Peafowl Housing Question

[Haunted55]

No,I don't mind at all.I just started that thread becaue I knew it was going to take some time and I was about the only person involved with the labor force,so I could go at my own pace.It's only about 1/3 complete as of now.I will build an identical pen size on the west side of the Palace next spring and I will need to put a new metal roof on the existing corn crib part of the setup.
Some things I will do diffrent on the west side,compared to what was done on the east side.I'm wanting to add Peach,White,Cameo,Violetta,and just a plain pen of Purple B/S,,plus one big pen for loud pieds,I've almost exhausted my supply of metal used around the bottom of each pen so something else maybe needed instead.I started building with the intentions of only making 3 pens,each 10x30,,,but as you read thr the thread overall size was dictated by the sizes available for the top netting.I currently have 7 breeding pens with room for 3 more and the east side will be at full capacity.If you have any questions,just PM me here.It's construction and design is not perfect,there is some things I learned as I built that will be changed on my next attempt on the westside.If you think you need 3 pens,plan to build 6 pens,,it never hurts to have seperate pens for new birds,sick or problem birds to be kept away from others until the issues are resolved.You can build pens cheeper and faster than the way I did.But at present I have 37 breeder birds in these 7 pens,,not counting my charcoals which number 6 altogether but are on a completely concrete based pen-building so nothing can burrow under the fence and get at my valued Charcoals.Next spring I will have another 10 birds of breeding age to add into the already 37 breeder aged birds,,and plan to keep 20-30 chicks from this years hatch,,so expansion is being planned years in advance here.When I initially set up Pea Palace I had plenty of room and still do for these future expansions in population,but if set up wrong I would have really limited my numbers and colors for breeding.Plan ahead,,then plan some more.

I finally got a chance this morning to read all but the last 2 pages of your original post. OMG!!!!!!!!! Oh how I wish. Right now I just have the 5 birds, mother, father and their 3 babies. I know, I know, in a couple of years that equates to, what, 12? Not including any that might follow me home. I mentioned to my husband last night that I thought we should make the building at least 12 x 16' and the look I got.......well, let's say he's not overly enthused. You've got to understand that this guy grew up in Boston and this last year has been the only exposure to raising animals ever. Last summer we raised 2 groups of meat birds, 2 sets of pigs, and chickens. He loved the pigs, chickens...not so much.

 

[Haunted55]

Zaz when you said wire my head old head had a brain malfunction, not thinking. That is what we used for sides. I wish we would of now used it for the top. I just had read that they could break their necks if they got scared, but since have seen it used. I guess I was thinking of FBC's cable.

I'm not sure how cold it gets in Maine. I know you are a lot further north but the ocean tends to keep you warmer doesn't it? In 1996 it got down to -47 degrees F here. Though that is a record if it would get even -30 degrees and mixed with wind I just would feel safer having a place for them to get into.

The heaters you are constructing sound like an awesome idea and sounds like they'd be pretty safe. Some people keep their birds in buildings during breeding season. I just love to watch mine though.

Like I said there is a wealth of info on this sight and links to some helpful sites. Some people have really taken the time to show and give us newbies information. Like FBC said we can learn by others mistakes also. Yes sometimes it is confusing cause not everyone agrees all the time, but you just have to weigh out what you feel is right and what works for you.

I know I sure enjoyed Minxfox's thread and her first year following her bad luck on hatching peachicks. Then it happened to me and I didn't feel so alone. I sure got addicted to these peas, and though I wanted 2-3 of them all my life. I decided to invest in a few more to teach my g-daughters to learn responsibility and maybe have a little income to save for college, while I enjoy them. I think you will find your men folk will enjoy them as much as you do. My son brings everyone to see them. I see my husband sitting in a chair watching them as much as I do and trying to get them to call and display.

Lil Zoo we've had it down to -30 actual temps. for days on end here. Last year the lowest we went was -20 for 4 days in a row. Even though we don't have that everyday, I plan on it and heavily insulated my bird houses. I don't know if it's the same in Iowa this year, but have you noticed the yellow jackets are building high in the trees this year? Some the maples have been shedding red leaves since the middle of July as well. Me thinks we might be in for a bad winter this year. Hope I'm wrong.

Like I said, the heaters look good on paper, they should work but I think the back up of the heated roosts are an awful good idea. Last winter we had a few nights where the heat lamps just couldn't keep the temps above 28 degrees in the chicken house so, I was out there with propane heaters for hours on end. I don't want to repeat that experience. Can you tell I'm a bit of a fruit when it comes to my animals, lol?

You have it right about the people on BYC!!!! Oh yeah, so many times I have saved myself a bunch of work and worry because of these awesome people. And like you with the hatchings, so many times you'll find you really aren't alone no matter how bad your siuation seems to be. I've learned more this year about the bad things that can happen with chickens than I ever wanted to know. But I also learned I'm not the first one to go down this path and maybe I can help someone else because of it.

