Can I keep a peahen with my chickens?

[Chiko]

I have been looking into raising 1-2 Peahens for a long time and am seeing some on the local classifieds for cheap. I only had one question, can I keep a peahen with my chickens? I have 5 chickens in a pen that's about 40 feet long. My chickens also get to roam free in my yard and have a big nice secure coop.
I'm interested in getting just one peahen and then getting a mate or another friend for her later.

also, is there any breeders on here that ship just a few peacock eggs for cheap?

 

[erijn5]

I'm not sure about who sells a few chicks, but you might ask deerman on here..he has lots of peacocks..


Yes you can keep your peacocks with your chickens or at least I do. The only thing is I do not let my peacocks free range do to everytime I let them out they never go back in the pen...they roost in the highest tree on the property and I am worried about something gettting them. I do know ppl that let theirs free-range but they also say they get on EVERYTHING.. Just my opinion...But I do house mine together until I get my corn crib and then they will have a castle all to themselves!!

I have been looking into raising 1-2 Peahens for a long time and am seeing some on the local classifieds for cheap. I only had one question, can I keep a peahen with my chickens? I have 5 chickens in a pen that's about 40 feet long. My chickens also get to roam free in my yard and have a big nice secure coop.
I'm interested in getting just one peahen and then getting a mate or another friend for her later.

also, is there any breeders on here that ship just a few peacock eggs for cheap?

 

[Chiko]

Thanks for the response Peahens can't get diseases from chickens right? like turkeys or pheasants?

 

[chicknmania]

Ours free range together. In fact our peahen seems to prefer the company of the chickens over the peacocks. Yes, I'm sure they can probably get diseases from each other. We have not had that problem so far though and we've had peafowl for almost three years. Our peafowl all go back in to the barn with the chickens at night, though they are the last ones in.

 

[chicknmania]

I'm not sure about who sells a few chicks, but you might ask deerman on here..he has lots of peacocks..


Yes you can keep your peacocks with your chickens or at least I do. The only thing is I do not let my peacocks free range do to everytime I let them out they never go back in the pen...they roost in the highest tree on the property and I am worried about something gettting them. I do know ppl that let theirs free-range but they also say they get on EVERYTHING.. Just my opinion...But I do house mine together until I get my corn crib and then they will have a castle all to themselves!!

There's another forum, mainly for peafowl, I think it's called United Peafowl, you can google it. They have a whole section on peafowl breeders.

 

[Chiko]

Thanks guys

 

[PeepsCA]

I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news... but it's recommended by most serious Peafowl breeders that Peafowl should not be housed/penned with chickens, because the chickens can be silent carriers of Blackhead (and other diseases) that they can pass on to the Peafowl...

There are many that do house/pen them together with no problems from any diseases tho... I'm currently pushing my luck with keeping my Peafowl with my Guineas (and I am constantly fretting over it while my new Peafowl coop and pen is still in the works), but I've been lucky, so far. Routine worming, clean sanitary coops/pens, well balanced nutrition and having meds for Blackhead and other poultry diseases on hand definitely helps keep everyone healthy but, it's still risky. I have not lost any of my Peafowl up to this point, and I try to stay positive that I won't, but the paranoia is always there for me and I check my Peas for any signs of anything going on with them frequently (like OCD frequently, lol)...

The sad part is that usually by the time a Peafowl shows symptoms of Blackhead, or by the time the owner finally notices the symptoms and realizes what's going on with the bird... the Peafowl is already on it's way out. Sometimes they don't even show noticeable symptoms and just expire mysteriously. Blackhead knocks them down so fast, it's a horrible nasty disease

 

[chicknmania]

I have heard that too but I think that's true for any avian disease...you are always going to be taking chances and with predators, of course, too, there's always
that risk. So, we are willing to take the cnances, as we are not a serious breeder.