Friday, October 1, 2010

The colors of October, sort of...

I have some new color at my house.  It's a pair, and they will be helping with the turkey project (now set back a year because the hatchery sent me the wrong birds...).  Ok, so all I wanted was Standard Bronze turkeys, and I think they thought I made a mistake, and send Broad-breasted bronze.  NO!  I need the standards because a) they can reproduce naturally (the BBT's can't), and b) crossing them with the Auburns gives me the sex-linked colors in the poults, so I can market a pretty close count of hens and toms.  Hmph.

So the new residents are (drum roll please) - a yearling pair of Peafowl.  Since the incubation period for both species is the same, 28 days, I can change out eggs and have the peahen hatch out the turkeys (turkey hens are notoriously poor mothers). 
As yearlings, they should start breeding this coming spring, which will give me a chance to try out the turkey egg swap.  It's amazing how long it takes those tail feathers to grow.  They are currently in with the turkeys, who really don't like their kind.  Bigotry in the aviary - who woulda thunk.

3 comments:

Mim said...

Oh neat I love peafowl.

Sharon said...

Pretty to look at but listening to our neighbor's every day is wearing. I guess I'm not a fan.

~~Sittin.n.Spinnin said...

So pretty, I love peacocks... I have a neighbor down the road that raises them, they make the weirdest sounds, I can almost hear them in my house... which is why I don't have any :)