 

[Haunted55]

here's what my pen looked like. I also want to stress that your peas will not stay on the floor, they will be up as high as they can go and I believe the turkeys will do the same. You will not have problems I believe until breeding season as the male turkeys will start to fight with the peas. Here are some pics, please note the tree is no longer inside the pen. It fell down last October.

Yoda, thank-you so much for the pictures! They help a lot!!! I'm going to go with a 12'x16' building and put up a movable partition in between the turks and peas. This way in the spring I can always cover it over so they can't see each other. It won't cure it all but I'm hoping it might help some. Their outside pen I can make as big as I want or at least what my pocketbook will allow. Since I am home almost all of the time, they will be able to range as soon as they learn this is now home. Now you used netting for the top of your pen? You guys had a lot more snow than we did last year, how did it hold up? Daily clearing? Did your birds have access to the outdoors in the winter? If so did they use it? I have no idea how much cold these guys can safely take. Once we start getting snow, we don't normally lose it until the following spring. It might warm up but not for long enough to get rid of what came down. Is it safe/wise to let them out on frozen/snow covered ground? Should I use shavings or something over the snow so they can access the outside? Sorry, lol, my head never stops for long. So many questions.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Mmmaddie13,,,,when you finish your vet schooling,why not move to the Prairie State here? We own a very.very nice buillding very suitable for a vet clinic at an excellent location in the county,,,and theres acres after acres of flat farmaland with all sorts of available small farmsteads suitable for building anything your checkbook allows.

 

[Yoda]

Yoda, thank-you so much for the pictures! They help a lot!!! I'm going to go with a 12'x16' building and put up a movable partition in between the turks and peas. This way in the spring I can always cover it over so they can't see each other. It won't cure it all but I'm hoping it might help some. Their outside pen I can make as big as I want or at least what my pocketbook will allow. Since I am home almost all of the time, they will be able to range as soon as they learn this is now home. Now you used netting for the top of your pen? You guys had a lot more snow than we did last year, how did it hold up? Daily clearing? Did your birds have access to the outdoors in the winter? If so did they use it? I have no idea how much cold these guys can safely take. Once we start getting snow, we don't normally lose it until the following spring. It might warm up but not for long enough to get rid of what came down. Is it safe/wise to let them out on frozen/snow covered ground? Should I use shavings or something over the snow so they can access the outside? Sorry, lol, my head never stops for long. So many questions.

Yes there is a door between the two windows at the bottom. You cannot see it in the pictures as I took the picture just after wrapping the shed in tar paper. We had to cut the hole in the paper for the door. So yes they can walk in and out of the shed on their own. When it snows and I see it building up on the net, I go out and "snap" the netting (pulling it down a little and letting it snap back up) to knock the snow off it. When it snows all my birds go inside the shed, none are out. Don't know why they do but in the cold weather but none stay outside. They all go in on their own. I rack out the feathers and twigs but I do not clean my pen cause when it rains the water washes everything out of it. My pen is actually slopped. Just be sure that your perches are about 4 inches wide. You want the peas to be able to sit on their toes to keep them warm or they will get frost bite. Mine just go out in the snow and walk around but they have as you can see in the pics all the perches to get off the snow. Be sure you knock any snow off the outside perches so it doesn't turn into ice. That's my advice to you. One more thing, it is a really nice picture to see your birds free ranging, but please keep in mind that doing so comes with a risk. I had a woman ask me for hens because she had some and her males chased them away and she can no longer find them. They have been gone for 3 months already. Between them just leaving as someone posted in another thread to predators grabbing them I perfer to keep mine safe. They to me are a costly bird and I cannot afford to replace them. That is my advice

 

[Lil Zoo]

Yes there is a door between the two windows at the bottom. You cannot see it in the pictures as I took the picture just after wrapping the shed in tar paper. We had to cut the hole in the paper for the door. So yes they can walk in and out of the shed on their own. When it snows and I see it building up on the net, I go out and "snap" the netting (pulling it down a little and letting it snap back up) to knock the snow off it. When it snows all my birds go inside the shed, none are out. Don't know why they do but in the cold weather but none stay outside. They all go in on their own. I rack out the feathers and twigs but I do not clean my pen cause when it rains the water washes everything out of it. My pen is actually slopped. Just be sure that your perches are about 4 inches wide. You want the peas to be able to sit on their toes to keep them warm or they will get frost bite. Mine just go out in the snow and walk around but they have as you can see in the pics all the perches to get off the snow. Be sure you knock any snow off the outside perches so it doesn't turn into ice. That's my advice to you. One more thing, it is a really nice picture to see your birds free ranging, but please keep in mind that doing so comes with a risk. I had a woman ask me for hens because she had some and her males chased them away and she can no longer find them. They have been gone for 3 months already. Between them just leaving as someone posted in another thread to predators grabbing them I perfer to keep mine safe. They to me are a costly bird and I cannot afford to replace them. That is my advice

Awesome Aviary Yoda. As said we all learn by mistakes. I wish I had built mine up with a slope as your right it would help wash away the mess. I know after the mess you probably don't want to talk of the tree but it was beautiful in the pen and a natural shade.

