Peafowl Question

[Hobbley_Farm]

Are peafowl eggs any harder to incubate? Is the mortality rate high? i'm trying to figure out why they command such a high price. Looking online they want hundreds for a pair of mating peafowl. I'm wondering if the huge investment is worth it. I would feel sick if I lost them ($$$$). I love to look at them but BOY are they pricey!

 

[Tn Gamebirds]

I dont think they are much harder to hatch than chickens. And if you will feed the gamebird or turkey starter they are not hard to raise. But thats just my experince with them.

As far as the being pricey. One reasons is it takes three years to get them to breeding age. Sometimes a two year old pair will breed and the eggs be fertile. But for the most part you count on three yrs.

You might want to check around on the prices. I dont know what you kind of prices you are talking about when you say the are pricey but some people are higher than others. And location and breed has a lot to do with the price too.
Good luck in what you decide

 

[Kev]

Yes the "3 year wait" for them to mature is a factor. So is the fact they are seasonal layers & lay an egg only every other day and frequently take breaks in between clutches. A peahen allowed to go broody naturally will go broody on 6-8 eggs at the most.. all of which creates a more limited supply.

A great many people have difficulty getting very good hatch rates on peafowl eggs, they ARE harder to successfully incubate than chicken eggs.

IMO due to this and other reasons, their price tag isn't really pricey. Sure, some are overcharging but even at 'reasonable prices', there just isn't overall that much profit after factoring in the age, total number of eggs etc.

One good thing is, at least for me, peafowl eat very little feed. Food lasts 2x longer in a pen of peafowl than in a pen of standard size chickens of the same number.

Seeing them around the yard is priceless though!