Help with peafowl!

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, i have been keeping chickens for some time now but I would love to start keeping peafowl as well. The trouble is I cannot find any breeders in northern ireland! I was wondering if anyone out there knows of any breeders over here?

Also would it be best to buy 1-2 year old birds or buy younger peachicks?I have access to an incy so I could even start with hatching eggs. Any advice would be welcome!

Thanks, marty

 

[Tim]

Hi Marty,

I haven't come across anyone who knows a great deal about them, however, like other fowl, they should be fairly straight forward to raise as youngsters providing you have the space I guess. I believe they can be fed on the standard poultry crumbs / growers pellets as long as they are the un-medicated sort.

Tim

 

[Anonymous]

any updates on this? I would reccomend peachicks for this project as they can be tamed. any high protein chick starter is fine for feeding them.
hope this helps

~~poultry farmer

 

[girlracer265]

i'd go for hatching eggs and if possible, raise them under a broody hen, we had a few problems with our guineas having issues with our chickens but was told this is not a problem if they are raised by a broody hen

 

[ribofilio]

I've hatched a few , they are easy to hatch , just raise them exactly the same as chicks , I had a peahen who was so tame she used to come in the kitchen , a dog couldn't have been any friendlier , the main problem is when they are fully grown , they are big birds and excellent fliers , you need either a very large covered flight , or about an acre of garden with a couple of decent trees for roosting , they will be quite content in the garden apart from March-May when the males might decide to fly around to investigate , but they usually come back home OK.

 

[Lordcluck]

I kept Peafowl for a number of years, and can echo the previous posts,in that theyre easy to hatch and rear, are rather slow growing but they tame easily.
My only problem was with neighbours, I LOVE the Honks and cries of Peacocks, but my neighbours weren't so keen!
I found them quite independently minded. my own were content to stay, but successive broods I hatched under broodies and gave to a friend with acres of space in an Isolated location, just wouldnt stay with him, and all eventually upsticks and relocated miles from their seemingly perfect home!

 

[animartco]

Oh Hi. Baby peafowl are very difficult to raise. They are extremely dependent and need much more TLC than other poultry. It is best to buy them as half grown adults. You will need an aviary until they are sexually mature, and even then when you release them you will need a site that they like. Their primary need is a really good roost either high in a big barn or in an everygreen tree with wide flat branches, ex a cedar or douglas fir or Wellintonian- something of that ilk. If they don't have a roost that is to their liking they are unlikely to stay with you, although it helps if you get them hooked on peanuts. Hope this is helpful.
I notice others say they are easy to raise. Actually I have never tried incubating the eggs. Always let the peahen do her own thing. When I once took a sickly baby off her it was totally inconsolable and I had to give it back! But of course if YOU are the mum it's different, and also if there are a number of hatchlings.