 

[Lil Zoo]

Lil Zoo we've had it down to -30 actual temps. for days on end here. Last year the lowest we went was -20 for 4 days in a row. Even though we don't have that everyday, I plan on it and heavily insulated my bird houses. I don't know if it's the same in Iowa this year, but have you noticed the yellow jackets are building high in the trees this year? Some the maples have been shedding red leaves since the middle of July as well. Me thinks we might be in for a bad winter this year. Hope I'm wrong.

Like I said, the heaters look good on paper, they should work but I think the back up of the heated roosts are an awful good idea. Last winter we had a few nights where the heat lamps just couldn't keep the temps above 28 degrees in the chicken house so, I was out there with propane heaters for hours on end. I don't want to repeat that experience. Can you tell I'm a bit of a fruit when it comes to my animals, lol?

You have it right about the people on BYC!!!! Oh yeah, so many times I have saved myself a bunch of work and worry because of these awesome people. And like you with the hatchings, so many times you'll find you really aren't alone no matter how bad your siuation seems to be. I've learned more this year about the bad things that can happen with chickens than I ever wanted to know. But I also learned I'm not the first one to go down this path and maybe I can help someone else because of it.

Well we had drought and record highs this summer. This week has turned the opposite with they say record nighttime low temps expected. This is Iowa if you don't like the weather one day hang around it can go from one extreme to the other in a flash. We had it good last winter so am expecting to pay for it this one.

 

[Haunted55]

Yes there is a door between the two windows at the bottom. You cannot see it in the pictures as I took the picture just after wrapping the shed in tar paper. We had to cut the hole in the paper for the door. So yes they can walk in and out of the shed on their own. When it snows and I see it building up on the net, I go out and "snap" the netting (pulling it down a little and letting it snap back up) to knock the snow off it. When it snows all my birds go inside the shed, none are out. Don't know why they do but in the cold weather but none stay outside. They all go in on their own. I rack out the feathers and twigs but I do not clean my pen cause when it rains the water washes everything out of it. My pen is actually slopped. Just be sure that your perches are about 4 inches wide. You want the peas to be able to sit on their toes to keep them warm or they will get frost bite. Mine just go out in the snow and walk around but they have as you can see in the pics all the perches to get off the snow. Be sure you knock any snow off the outside perches so it doesn't turn into ice. That's my advice to you. One more thing, it is a really nice picture to see your birds free ranging, but please keep in mind that doing so comes with a risk. I had a woman ask me for hens because she had some and her males chased them away and she can no longer find them. They have been gone for 3 months already. Between them just leaving as someone posted in another thread to predators grabbing them I perfer to keep mine safe. They to me are a costly bird and I cannot afford to replace them. That is my advice

2x4 perches, clear netting and roosts, slopped pen, got it! The only birds here that can run free and only when I am home, are the chickens. Not the turkeys, or ducks and geese and most certainly not the peafowl!!! I am very lucky with having a dog who chases everything away from here. Bear, coyotes, racoons. Chickens have learned that if the dog barks, pay attention! As wonderful as she is, I still do not let the other birds out without me being right there with them.

 

[Haunted55]

Well we had drought and record highs this summer. This week has turned the opposite with they say record nighttime low temps expected. This is Iowa if you don't like the weather one day hang around it can go from one extreme to the other in a flash. We had it good last winter so am expecting to pay for it this one.

I agree! From what I am seeing out here with the wild animals and the bees, I have a feeling winter is coming hard and early this year. The weather we've been having this summer is crazy! If it's not raining, it's so hot and humid you can't move. I believe it was Mark Twain who said if you don't like New England weather, wait a minute.

 

[Ramblin Rooster]

Hello Peafowl Folks! Here is the coop we are converting into a peafowl pen for a peafowl trio this spring/ summer. Pictures make them look smaller. The run is 25 x 10' and aviary netted about 6 feet tall and the inside is 12 x 12 approximately. They will get high perches and larger next boxes. Wondering if the door is big enough? Can cut a bigger one. They will hopefully be free range eventually. Anything I need to know when converting for peafowl? Also wondering if peafowl will wake up the neighbors early in the morning. Barn keeps rooster sounds and quacking ducks and baaing sheep from waking up neighbors and should work for peas as well. I have read India blues aren't the noisiest. Hopefully a small number of peas and lots of distractions will keep them from calling all day long all year long. I am very excited to finally be getting some peafowl.

We have accepted noise is inevitable and if we are able to at least keep them from waking up neighbors at 4 am and not squawking all day long non-stop then we are fine. Thanks for the help!