Would it be possible to make a Peafowl/..... Hybrid?

[Mvzdanny]

Now I know hybrids are frowned upon by several people while others find them quite attractive. I have been wondering for about a year now after seeming a Peafowl/Guinea Fowl hybrid if it were possible to make a Chicken/Peafowl hybrid. After doing some research I found an article where the experiment was conducted and they had succeed (after several attempts.) Then I asked my self if it were possible to make a Bantam/Peafowl hybrid. After several hours of imagination and research I came across the Pheonix Bantam and I said that would be a perfect breed to hybrid the Peafowl with.

I would like to know what thoughts you guys have about it, if anyone has ever tried it, what would it look like etc.

Thank you for your time and I hope you guys have a great day.

Btw I have made a couple of Chicken/Guinea Fowl hybrids in the past, I might just try this one

 

[Kevin565]

Here's a picture of a supposed Chicken Peafowl hybrid:

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2. Would it be possible? Evidence says it would be. However, these hybrids never live very long and often aren't very healthy.

3. I would think AI would be your best bet.

 

[Mvzdanny]

I wonder if anyone has tried it recently. I recently made friends with the local vet and he has a couple of pen hens and he was really intested in the project so maybe for next spring I'll have some pics up. Fingers crossed.

 

[Gryphon]

Why would you want to make, on PURPOSE, something that's doomed to die with genetic complications? It's one thing to crossbreed closely related animals, like donkeys and horses, and end up with healthy mules (and those are sterile), but to force breeding after breeding on two creatures that would have no interest in each other for good reason is just cruel on many levels. Every peafowl hybrid I've heard of has severe heart problems amongst other things, that right there says "do not do this, it's not good."

 

[Mvzdanny]

I was unaware of such health complications. I only wanted to gather information on the subject and your contribution is of very high value. If this is the case you are in all right correct on the matter that this hybrid should not be created. The reason I though of such thing was to mix the beauty of the peafowl with the size of a bantam, the product being a very interesting bird.

 

[zazouse]

Well these cross breeds would be sterile, so getting a pea to be the size of a banty would not be possible because you would have to keep breeding back this hybrid for generations to get the size and color you want, just like when they dogs of a different breed to gather to achieve a color then spend generations breeding these dogs back to each other to get back to where they started but now they have the color they wanted and the characteristics of the purebred.

If you want to breed for a smaller size you have to start with a smaller peafowl and there are some out there, i had a male a year older than my youngest male and it was half his size, now this could be genetic or it could be stunted growth from impropper nutrition when it was growing up, the only way to know for sure is to breed him with a smaller hen, raise up the babies and see if any turned out small after a couple years, very time consuming just like breeding to achieve different colors.

I may end up with a guinea /peafowl cross one day, i have some guines that were raised with some of my peas and they love the young peacocks.

 

[Gryphon]

Zazouse is correct, if you want a viable breeding operation of "petite" peacocks, you'd do best breeding like to like, with each generation being smaller than the last. That would take decades to see any results, maybe a lifetime. If you plan on breeding, it's important to have a plan in place for your goals and what you want the end result to be. You'll also have to take into account how much money you're willing to risk with no gurantee of a profit, or even breaking even. Do you have the space and ability to keep several breeding lines? (you can't have just one line, that will lead to genetic defects and early death), Are you able to keep the peas separated so you know who's breeding who for your records? Do you have a solid education in genetics, so you can make educated guesses on what each generation is producing? Are you able to take care of x-number of peas if they fall ill? Can you make difficult decisions on how to cull? If things go badly, will you be financially ruined?

I'm not bashing you at all, these are things EVERY breeder should think about to some extent. They're hard questions, and should be taken seriously.

 

[polskituft]

sounds cool

 

[Arbor]

i had a male a year older than my youngest male and it was half his size, now this could be genetic or it could be stunted growth from impropper nutrition when it was growing up

I see the word "had" in there, does this mean you do not have him any more? In a few years I will be looking for such peafowl, so if any of you have something like this, keep me in mind.

 

[Arbor]

2. Would it be possible? Evidence says it would be. However, these hybrids never live very long and often aren't very healthy.

3. I would think AI would be your best bet.

I completely agree.