AIMING FOR THE EXOTIC

By Dr Joseph Batty

There has always been interest in the exotic types of poultry and these can include various breeds of fowl, such as the Yokohama, the Sultan, the Naked Necks or some other rarity, or something quite different such as Jungle Fowl, Guinea Fowl, Pheasants or Peafowl. I have kept them all, and although they all come under the broad heading of gallinaceous (scratching) birds as part of the Gallus family (Gallinae), they are very different in behaviour and the requirements for keeping them.

Some do not take kindly to being enclosed too much, so, if they are to be kept in aviaries, these must be large enough for them to turn around, flap their wings, and not damage their plumage.

THE PEAFOWL

Peafowl are majestic birds which are kept largely for their beauty, best seen strutting around in park land, yet equally at home in a small paddock or orchard, and with a high level of management, they may be kept in a spacious aviary, although this is rather restrictive and is not to be recommended on a long term basis.

They love to be free, foraging for green stuff and insects, as well as flying. Despite their size they can fly to the top of quite high buildings and in the wild they used to be hunted and shot down as they flew overhead. Fortunately, the days of the Shikari are no longer regarded with favour so wholesale slaughter is avoided.

Their great beauty attracts the would-be keeper of these unusual birds, but beauty is not everything, because there are many disadvanages, which should be considered before attempting to take them on.

These are as follows:

1. Considerable space is required, one acre being desirable to keep two hens and a cock.
2. The foraging can cause considerable damage, because garden plants as well as weeds are gobbled up, so a domestic garden is not the ideal place to keep them.
3. They are not very friendly to other birds so the smaller poultry must keep clear because a few violent pecks on the head of a bantam chick could lead to death.
4. The call or shriek at certain times of the year can be quite disturbing, especially at 6 am on a Spring morning.
   Despite these disadvantages they are still kept on a fairly wide scale, their beauty and interesting features making ownership worth while! The massive 'tail' of the adult male peacock provides the main fascination, rising as it does at the back of the main tail, and being of extraordinary colours, including the ocelli or eyes.
   

The complete article along with striking pictures appears in the September 2008 issue of Feathered World