What is Olav?

[Mmmaddie13]

I bought him as an India Blue Black Shoulder, but he looks completely different from another that I know is an India Blue Black Shoulder..

Here's Olav. Notice how his neck feathers have BARELY any iridescence just at the tips, but his back feathers are completely dark, not black, but dark. And his head is more of a tan/beige/peachy color.





And here's the for sure IB B/S. His iridescence fills out pretty much the whole feather, and his other feathers are black, not grey. Can you see the difference? I know I can in person and I know what I'm looking at but I just don't know if I'm explaining that okay, let me know if you aren't understanding what I'm saying! Also his head is VERY light colored, compared with Olav's at least, his belly is the same light color as his head, and Olav's is a creamy color with dark stripes down the middle.. This guy is only a couple weeks older than Olav, and he didn't look like Olav does now, two weeks ago. They're totally different.






What do you think? Is Olav a Purple Black Shoulder, possibly? Thanks in advance!



ETA this pic of the two of them next to each other. Olav is the one facing right.

 

[Arbor]

Hmm... interesting. Some things I noticed when looking at the pics of Olav. First, his head. Notice the stripe on his face. This is highly unusual (from all the birds I have seen) for a young bs. That being said, I noticed one of Legg's photos of a young purple bs with hints of it as well. All purple bs young males that I have seen do not have that stripe, and show much more colour on the head and neck by that age. Second, the small amount of colour on the neck isn't very vibrant, leading me to think possibly opal bs? Thirdly, due to the lack of any real colour on his neck, I'd be tempted to call "him" a "her".

So, upon visual inspection of the photos, I'm a little stumped myself. The face stripe indicates to me that as a bs, it is male. The lack of colour on the neck however, would almost lead me to believe he is she. I'd like to see how it colours out in the next couple months, and perhaps a comparative photo beside an IB bs hen.

 

[Mmmaddie13]

He's definitely not Obal B/S. I have two males that are, and the breeder I got Olav from doesn't have Opal B/S. The lack of neck color is throwing me off, too, though when he was young, and looked like an IB B/S, the dark feathers that came in were pointing in the direction of being a male...

Unfortunately I don't have any straight B/S hens, I do have B/S Silver Pied hens, though...


I will add a pic to the original post of the two of them together.

 

[Mmmaddie13]

Here's a pic from Legg's photogallery of a 3 month old Purple B/S male. Looks similar, but still more dark on the neck feathers than Olav has, I think. Olav is about 4 1/2 months old.

 

[Arbor]

I don't think yours is purple, as it looks nothing at all like mine. Even the pic from leggs shows more colour on the front of the neck than yours. Possibly Seipel patterned male? I have never seen them, so maybe that's the reason behind his lack of black? Maybe George could tell you, I know he raises some?

 

[Mmmaddie13]

I've never heard of that? Do you happen to have a link with information on the pattern?

ETA nevermind, I found something.
He does look a little like this hen, on connerhills website.

Is it just a random mutation? One that doesn't necessarily breed true? Just shows up?

 

[Arbor]

I think I'll stay on the he's a she side. At 4 1/2 months, you should be seeing more colour than that.

 

[Arbor]

I've never heard of that? Do you happen to have a link with information on the pattern?

this is the only link I know of, but I haven't really looked into it.

http://www.boxess.com/connerhills/connerpeafowl.html

there is a photo of a seipel hen only though.

 

[Arbor]

I've never heard of that? Do you happen to have a link with information on the pattern?

ETA nevermind, I found something.
He does look a little like this hen, on connerhills website.

Is it just a random mutation? One that doesn't necessarily breed true? Just shows up?

I'm not entirely sure. Not much info around on it. I think it is more of a pattern only visible on the hen. Mainly the front of the body and neck. Did the breeder you got it from have midnight bs?

 

[Mmmaddie13]

I'm not entirely sure. Not much info around on it. I think it is more of a pattern only visible on the hen. Mainly the front of the body and neck. Did the breeder you got it from have midnight bs?

No he did not.