how to find peafowl for purchase

[cracked_egg]

Ok, this seems like an obvious question, but how do you find people that breed them in your area?

I guess the big issue for me seems to be the price... Are they all that expensive or are they out there for a more reasonable price? I guess since I'm rather new to any sort of bird that 40 bucks (with a min order of 8) for a day old critter seems like a lot.... Now maybe it isn't?

I've been quoted 100 for a year old pair, but I have no clue if that is a good price or not.

 

[texascowboy1979]

what type of peafowl we talking...

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Here is one place to look, The UPA has a breeder list by state, craigslist, local sale paper, ask around at a feed mill if you have one. Any local livestock auctions in your area? You can always get a deal at an auction but it's buyer beware alot of times.

On the price it varies, some colors the breeder has years of breeding invested and they aren't going to give them away cheap. I think it was Deerman said that he has 8 - 10 years of breeding in some? We sell India Blues starting at $25 a chick as a week olds and it goes up from there. This year I can't hatch them out fast enough everybody wants them for some reason.

Steve

 

[Kev]

Plus peafowl are slow to mature, and are highly seasonal layers, unlike chickens.. which mature very young and lay almost whole year.. chickens can start at 5-months.... peafowl can start at 2 YEARS.. and most 2 year old girls lay few eggs(20 eggs tops).. fully mature at 3 years.. hens lay only during few months of spring/early summer.. lay one egg every 2 days, often with a week or so breaks in between 'clutches'....

On top of it, peafowl eggs are more of a challenge to incubate.. so are the very young peachicks. Chicken eggs and chicks are hard to kill compared to them.

Plus, peafowl need much, much larger pens(10 x 30 minimum for a trio of breeders).. that means more $$ building their pens, especially if one wants several colors or wants to do several of a particular color.. also means much less room available for number of total birds.

All of this and more adds up to breeding progress being much slower than chickens. Chickens are just so "easy and cheap" it is unfair to compare them to keeping peafowl, price wise. Also, it's not just the cost.. it's also the investment in TIME- the 2-3 years it takes for peafowl to mature enough to breed..

100 for year old pair is about average price.. can find some blues for less than that but often it is just someone wanting to get rid of them.. Year old birds are good starter peafowl for newbies, as they are past the 'fragile stage'(before 3 months old) yet not too old to let loose if that is your goal.

 

[lorad]

Another suggestion would be to watch Craigs List in your area. I found someone about 2 hours away selling 2 yearling peahens- and I actually traded a quad of purebred chickens for them! A steal for me- and he wanted to decrease his hen numbers and limit inbreeding (father to daughter). I'll be keeping a eye on Craig's List- never know what you will find!