unless the cock is BS they won't make any BS babies.

Thanks for the info and advice! I do also have an IB pair that are 1 1/2 years and a purple male chick, about the same age as the hens I am considering. The lady who is selling is giving me the choice and has a peacock that is black shoulder that is beautiful! So I was leaning that direction. The 100% purple hen is brown looking.

Could I be using the wrong terminology? Such as split to? I am saying what the breeder is telling me, but when saying that term, does it mean the color they are, with a gene for the other? That is what I was assuming it meant.