Show off your Peas!

[AnimalsRmyLife]

Unfortunately, no. This was quite a few years ago and we didn't even own an incubator at the time. None of the other peahens were broody, so there was nothing I could do for the eggs.

I had lost peas to foxes before and this was just a last straw moment for me, I will not free range any hens from April thru August now. Hens are very hard to come by around here and I now understand why.

I'm sorry. I wish you the best of luck with all your current and future peas!!

 

[zazouse]

First night they went up the road then they went to a large wooded area across the road . There we chased then for 3 hours! They showed up at their pen 3 days later

Never ever chase the peas, they will only get farther away, you got to get behind them and cut them off anytime they are not headed home, . hopefully the last will come home, have you posted any Pea missing flayers like at the feed store or your local grocery store if they have a bulletin board?

 

[margaret8]

Never ever chase the peas, they will only get farther away, you got to get behind them and cut them off anytime they are not headed home, . hopefully the last will come home, have you posted any Pea missing flayers like at the feed store or your local grocery store if they have a bulletin board?

We really didn't chase them we walked behind them but then they decided to go in another direction! We kept that up for about 3 hours. They headed for the briars, and we were tired out.

 

[zazouse]

The peas think it is much fun to run the gauntlet while i am on the tractor, they jump on it while it is moving run under the front end loaded and around the back of the tractor all while it is moving, i can't believe i have not squished one yet.

 

[margaret8]

The peas think it is much fun to run the gauntlet while i am on the tractor, they jump on it while it is moving run under the front end loaded and around the back of the tractor all while it is moving, i can't believe i have not squished one yet.

I wish I could let mine out like that! But, we know what happens when I do!

 

[DylansMom]

I wish I could let mine out like that! But, we know what happens when I do!

If you have a lot of patience, I think you will eventually be able to let them free range. You have to admit that Zaz has what may be the perfect environment for free ranging Peacocks, most of the rest of us do not. She can turn her's loose and expect things to go smoothly. I for one have neighbors who are too close and I have no dogs who will protect my birds. I had fewer neighbors a long time ago when I first got Peas, so I did free range them and I lost a lot of them to predators and mother nature. That is the main reason they are penned now and the ones who are trustworthy get to take turns free ranging during daytime only. I do not free range any that are under 2-3 years of age, it has been my experience that with maturity comes a certain calmness not found in juveniles. Plus they have had that much more time to see this place as "Home" and home is where the hens are!

Once they are mature and I think they are calming down I will start letting them out in groups of 2 or 3, I have too many mature males to ever let them all out at once, too much fighting for me. How you choose to approach the free ranging is your decision, just realize that you can't expect it to go exactly as it does for Zaz, or exactly as it does for me. Every place is different and the Peas are all different, Mine all have very different temperments and I have a couple that will probably never be allowed to free range because they are just too nervous and high strung.

 

[margaret8]

If you have a lot of patience, I think you will eventually be able to let them free range. You have to admit that Zaz has what may be the perfect environment for free ranging Peacocks, most of the rest of us do not. She can turn her's loose and expect things to go smoothly.  I for one have neighbors who are too close and I have no dogs who will protect my birds. I had fewer neighbors a long time ago when I first got Peas, so I did free range them and I lost a lot of them to predators and mother nature. That is the main reason they are penned now and the ones who are trustworthy get to take turns free ranging during daytime only. I do not free range any that are under 2-3 years of age, it has been my experience that with maturity comes a certain calmness not found in juveniles. Plus they have had that much more time to see this place as "Home" and home is where the hens are!  Once they are mature and I think they are calming down I will start letting them out in groups of 2 or 3, I have too many mature males to ever let them all out at once, too much fighting for me. How you choose to approach the free ranging is your decision, just realize that you can't expect it to go exactly as it does for Zaz, or exactly as it does for me. Every place is different and the Peas are all different, Mine all have very different temperments and I have a couple that will probably never be allowed to free range because they are just too nervous and high strung.

I think that all mine are high strung!

 

[DylansMom]

I think that all mine are high strung!

They are all juveniles aren't they? I have 8 that I kept back from my 2013 hatches. Out of those 8 there is one white male that I think I could let out and he would be fine. He is so imprinted that when I go in the pen he runs to me while his 3 roommates run away. He does not spook either, he isn't scared of our dogs or cats. The other 7 will not be allowed to free range for a couple of years.

 

[margaret8]

They are all juveniles aren't they? I have 8 that I kept back from my 2013 hatches. Out of those 8 there is one white male that I think I could let out and he would be fine. He is so imprinted that when I go in the pen he runs to me while his 3 roommates run away. He does not spook either, he isn't scared of our dogs or cats. The other 7 will not be allowed to free range for a couple of years.

they all run from me!

 

[KsKingBee]

Well we went to a local auction to thin out the flock, took 23 chickens and chicks and came home with six new peas. We need a little help identifying the hens, the two cocks are black shoulder but maybe there is something I am missing. The four hens I really can not decide what they are. The guy selling them dropped off two cages with ten birds in each cage and left, so we could not find out any history on them. We did get his name and are trying to get him to call us back but no luck yet.




Here are the two BS cocks






They both have a beautiful blue green sheen on the black wing feathers. Unfortunately the guy crammed ten birds in each 4 x 8 cage and the tails are really torn up, not to mention that there were kids at the auction pulling tail feathers out.

Looks like I posted three pictures twice and didn't get the other three downloaded. Well all four hens are pictured here, I have more pics but I will have to work on that.





Two of the hens look like they froze some claws off. Anyway, what do you think they are from these pics? Thanks!