Looking to add peafowl in the spring

[Sunny Dawn]

Hey everyone - need all the information you can lay on me. My daughter who is a college freshman has been nuts over peafowl for as long as I can remember. My husband and I have finally decided to gift her a pair for her birthday next May.....we have chickens but know absolutely nothing about peafowl. Including shelter, feed etc. Also - besides being amazingly beautiful eye candy for the yard is there any other benefits to owning them? Also - we own 20 acres but our house is only 100' from the road....the coop is about an acre from the road and we do plan on placing the peafowl about the same distance. Do we need to worry about them getting hit by passing cars?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello,
For starters, why don't you take a look at this recent thread?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/718459/how-far-from-the-road-is-safe-to-free-range

I've been told that this is boring, but FYI, there are lots of answers in the stickies:

"Sticky" Threads for the "Peafowl" forum:

• Peafowl - "Sticky" topics index

 

[frenchblackcopper]

You realize you will be looking at buying 1 year old birds if your wanting them in May? Peas normally start laying eggs in late April-early May and it takes 26 days to get them to materialize into a peachick.Males are the "eye candy" as hens are somewhat drab,and it takes 2-manytimes 3 years before their tail-train is of picture taking length-beauty.
Loose,free ranging peas are a quick meal for predators.If you have coyotes,hawks,racoons,peas needs a pen and a small building to get into for shelter.You live in Pa and I know your winter weather can be as wierd as Illinois.
Since your wanting "eye candy" this says you will need to buy a pair that is at least coming of 2 years old in the spring of 2013.Peas that aren't born and raised on your place will not stay there and cannot be turned loose right away,they need to become acclimated to your farm and to do this,they need confined for several months. Otherwise if you get them home and turn them loose,plan on saying "adios" to them because they will be gone and probably for good.

 

[Sunny Dawn]

You realize you will be looking at buying 1 year old birds if your wanting them in May? Peas normally start laying eggs in late April-early May and it takes 26 days to get them to materialize into a peachick.Males are the "eye candy" as hens are somewhat drab,and it takes 2-manytimes 3 years before their tail-train is of picture taking length-beauty.
Loose,free ranging peas are a quick meal for predators.If you have coyotes,hawks,racoons,peas needs a pen and a small building to get into for shelter.You live in Pa and I know your winter weather can be as wierd as Illinois.
Since your wanting "eye candy" this says you will need to buy a pair that is at least coming of 2 years old in the spring of 2013.Peas that aren't born and raised on your place will not stay there and cannot be turned loose right away,they need to become acclimated to your farm and to do this,they need confined for several months. Otherwise if you get them home and turn them loose,plan on saying "adios" to them because they will be gone and probably for good.

I am not looking for eye candy. I apologize for not being clear - I am asking about the benefits OTHER than eye candy for having peafowl ie bug catchers, good watch "birds" etc....but I appreciate your information. I am looking for the youngest possible and if that requires waiting till June July that is not an issue.

 

[furbabymum]

I am not looking for eye candy. I apologize for not being clear - I am asking about the benefits OTHER than eye candy for having peafowl ie bug catchers, good watch "birds" etc....but I appreciate your information. I am looking for the youngest possible and if that requires waiting till June July that is not an issue.

I'm new to peafowl. I purchased mine when they were 8 weeks. I've heard they can prevent some predators from ransacking the coop but mine are too young to do that as of yet. They choke on everything if mine are anything to go by. But, even though they are young they are pretty. I'm able to tell boy from girl now as the boys are getting beautiful blue coloring on their heads and neck and the girls are still just green. Anyway, I'd consider them more of a pet kind of poultry unless you planned on breeding and selling. I just like watching them flutter about the barn. Very majestic!

P.S. I'm sure the other threads will have more info on distance from the road but I was recently driving on the highway and a peacock was right in the ditch. Mine have flown some amazing distances and they're extremely young. Farther you can put them the better imo!

 

[acmetnt23]

As long as you keep them fed and maybe put up a little fence to discourage them then they will stay close.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

It sounds like whatever you are doing works for you, acmetnt, but most peapeople here will tell you that it's just not that easy to control where your peas go.
It certainly takes more than a little fence to keep them from straying.
Zazouse is an excellent example - as she says, she has 100 acres (and obviously keeps the peas well fed!) and still has to keep an eye on her gang all the time to keep them from getting in trouble (a devoted peamom!).

 

[elsfieldchickens]

i have a white 1

 

[zazouse]

i have a white 1

WOW what a beauty!! thank you for sharing.

I finely have a white male i think i have 7 whites 6 are girls.

 

[elsfieldchickens]

whites are so pretty