Can Blue India Peafowl be Raised in The North , Rhode Island ?

[Birddogs1964]

I have access to 400 acres , and I would like to know if Blue India Peafowl can be raised as far North as Rhode Island ? It can get down to the twenties sometimes and then there is the snow to deal with . Can They be raised here or No ? Thank You in Advance .

 

[frenchblackcopper]

It gets down to the teens and sometime much lower with wind chills below zero in Illinois,and IB does well here as long as they have shelter

 

[Birddogs1964]

What kind of shelter is required ? There's an old Horse Barn that they could have access to but I wanted them to free range . I am sure if raised there they would stick to the " Farm ," with the available food sources and such , and my supplimenting them . I am trying to get the info I need to make a decision one way or the other . Thanks Again .
Rebecca

 

[frenchblackcopper]

My concern here is frostbite so cutting wind driven snow during super cold temps is my main concern.Anyplace they can get off the ground on a 2"x6" board laid flat so their toes can still be under their bodies is what I'm constructing now at Pea Palace for winter shelter.Draftproof and off the ground is my goal here

 

[Haunted55]

What kind of shelter is required ? There's an old Horse Barn that they could have access to but I wanted them to free range . I am sure if raised there they would stick to the " Farm ," with the available food sources and such , and my supplimenting them . I am trying to get the info I need to make a decision one way or the other . Thanks Again .
Rebecca

Look at FBC's 'Building of Pea Palace' and see what he has done and is still doing. The man is a wealth of practical and useful info.

I live in Maine and just got my first peas this summer. The people I bought them from let them free range last winter, with no shelter. When it started getting cold, I noticed the male was acting as if he was in pain and having problems with his feet. The female as well but not as severe. After checking things out and talking to the last owner, I found that the poor things had gotten frostbite last winter. If you've never had it, you cannot understand how much it hurts anytime you get cold afterwards. So now, beyond the norm, I have 2 special needs peafowl.

The house I am building for them and my heritage turkeys, is fully insulated with OSB interior walls. I will be putting in the 2x6 roosts and a heated roost as well, to help with the adults aching feet. They need care, no two ways about it. In the Spring they will have a 12 x 35' outside pen available to them. This will be toataly enclosed with welded wire fencing, bird netting over the top, [again, look at Building of Pea Palace] and the whole will be surrounded by 4 strand electric fence as well. They will be allowed out to free range when I am there to watch them and only then, as I live in an area that is predator heavy. Usually, your weather isn't as bad as what we get here. It's more raw as you're closer to the water but the wind does cut through. Drafts kill birds. In my opinion, your birds would need a place to get into that will not have the NE or NW winds blowing into it. A place they can have a roost 5-6' off the ground and available unfrozen water 24/7 as well as feed. They should never be left to forage for themselves especialy this time of year and they need to be protected from predators. Dogs, coyotes, hawks, owls and sad to say, people.