I've owned poultry most of my life. Most were raised for eggs or the freezer.
The peacocks...wow they were fun to get. A neighbor who breeds them offered me some eggs...peafowl and silver pheasant. That was 9 or 10 years ago. My kid got so excited that she built me an incubator. And....it worked!



So we got our first peachicks. Every now and then I almost quit keeping them and then something will happen to keep me at it. The last time was 2 years ago...a fellow showed up at my door looking for white peahens and I gave him one. He knew my neighbor so I wouldn't let him buy her. A few months later he shows up at my door with a Java baby for me and all of a sudden I wanted to keep breeding them.

The heritage breeds were also gifts. I ruptured an ovary at the beginning of the pandemic. Who knew it's possible to cough hard enough to rupture an ovary!

My surgery was postponed 6 months and I felt sick as a dog. So my lovely kids got me Yoko's, spangles and Creles as a mother's day gift. Then when I was almost recovered from the surgery, I broke my midfoot. I'd hit it with a pitchfork and broke it before so it was weak in that spot. This time it didn't heal well so I've been in medical boots and pt for the last year. No sad faces! It's almost healed so all's great

. And I'm normally very healthy and accident free! So last year my kids got me call ducks as a mother's day gift to brighten my day. Did I mention I love my kids? I'm one lucky momma!

Then this year one of my best friends passed away and willed me her dwarf chickens. I'd rather have her...but I do love those chickens. She was an experienced breeder etc...I'm not. At first I felt like I had to learn to be an experienced breeder to keep them...now I think she just wanted me to enjoy them...which is easy to do and I'm very good at...lol.
So anyways...almost every bird on my place was given to me or bred from birds given to me...and it's probably why I always try to give away birds instead of selling them. I've been very blessed by the people in my life.
O...and I've learned not to coo over birds I think are adorable in front of my kids! I'm out of space for any more coops!
For heat I just use cooling bowls. Rubber feed pans that the birds can stand in. Then as much shade as I can give them. Covered runs with buildings and trees that cast shade, and vines. My oldest coop is well covered with cats claw vine and my newer ones have cats claw planted.
@kurby22 uses a little ac unit and I'm on the lookout for one now. The dwarfs seem to dislike the heat more...not surprising for a swedish breed! My friend had her coops densely covered in cats claw and I don't think the heat was ever an issue for them there. So I'm guessing mine will be comfortable in a couple years once the vines are going well. In the meantime...I love the lil ac unit idea!
@kurby22 Yoko temperament! They're absolute sweethearts. Very mellow, friendly birds. They get along well with multiple roosters, handle new birds being added to the flock pretty well and I've never had one turn mean. They're pretty relaxed and always curious.