Show off your Peas!

[dheltzel]

It probably is because they are coming from free-range peafowl. Free-range peafowl probably do have good genetics since the strongest survive and in a penned setting usually even the runts survive and get to breed.

Yes yearling peafowl usually look like the above photo that Birdrain92 posted.

Also, the peahen looks to be an India Blue but 2 of the peacocks are blackshoulders and one looks like it might be split to blackshoulder.

I think they are all from the same hen (unless another hen was sneaking eggs into the mother's nest) and one that died was definitely a BS hen

So, I think both hens may be split for BS. The one in the pic has some white on her breast, the other is classic IB colors. All the cocks look very similar, we can only tell them apart by the slightly varying amounts of white on their wings.

Which cock do you think is only split for BS? I thought BS was a lack of barring. The cocks all have white markings on their wings, is that typical for BS?
I can do better with pics sometime, I was intending to take turkey pics, but the peas looked so good I snapped a few of them too, but from outside the run.

 

[MinxFox]

Here is a photo of an adult blackshoulder peacock who no longer has white on him. This is a local breeder's peacock as I only have a blackshoulder peahen and no blackshoulder peacock.

 

[nate1the1great1]

Here is a photo of an adult blackshoulder peacock who no longer has white on him. This is a local breeder's peacock as I only have a blackshoulder peahen and no blackshoulder peacock.

Gorgeous my Indian blue has light green like that at his neck starting down his neck looks like eyeballs

 

[margaret8]

It probably is because they are coming from free-range peafowl. Free-range peafowl probably do have good genetics since the strongest survive and in a penned setting usually even the runts survive and get to breed.

Yes yearling peafowl usually look like the above photo that Birdrain92 posted.

Also, the peahen looks to be an India Blue but 2 of the peacocks are blackshoulders and one looks like it might be split to blackshoulder.

Yes they look BS to me too. Mine is BS

 

[zazouse]

Some new pics of our yearling peas . . .

Beautiful peas, looks like you are gonna need more hens

 

[PavoFowl]

Hello All! I've been dying to write about my peas, and have a little spot of time open! For all of my lovely friends here who have helped me, ya'll know I'm taking my first 15 hours of college and it's crazy! I have so many things to talk about!

I must have the WEIRDEST Peas ever! I currently have a dilemma on getting them to try new snacks..

They love my fingers. As in, want to devour them. No joke, they latch onto my finger and hold on tight. I think I started this habit with them as chicks, because I was always holding them... They also have decided that nothing is worth trying if it doesn't come off my fingers. Problem - They can't decide if they want to try what is in my hand or tear my fingers off!
The only thing they really seem to enjoy eating is grass that I've been picking for them since they were little chicks. They also love watermelon. They will pick it clean until the rind is white. I also tried dried meal worms, they weren't too pleased. I don't blame them. Otherwise, we haven't really tried much.. I was afraid they'd choke or get sick. I didn't know there were so many snacks you could give them, either.

I've been doing some research on Pea nutrition, (which is pretty hard to come by.) I've been making my way through Resolution's thread, taking notes as I go. This past weekend I offered Boston leaf lettuce, and Spring Mix. They were kinda uninterested. Today, I offered celery tops, kale, and a banana. Toaster is always the first one to try something, and he demands to be hand fed.. Spoiled, much? He took the celery out of my hand and spit it out right there ... I tried the kale next. He took it and dropped it. Then, one of the hens snatched it and ran, suddenly it was a game! Then they all wanted a piece! I don't think anyone ate it, but everyone had it in their mouth! Next I try the banana. Toaster gets really excited and starts making these happy little sounds, and I start laughing and try to mimic it. Whoops! They all FREAK OUT and suddenly my peachicks become meerkats! They all run away, stand up as straight and tall as they can, and puff up their neck feathers like crazy, and start looking around. After that, they wouldn't come to me OR the banana.... I give them their nasty-old bag food and they dive in.... *sigh*

It seems my peas are not "foodies".. The watermelon wasn't a smash hit right off the bat, so hopefully they develop a taste for the other snacks too. Does anyone else have super picky eaters?

 

[casportpony]

Mine like crickets, mealworms, cooked rice, cherry tomatoes, kale, swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, alfalfa hay, pomegranate and strawberries.

-Kathy

 

[DylansMom]

Hello All! I've been dying to write about my peas, and have a little spot of time open! For all of my lovely friends here who have helped me, ya'll know I'm taking my first 15 hours of college and it's crazy! I have so many things to talk about!

I must have the WEIRDEST Peas ever! I currently have a dilemma on getting them to try new snacks..

They love my fingers. As in, want to devour them. No joke, they latch onto my finger and hold on tight. I think I started this habit with them as chicks, because I was always holding them... They also have decided that nothing is worth trying if it doesn't come off my fingers. Problem - They can't decide if they want to try what is in my hand or tear my fingers off!
The only thing they really seem to enjoy eating is grass that I've been picking for them since they were little chicks. They also love watermelon. They will pick it clean until the rind is white. I also tried dried meal worms, they weren't too pleased. I don't blame them. Otherwise, we haven't really tried much.. I was afraid they'd choke or get sick. I didn't know there were so many snacks you could give them, either.

I've been doing some research on Pea nutrition, (which is pretty hard to come by.) I've been making my way through Resolution's thread, taking notes as I go. This past weekend I offered Boston leaf lettuce, and Spring Mix. They were kinda uninterested. Today, I offered celery tops, kale, and a banana. Toaster is always the first one to try something, and he demands to be hand fed.. Spoiled, much? He took the celery out of my hand and spit it out right there ... I tried the kale next. He took it and dropped it. Then, one of the hens snatched it and ran, suddenly it was a game! Then they all wanted a piece! I don't think anyone ate it, but everyone had it in their mouth! Next I try the banana. Toaster gets really excited and starts making these happy little sounds, and I start laughing and try to mimic it. Whoops! They all FREAK OUT and suddenly my peachicks become meerkats! They all run away, stand up as straight and tall as they can, and puff up their neck feathers like crazy, and start looking around. After that, they wouldn't come to me OR the banana.... I give them their nasty-old bag food and they dive in.... *sigh*

It seems my peas are not "foodies".. The watermelon wasn't a smash hit right off the bat, so hopefully they develop a taste for the other snacks too. Does anyone else have super picky eaters?

I don't usually do a lot of snacks/treats when they are young either. I like to make sure they are getting filled up on that amprollium medicated starter!

Once they are 12 weeks I will start introducing more cat food, greens, seeds and nuts, fruits and veggies. Just like my 9 yr. old son the veggies are not a big hit. They eventually realize that "Variety is the Spice of Life" and start tearing up the extras, then that old bag food lasts a lot longer than anything else. This year I grew kale in the garden and chopped it up for the chicks in the wire bottom pen, they had no access to grass back then so they wolfed the kale down, now they won't touch it.

 

[Birdrain92]

Each of my peafowl have their own favorite.

Marshmallow loves fresh corn!

Colbolt loves tomatoes!

Sage loves peaches!

Thora likes Peppers, the spicier the better for her!

 

[dheltzel]

Beautiful peas, looks like you are gonna need more hens

2 hens is plenty for our space. It's 24 x 24, with a small shelter for winter roosting and to keep the feed dry. That's 576 SF, just barely adequate for the 5 we have now.

A friend wants to buy one of the males, but my niece won't part with any of them. I figure I can divide the pen to separate 2 pairs and either sell or free range the 3rd cock if things get bad in breeding season. What if I put a trio in one part of the pen and the 2 bachelors in the second part, would that work better than 2 pairs and an odd man out?