Getting Peacocks, Looking To Buy!?

[Beastonnn]

Hey! So my family and I currently have 11 chickens ( 6 leghorn, 5 Rhode Island Reds ) and are looking to order 12 Easter Eggers, 5 Black Jersey Giants, and 1 more Rhode Island Red. Now, we are also instrested in getting 2 Peacocks, not peafowl, so they will both be males. We have talked to many people and heard they can live wih Chickens and eat chicken feed and will basically live like the chickens. Will we need to do anything different? We are also looking for unique breeds, to get two different breeds. So anyone else willing to sell chicks soon would be great! They would also be needed to be shipped to us. Thanks in advance!

 

[KsKingBee]

And WHERE would we be shipping to?

 

[Beastonnn]

And WHERE would we be shipping to?

You would be shipping to Wisconsin. I know many people who hear them here so don't worry about the cold.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

You would be shipping to Wisconsin. I know many people who hear them here so don't worry about the cold.

Not sure what you are saying? Do you know many people who have them, if so can't they sell you some chicks?

The members here who seem to be in WI are @MeepBeep and @nevsma ; you might contact them directly.
Also, peas often pop up on local craigslists...

Many peapeople keep chickens as well and will likely be able to help you on that topic.
The question of peas + chickens often arises, you could also do a search about to find some answers.

 

[Garden Peas]

You would be shipping to Wisconsin. I know many people who hear them here so don't worry about the cold.

Worrying about the cold is relevant... Do you have the housing issues worked out yet?

Peas are fairly hardy, but frost-bitten toes are forever

 

[Beastonnn]

Not sure what you are saying? Do you know many people who have them, if so can't they sell you some chicks?

The members here who seem to be in WI are @MeepBeep
and @nevsma
; you might contact them directly.
Also, peas often pop up on local craigslists...

Many peapeople keep chickens as well and will likely be able to help you on that topic.
The question of peas + chickens often arises, you could also do a search about to find some answers.

The people I know either don't breed or no longer have their peas.

 

[Beastonnn]

Worrying about the cold is relevant...  Do you have the housing issues worked out yet?

Peas are fairly hardy, but frost-bitten toes are forever 

yes we do. They would be in the chicken coop along withy he chickens which is very spacious and we have 3 heat lamps along with a heater in the ceiling and fan as well.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

yes we do. They would be in the chicken coop along withy he chickens which is very spacious and we have 3 heat lamps along with a heater in the ceiling and fan as well.

Just to be sure, you know that peas need at least 100 square feet per bird?

I'm sure you won't have trouble finding birds. I wonder if you have looked at the UPA breeder directory?
http://www.unitedpeafowlassociation.org/USbreeders1.html
It might give you some pointers on who to contact that isn't too far from you.

 

[Garden Peas]

yes we do. They would be in the chicken coop along withy he chickens which is very spacious and we have 3 heat lamps along with a heater in the ceiling and fan as well.

What does "very spacious" mean? And do you plan to free range your birds in the daytime, or do you have a large pen either built or planned?

Peas require quite a bit more space than chickens... very unhealthy for them to be in too small a space.

 

[nevsma]

I keep my penned peas (4 or 5 peafowl per pen) in a 16'x24' pen with and attached 8'x8' shelter. I do not provide insulation or any supplemental heating to the shelter. Just a water heater to keep the water from freezing. The only thing that i worry about is frostbite on their toes, but as along as you have a 2x4 or 2x6 laid on its side, their toes are kept covered and will not freeze. Through my 20 years of keeping peafowl in Wisconsin, I found the cold rarely affects them (I do not have Java greens, as they do need heat.) They choose to stay in the shelter on windy days, but any time there is sun, they will be outside, even if it is below zero. They always choose to sleep outside, in fact, there has been more than one occasion when they wake up with inches of snow on their backs. It doesn't faze them one bit. But, again, if it is windy, they choose to roost inside.

I let two males free range in the summer along with my chickens. The peacocks never interact with each other or the chickens. The peacocks stay in their own "territories". I do not free range the peahens, as I feel the males will tend to not wander as far with the females penned up. They refuse to go in the chicken coop with my chickens at night, the peacocks each perch in separate trees about 40' up in the air. In the fall, after breeding season, the males do wander more, so I lock them up with the peahens and other peacocks for safety and protection during the winter.