I'm with a heavy heart today - Frankie has been eaten!

[cinders55]

So sorry to hear about Frankie. I know how you feel and how your heart must have sank as you found the feathers. Peas burrow into your heart very quickly. All my best wishes go to you.

 

[Martha C]

All the "pea" community is so thoughtful and greatly appreciated. Even though we never even thought about having a pea, Frankie found us and we quickly fell in love with her. Like the one gentleman said, I'm sure I contributed to her demise because all the attention I gave her, and yes we have a cat and dog (which never bothered her), but made her accustomed to their presence. Over the winter my husband I will give much thought to taking the "pea" plunge in the spring. I just want them (I would have 3 - 4) to be free ranging and I'm understanding that is not in their best interest. I may just have to get over missing Frankie and get on with life without peas.

Again, thank you for your kind thoughts.

 

[zazouse]

Having other animals has nothing to do with Frankies demise

, i know for a fact the peas know what belongs and what does not, i have a weinerer dog my peas are use to him, my daughter lives on this land also but her weiner dogs they rarely
get to come over and only come with my daughter, when they enter the yard all are on allert sand one of them is the sister to mine so they know.
Now if my peas go to her house they do not pay any mind to the weiner dogs but sometimes one of the weiners will give chase to get the peas out of their yard but no one ever is ever at risk of being hurt.

I have been watching peas for 2 years now, every day of the year, i spend alot of time amongst my birds and now them well, peas have great survival skills when allowed to learn from the range i am lucky i can do this with my setup.

 

[DianaMallory]

I read these stories over and over again (And it really gets my peanuts roasting) about how beloved free ranging peas become fodder for wild predators,,,anytime people become more involved with peafowl trying to make them tame-pets,, the bird naturally is less "on guard" about animals in it's surrounding area.Peafowl are basically defensless against any predator at night and if they are accustomed to seeing dogs why would they fear a coyote or fox? A peafowl cannot distinguish quickly enough between a domesticated dog,or a wild coyote until it's too late in many circumstances.And we as humans are directly responsible.
All predatory animals has eyes facing forwards on their heads,,animals not predatory has eyes on the sides of their heads,,this alone thru nature proves Peafowl are "hunted" and not hunters,,,,the laws of nature is stacked against peafowl from the beginning because they are a food source for other animals.
I am sorry for the loss of the peafowl but if you seriously want to keep them you need to provide more than just daily feed and water.Sooner or later a wild unprotected pea will be a dead pea and this is especially true if the peafowl is used to being around people and our domesticated pets such as dogs.They have no natural reason to fear us.
Build a fully enclosed pen giving 100 sq ft per bird and since it's obvious you have predators closeby,bury a barrier around the exterior of the wall fence and put a top net over the enclosure and make extra precautions for hawks,ect that can still swoop down and nab a pea on a perch.Put a sight barrier up around the perimeter wall fence so any predators that casually walk thru your place will not easily see any peafowls sitting on the ground in the pen. Granted unless we build a solid concrete floor and walls,anything with enough hunger-desire-strength can make short work of our secure efforts.But it's hoped that the level of difficulty to gain access to an easy meal slows down or deters preadtors enough to leave well enough alone.

