California - Northern

[chrissyr]

Peafowl, you raise them because you like them.  Of course any eggs are edible and I have a VERY old cookbook that lists roasted peafowl.  Not sure I would eat either though, just because.

Guineas, yes, they eat their eggs and the birds.  You can buy guineas to eat from a butcher, although they'd probably have to order them for you.

our neighbors peafowl migrated to our house. Then hen laid a huge egg in the chicken coop. We cooked it up but , if I remember right, it didn't taste good at all.
The boys are beautiful but they kept attacking their reflection they saw on our cars.

 

[chrissyr]

I've had a hawk take out a half grown turkey, it was quite large already.................so was the hawk.

Wow! That's amazing!
Speaking of turkey: Deb, are you going to sell any around thanksgiving? I think you did that last year right? I'm too late in starting some for thanksgiving

 

[caychris]

I've had a hawk take out a half grown turkey, it was quite large already.................so was the hawk.

I think most hawks are hunger and opportunity driven. Just like most predators they cannot afford to waste lots of energy in their kill. If it is a mother feeding chicks she may very well go after larger prey than she would herself. I'm surprised to hear a hawk actually would enter an enclosed space for prey.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I've had coccidiosis outbreaks in brand new brooders that are in my house, so it does happen.

-Kathy

 

[BCollie]

What causes cross-beak?

 

[debs_flock]

Quote:
I am not an adventurous eater, so for me it would be psychological. I think all bird eggs taste pretty much the same. Here we eat chicken, turkey, duck, goose & quail. The only differences I've noticed, the waterfowl are a little richer tasting to me and the quail have a much higher percentage of yolk to white, so they are quite yummy.

Quote:
I just got out of the turkey business, someone came to buy a breeding pair of slates from me yesterday and ended up leaving with the last six turkeys I had. I even gave them the two eggs that were in the nest from that morning so they could put them in an incubator.

It will be so nice to have my fenced garden area back..................and be able to talk by the poultry without the constant response of *gobble, gobble, gobble*. You literally have to talk between their calls, every sentence would set them off.

Quote:
We had tried moving the turkeys to a large fenced orchard area (to get my garden back). The area was about 50x50 with an 8 ft. tall fence, but no cover (other than fruit trees). First day and they took out the smallest bird, we moved them all back to my garden where they could be locked up.

 

[SpringPeeper]

Ok stupid questions here
1 Why do people raise pea fowl?
2 Do people eat guinea fowl/eggs?

I understand chickens, ducks, turkeys, quail, geese and pheasants but not sure about the above 2 what is the attraction other than the looks or show value.

My dad kept peafowl and I would love to keep them again someday, I just live with neighbors a little too close right now to have that piercing peacock call going on. Dad kept them in part just for looks and novelty, but he also found they worked pretty well as flock protectors in a raptor-heavy area. His favorite peacock, Sidney, was remarkably hawk-savvy and he despised them. He'd alert the other birds, and attack any swooping/landed birds. It was funny to see him and cat-birds sit and bicker with each other as well. They would also drive away cats that took an interest in the plump little chicks.

Guineas I've never kept, but I have seen them recommended for flocks with a lot of snake predation problems. I'd rather have the snakes around, though.

Both types of eggs can be eaten, if you can resist the urge to hatch them.

 

[ronott1]

just two more months then....any thoughts about the sex of the birds?

100.00 a dozen! WOW. I had no idea. and yes I agree. I understand both sides of the to range or not to range debate. It's a tough one.

I have three a bit older than yours and have one pullet and two cockerels. The younger ones are almost three weeks old and it looks like a bunch of pullets.

I may hatch another dozen in a couple of weeks. I need to get my Brooders emptied.

 

[ronott1]

I'm having the same problem, only I use straw. They just hollow out the center and I keep getting cracked eggs. One time though, I had a straw "blanket" (don't know how else to describe it), that goes right on the bottom of the box. Lasted for about a month and a half.
http://www.randallburkey.com/Excelsior-Nest-Pads-12-x-9/productinfo/10221/#.U9e9OfldUWI

I use plastic nest pads and cut them to fit. They last a long time and the eggs do well with them.

McMurray sells them.

 

[ronott1]

I think iT must have been cocci related. Last night I didn't dump out their water. Figured I'd change it in the AM with new corid.
Then There was the slightest poop on the rear this morning. But I just witnessed it poop and it looks really good. I saw diarrhea in there before and was guessing it was this chick.
But what confused me is the brooder was a clean plastic bin. Sterilized from the previous hatch. If it was cocci, I just don't know how it got there.
I had been sprinkling grit like chickee said but I added more than I was before and mixed some in the food too.
These 4 chicks are really tame now. And cute as a button!

You cannot get rid of cocci or mareks by cleaning really well. It is just "at your place".

Some breeds are much less resistant to cocci. Watch this batch very closely--you might have to treat several more times before they reach 18 weeks old or so.