Why do my peafowl shake?

[ninejw]

I have 50 other type birds and none of them shake on cold winter days but the peas. Their legs and feet shake like they are cold. Is this normal for them? It kinda got me a little concerned because even my chickens don't do that.

 

[thatchickenlady]

Could be that they are cold, although most except the greens are pretty cold hearty. Do they shake even when the temp is warmer? Do you have a perch for them that's under a shelter?

 

[ninejw]

They are india blue and I live in New England. I have both perches and shelter for them. I am assuming that they are cold but my other pheasants tolerate the cold better than them...?? I didn't know that they weren't very cold hardy birds.

 

[thndrdancr]

I have two young IB's as well, they started shaking like yours. So badly that I finally brought mine in the house. I am not sure if it wasnt nerves, as they shook for a while after I brought them in, like for a couple of days.
I wouldnt have brought them in but a friend had lost hers of the same age to cold and as they are fairly expensive birds, I was paranoid. I still havent thrown them back out, I just attributed it to them being so very young and our winter started extremely early. They never got to be outside for the brutal part of it at all. Mine were a late August hatch tho, so were just babies really going into the cold.
I just couldnt stand going out there and seeing them shaking so hard and pulling their legs up into their body, I hate the cold myself and I couldnt sleep with worry for the poor critters, but then thats a girl for ya.

I been watching this post for answers but doesnt seem to be much, but yea, mine shiver as if it were me out there with no coat on. I swear if they had teeth they would have been rattling.

 

[ninejw]

I felt pretty bad about it too but they are so huge there's no where inside I could put the 3 of them. I gave them more shelter options because of the shaking but they sit outside anyway except for in the really windy weather and in storms. Now that we've had 40's weather it hasn't been an issue but I am wondering how cold hardy they will be in general. Mine are at least 9 months now but you are right if they had teeth they would be rattling!

 

[afeatherfan]

I have never seen mine shake an I got all kinds.. But this is some of the things I do maybe you do it to, I take 3 bales of hay 2 on bottom an one cross ways on top an I have that like 3 piles of them and they do use them an I keep straw along the back wall so there feet dont get cold also I have a house in there shelter also for extra .I have a 16x50 and it is inclosed with a roof but I got wire on the sides and front an my barn as a back wall.I would show you a picture but for the life of me I just dont know how an I have read an read an still dont get it

 

[Frosty]

I've never seen mine shake... this was their second winter, going into their first winter they were about the size of a small leghorn (I brought them home in a cat carrier with lots of room to spare) and we had temps down to -30F that winter. They were kept in an unheated building and did fine.

 

[Resolution]

Not enough fat or animal protein in their diet. Supplement whatever you are feeding them with a decent wild bird seed that contains millet and nuts- for example a woodpecker mix- also, put out wild bird suet for them every few weeks through the fall. Meanwhile, get them on a decent food with higher fat. You can supplement their daily ration with cat food.