The peas are out of their pen

[shelleyd2008]

They are so pretty! I can't wait until I can let mine out to forage. I've decided that will have to be after the turkeys are off to their new home. The peas share a building with the turkeys and my turkey tom hates me

He jumps at the window when I even come close...I've had to resort to feeding them at night

But just a few more weeks and the turkeys will be gone!!

 

[prairiehen74369]

Pete was a yearling when I got him and he was established before Ethel came to be his friend. They are semi gentle and very entertaining always nosing into the goings on around the place. I will pen them up egg laying time because I want to gather the eggs and protect Ethel from the varmits she would be very vulnerable setting out in the open. Thats my report on the Peafowl from the PrairieHens House.

 

[AquaEyes]

Awesome!!! I love seeing peafowl free-range. Quite the bird haven you've got there. When can I visit?



~Chris

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

I turned our young pair of hens out last weekend, they will be a year old in late spring or early summer. I have noticed they stick very close to each other and after the first day out they were moving around exploring. They learned quick to give the geese a wide berth and are very interested in our oldest peacock when he is fanning. Yesterday they were hanging around with the older 2 hens and have settled right in with no problems at all.

Steve

 

[kuntrygirl]

I can't wait to let my peas out. It probably will be another 6 or 8 months. I'm too afraid that they will run away.

 

[zazouse]

Quote:
I let mine out at 3 or 4 months and they have been fine,, it took a month before they started to wonder away from their safty zone, now they are going every where.'I believe if you have other free range birds they will be fine as mine are considered part of the flocks here and are usually around them some where .
Mine are just now starting to eat with the rest of the flocks which is good but bad for them because the rest of the flocks can eat 50 pounds of feed in 15 minutes flat ,so i have always feed the peas in their pen but they have been ssleeping on the greenhouse off and on and i know they are missing thier breasfast and dinner, they forage in the woods for bugs aall the time now when not hiding somewhere.
When they get hungry enough they put themselfes in their pen in the evening.

If i were you i would cut um loose they are not going anywhere anytime soon if they were raised there.

 

[zazouse]

The peas have found the trees.
Yesterday they were out on our easment so i got my aussie to fetch-um-up and they flew into the pines, it was so cool to watch them explore all the limbs.
I thought they may sleep up there but no they went back and slep on the greenhouse under the screaming guineas.

My rooster cat spyed them big birds in the tree, he was sizing them up but half way up the tree i think he relized they belonged here.

We love the gooseneck.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
I let mine out at 3 or 4 months and they have been fine,, it took a month before they started to wonder away from their safty zone, now they are going every where.'I believe if you have other free range birds they will be fine as mine are considered part of the flocks here and are usually around them some where .
Mine are just now starting to eat with the rest of the flocks which is good but bad for them because the rest of the flocks can eat 50 pounds of feed in 15 minutes flat ,so i have always feed the peas in their pen but they have been ssleeping on the greenhouse off and on and i know they are missing thier breasfast and dinner, they forage in the woods for bugs aall the time now when not hiding somewhere.
When they get hungry enough they put themselfes in their pen in the evening.

If i were you i would cut um loose they are not going anywhere anytime soon if they were raised there.

This is my situation. Tell me what do you think I should do. I did not raise the peas that I have. I bought (2) 6 month old male peas from a guy in January of this year. A few weeks ago I purchased (2) pean hens from someone on BYC. They are all in a large aviary. I do not handle them because I want them to get accustomed to where they live without scaring them. I only go in their aviary 2 times a day to check on food and water and give treats. When do you think is a good time to let them free range with the rest? I have chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys., so if I ever let them out of their aviary, they would free range with the others and then hopefully go back to their aviary at night to roost. I know that I will NEVER let them free range without me being there to supervise. The other animals free range all day when I'm not home. They are all on about 1 acre of fenced property. What should I do?

 

[konopswj]

I'm new to owning birds all together. I bought two 3 month old males this past fall (BS and White). I have for them a small flight pen outside their coop they always have access to. This last weekend it was nice here in NY with just a little snow left on the ground in spots, the sun shining, and decent temperatures. I was nervous about letting them loose in the yard and used a little bread to lure them out. It took them about 30 minutes to finally decide to come out. When they did, I was at the back of our house watching, when they saw me they came running right up to me. They then wandered the back yard a while before just simply going back in the coop on their own. Not once did either try to fly or wander far from the other. I waited a while to see if they were going to come back out and when they didn't I locked up.

This was their first time out and about with no restraints and it went well!

I'm excited to try it again on our next nice weekend.

-Walter

 

[zazouse]

Well having an acre may be a problem, i have 100 acres and my peas and guineas range 10 acres away from the feeding and roosting areas and my flocks are totaly free ranged, the only thing that ever got penned were the peas at night and now they won't go in every night ,just when they are good and hungry.