Show off your Peas!

[dheltzel]

I have 2 IBs and 2 whites can they survive in the Michigan winter without heat...both sets have shelter but roost outside are they gunna be fine

Last winter my peas insisted on roosting out in the cold until I took down all the outside roosts and put a light inside the shelter. I just did that again last night for this winter. My peas may not be as bright as others or something, but I'm certain if I had not done that I would have lost them all.

I hooked up the heated water dish inside the shleter also last night. Love those things . . .

 

[MinxFox]

If given the choice, even in a cold winter storm peafowl will roost outside instead of inside their shelter. They may even stay in the shelter all day to escape the weather, but come night they will head outside to roost on their outside perches. I am making a new pen for some less cold hardy birds and decided not to have outside roosts at all. The only choice for them is to roost under a shelter. One person told me if you turn a dim light on in their shelter at night, they will roost in there instead of outside. I guess they roost wherever they see more light. I don't have electricity to my pens so I can't test that. Some people close theirs in a shelter for the night, etc.

 

[dheltzel]

I don't have electricity to my pens so I can't test that.

I do have electricity to the shelter and it made a dramatic difference when I added a "night light". I'm buying a 10 watt waterproof LED light (from Amazon) for $10 to upgrade the CFL bulb that is in there now. CFL's are cheaper but don't like cold weather. LED's seem to run best in very cold temps.

 

[birdman55]

I put a small light in the shelter and they still stay out at night...most of the day to they are outside....the feed and heated water are inside the coop

 

[dheltzel]

I put a small light in the shelter and they still stay out at night...most of the day to they are outside....the feed and heated water are inside the coop

Where are the roosts? I had to remove every single roosting place from the run before they would agree to sleep inside, even with the light. Without the light, I think they'd sit on the ground outside.

 

[Shay1Bear]

I have been reading and I have a couple of questions myself about peas and the cold weather that has yet to come. I live in Konawa Oklahoma origanlly from Utah where it snows like crazy and this will be our first winter here in ok. I have heard that if your Peas dont have a roost that is wide enuf for their feet to sit flat on that they will get frost bite and their toes will fall off

this sounds absolutely horrible!!!! My peas are stubborn and we incorporated a tree into our 40' 40' coop and the branches are narrow and my IB pair wont roost anywhere else! Any ideas or advise?

 

[KsKingBee]

Wrap it with old carpeting until the diameter gets to about four inches. Be sure to tack it down so it does not turn on the branch.

 

[Garden Peas]

Wrap it with old carpeting until the diameter gets to about four inches. Be sure to tack it down so it does not turn on the branch.

Also, keep the tacks/staples or whatever metal you are using away from where they could encounter pea toes, and make sure that you don't leave frayed yarn or loops that can get caught in pea toes, pick up all the stray scraps and yarn bits so they don't get eaten by peas out of curiousity.

And finally, if that tree is still alive, take the carpet off next spring and put it back next fall, since anything encircling a branch or trunk will eventually kill the branch or the tree.

 

[Garden Peas]

Or maybe you could build them a treehouse??

 

[AnimalsRmyLife]

Or maybe you could build them a treehouse??