and always lock them in a coop at night! And use hardware cloth not chicken wire! Sorry for you loss I have been there myself! It sounds harsh but if you care that much for your flock you do everything you can to protect them. I will never free range again! I have fox, coyotes,coons, and hawks to worry about.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Zazouse,,I'm not doubting you at all.They will learn what is friend and foe after exposure to other animals but early on I'm sure your peas was reserved somewhat until they knew what they could trust.And we know predators like coyotes and foxes don't just walk right out in the open and mingle with a flock of peas,rather hide and wait,and being pack animals they will hunt in groups.Free ranging peas maybe able to fly up in a tree to get away,if a tree is closeby.Or they maybe able to fly a short distance but a determined coyote will still lend itself to a chase and would win out if there was no trees or in an open area,yes?? Or if 2-3 coyotes were hunting together,yes? We have 1 group of Marans that free range all day long and they too know which German Shepherds they can trust and which ones to hide from.
Casualties can still be catastrophic if a fox or coyote got into a pen at night.Probably a much higher loss than losing a free ranging bird but all we can do is try if we want to keep them around.Everyones surroundings and types of predators is diffrent.We live over a mile from the nearest wooded area and our area is all flat farmland here.Any racoons-coyotes or fox have a long ways to travel out in the open before they could get to our property.We do hear coyotes at nite and it sounds like hundreds of them so I know they are present and I'm sure they can smell the poultry here with a slow breeze headed towards them.And we have Great Horned Owls here too.Great hunters at night and no tree roosting pea would be safe.I know the risks,especially when we have extremely cold and snowy winters making coyotes get on the hungry side makes them much braver to get a meal.Thus,,Pea Palace.

 

[battle drone]

i`m sorry that you lost her. i know what it feels like. i wish you could have her back. -: >

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Trixie,
Please don't fill our lovely forum with non-messages.
(or you'll be flagged/blocked)

 

[kuntrygirl]

I'm so very sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[6littlechickies]

Thanks to all of you who have helped me become a "pea" person in the two months that FRANKIE showed up at my door. I never meant to be a "pea person" but this wonderful bird converted me. It was a crash course in learning how to care properly for her.

I always "tucked" her in at night - went to her tree to make sure she was safely on her roost - and she was last night. However, this morning she was no where to be seen. This has not happened before. She was always anxiously awaiting her morning meal. I removed food when she went to roost so other animals would not be attracted to her feeding site. My heart is broken - as my husband and I walked through the yard we found more and more feathers and finally feathers with flesh. I just don't know how this could have happened. She was so attentive to her surroundings; aways alert. We have spotted fox and coyotes in our area. We knew the danger was there, but were in hopes that Frankie was vermin savvy and could fend for herself.

When to start again, spring? How to keep birds safe? I've heard of a breed of large white dog that you get as a puppy and put in a pen with lambs so that they think they are part of the flock and the dog grows up to protect the sheep. Wonder if I could do the same with pea chicks?

Would appreciate any and all suggestions how to not let this happen again and how you would advise getting started. Is it wrong of me to want only two hens and no males? My neighbors may not appreciate the calls of a male. Frankie only announced once a day as she went to roost.

Thanks you for your support. Frankie is sorely missed.
Martha

Martha

Sorry for your loss. To answer your question about the dog, yes they are Maremma sheepdogs or Great Pyr. Either breed will keep your flock free of coyotes, fox, racoon and such. They can be trained to birds if done so young or you can buy one trained for more $$. They are also dogs that will roam a large area in search of predators. The breeds are natural barkers and will alert at any sign of person or creature. Sometimes it is a little tiresome but works. They will sound off thunderously at hawks too so all the birds go scooting. Where they will be lacking is against owls which if large enough can get one when it is roosting. Look up Livestock Guard Dog on the net and you will get some info.

Also don't fret about being friendly with your free range bird. They are rarely "domesticated" to an extent that compromised instinct. We all care and handle our peas in different ways. Some penned up and some free range. If I could I would free range several. Nothing could be more beautiful. I pen mine for breeding and containment on my property. If you start back and free range, do so with more than one so they can alert one another. Pairing also helps with retaining the birds as they will wander when single.

 

[Martha C]

Thank you for your generous information. I had already looked at one dog (on the net,not in person), a Komondo. Are you aware of anyone who has used them as a guard for peas? I'll look for info on the ones you mention.

I was in hopes I could have 3 -4 hens and not have a male. My perception of the males is they are very vocal. Even though our neighbors and I have 5 acres of wooded land each, I'm not sure they would tolerate the calls of a male. Frankie, my only experience, was a female and only "announced" to us when she went to roost at night. Not a beautiful sound (except to our ears) and didn't last long - we would hurry outside for the experience each evening! Since I'm learning I greatly appreciate all the information offered.

Sincerely, Martha