New to Peafowl need advice please

[ChooksinChoppers]

I am thinking of buying a 3 week old white chick someone has for sale nearby. I currently have 1 coop and 10 chickens which free range during daylight hours. Is it ok to just have 1 peacock or should I buy 2? can't really afford 2 though He wants $60 each ... do I have to scramble and build another pen? can it eat chicken food? I have a few days to decide so I am relying on you all to let me know if I have gone crazy or not LOL

 

[chicknmania]

I'm sure there will be all kinds of opinions on this, but here's my two cents. He should be kept separate for the first three weeks, and he will need a pen where he can at least walk around, although if he's just three weeks old, I don't think it needs to be really large. Any new bird you are bringing in should be kept separate from the rest of the flock for three weeks to a month. After that he can free range with the chickens, and he'll be fine to stay with them...but you will have to consider getting a hen for him when he gets to be around a year or two old, because if you don't he's likely to wander. You could get a hen younger than him at that point...they don't become sexually mature until around two years old...and then you wont have to worry about her going broody for awhile but he will still want to stick around to be with her. If you don't want a broody hen I have heard that charcoal peahens don't go broody and they are great...but I have had a problem finding them and I don't know how much they cost either. Or, you could start looking for a hen right now, and then they could mature together. I've found you can usually negotiate the cost, especially for the more common colors like IB's.

 

[chicknmania]

Also, they can eat chicken food, depending on what you're feeding. Ours free range and we feed the whole flock Purina Flock Raiser, mixed with some other grains and sometimes layer. The peas need a little higher protein than chickens do, which I believe the Flock Raiser provides at 17 %, and then they also get protein from free ranging of course.

 

[casportpony]

You should have medications like Corid , Safeguard , metronidazole and Baytril on-hand as peachicks are very suseptable to coccidiosis and blackhead, especially when kept with chickens.

-Kathy

 

[zazouse]

Kathy has given you great advice.
I free range all my birds together and have no problems with illnesses but it does not mean i never will, it just means i haven't yet so i do keep all the meds listed above on hand, just make sure when you purchase it to check the expiration date the longer you can store it the less often you will have to buy it if you do not ever have to use it.

If you are using laying feed i would not feed that to growing peafowl, to much calcium and not enough protein

I purchase my feed at tractor supply and feed my free rangers Flock raiser , it is 20% protein, i feed my babies that are still in the brooder Dumor which is 24% protein unless i am feeding them scrambled eggs then i feed them the flock raiser.

Dumor is made by purina just like flock raiser but it is made exclusively for tractor supply

so you will have to purchase it there unlike flock raiser which can be purchase at any retailer that wants to carry it.

Peafowl mature at 3 years of age, i believe the greens take a bit longer however I have hens here that have mated with my alpha male and layed a couple fertile eggs which i did hatch out this year, i have males here that got a train at 16 months and 2.5 year olds with a train like a 3 year old , so how long it takes them to look mature will depend on the peafowl and their genes.


If i were you i would scramble and build a pen, for one thing new fowl should always be quarantined as stress can cause a hidden illness to crop up exposing you established flocks to illness , plus they could be harboring bugs and worms.

Most folks on here recommend keeping them by themselves in a pen off the ground for their first 4 months of life as they are susceptible to lots of things chickens can live with this gives them time to build up an immunity.

 

[casportpony]

Have you considered looking for a couple of India Blue chicks instead of white, they woul be less expensive.

-Kathy

 

[zazouse]

Wished ya lived closer i could let you have 3 whites for 75 dollars, but like Kathy posted you may be able to get blues cheaper unless all peafowl babies are that expensive over there.

 

[Peafowlssssssss]

Its better to get two, the chick will need some company, i would suggest to wait more before you get some peachicks until you get ready for them, peachicks has more needs than chicken chicks.

 

[chicknmania]

Last time I looked, Flock Raiser was not 20 % protein. I believe it is actually 18 %. Chick Starter is 17 %. I just looked at this the other day, so I'm sure.
Game Bird food is 20 %, but I think that is too high for chickens. You could feed it exclusively to the peafowl.

See I told you everyone would be jumping on the bandwagon to give you advice.

Q8peafowl is right though...peafowl are a lot more work and worry. If I had to do it over again,I'd think twice before getting them...though I love our birds and they are a lot of fun and entertainment, not only for us, but the entire neighborhood enjoys them!

They also more than pay for their food, so much more than the chickens do...because we sell their feathers, and people are happy to buy them.

 

[zazouse]

I know it is 20% i use it every day not just looked at it, startena game bird is 30%
I am not jumping on the band wagon i am giving accurate advice and info there is a difference