Peafowl chicks wanted

[JestersEye]

My 14-year-old son would like to try his hand at raising peafowl for the local 4-H. He is currently a member of the Livestock and Poultry club. We are looking to find two or three chicks (one cock with one or two hens) to start out. We live in southern New Jersey. My son and I really like the look of the Java Green, because that's his favorite color and because the females are so beautiful as well. If we can't find any of them, then he would like to breed Emeralds (which I understand to be a hybrid cross between the Java Green and India Blue, but do not breed true) as the next best alternative. Is there anyone out there who can help us get started or lead us in the right direction?

 

[Kev]

Are you aware that the pure Greens have a reputation for not being very cold hardy and usually needing heated or insulated pens in cold winter areas? They are also slightly harder to handle than Indias, and far more pricier so don't pass up on Indians & their various color mutations as they are very good birds for beginners.

Emeralds are supposed to tolerate cold a bit better. While they don't exactly breed true, two emeralds tend to produce a lot of chicks that more or less look like their parents.. unless the parents are not exactly high percentage green in reality(I do see a lot of pictures of "emeralds" that don't look high % to me) then they can throw a wider range of looks including more India- like.

The UPA- United Peafowl association is a pretty good place to start.. their website also has a breeder listing by state and also their own forum..

 

[the1much]

and they live up to 80 years old

 

[hatchcrazzzy]

javas are mean i have india blues and they are friendly

 

[JestersEye]

Hmmm, we aren't opposed to getting a pair of India Blue chicks to raise and show then. From what I've read, they do seem to be the variety of choice, particularly for beginners. Do Blues breed true or will other color varieties show up in the offspring?

 

[the1much]

ya india blues are easy,,,we have 2,,,we just got them a month ago,, and they were'nt "used" to people,,,,,i can almost touch them now,,,and they've only attacked me 3 times ,,hehe

just kidding,,,,they are really nice,, and each has their own "attitude" ,, but we have more of a problem with them being scared of us then anything else.

 

[JestersEye]

Indies seem like the way to go then. I am having trouble finding breeders in my area, though. In fact, I'm even having a hard time finding available stock through online hatcheries; probably because it is kinda late in the breeding season, huh? We can't afford to start off with grown birds since they sell for such high prices. We figured we'd get a few young chicks and raise them up ourselves. If anyone knows where I can look for 1 male and 1 or 2 female chicks, please let me know. I appreciate the help and advice from everyone. Thanks!

 

[JestersEye]

Hi, again...

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been lucky enough to find a couple of peafowl breeders relatively close to my area, and am in the process of purchasing 6 peachicks, at a fabulous price. In fact, we will be picking them up tomorrow afternoon.

We really only wanted one BS cock, one BS hen, and one IB hen. That way, we will be able to breed for both the BS and IB color varieties. We are taking 4 BS and 2 IB chicks, in order to increase our chances of ending up with the color/sex combinations we're hoping for. Whatever happens, we plan to sell 3 of them as yearlings next summer.

I'll post some pics once the babies have arrived. Thanks to everyone who offered info and advice on our 'grand scheme'!

 

[deerman]

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