Wheelbarger
2033 Broyles Lane
Roanoke, VA 24012
Phone: (540) 520.1885
e-mail: [email protected]
My fascination with animals, birds, (and peafowl) began as a child. After seeing the green peafowl for the first time (an immature pair at the Honolulu Zoo in 1994) I knew that I would some day make it a priority to breed these beautiful and endangered birds. My first 'green' peafowl were obtained fro
m a number of sources. Though 'green' they were obviously hybrids and I got rid of them. I visited Rodney Michael of Riverview, Florida who then was this country's most respected importer/breeder of Pavo muticus muticus. When Mr. Michael sold his birds to Mike Johns in Oklahoma, I bought a pair that Mike raised from his acquired Florida birds. Additional birds were purchased from Lewis Eckard (North Carolina) and Charles Hill (Georgia) who also keep and breed the Rodney Michael stock. Breeding Green peafowl can be challenging. They are quite large and require plenty of space. Being less hardy than the common peafowl they need adequate protection in sub freezing remperatures. They tend to not be as prolific as their Indian cousins and low fertility proved disappointing. Getting the birds off feed containing soy helped.* Many more birds were reared with the current feeding program than with the commercial feeds (whose main ingredients were corn and grain waste products). Also, most P.m. muticus in the states are quite inbred and new blood to revitalize the gene pool was important (if not necessary) to rear quality birds in number. In January 2011 I acquired a very fine juvenile male from Josh Nelson (Rocking B-A-B Ranch) in Florida. The parents of this bird were European imports from the race of P.m.muticus indigenous to Malaysia. The coming two year old male was placed with three of my best 'Rodney Michael' peahens. This mating produced 2 males and1 female in 2011! I welcome inquiry about the birds I keep and enjoy discussing with others these unique galliformes. In addition to green peafowl I keep a small number of ornamental pheasants, junglefowl, wild turkeys (the Rio Grande subspecies), and ornamental bantams - Sumatra, Japanese Phoenix, and Black Silkies.
* Breeding and other problems related to soy is well documented in animals (and humans). Among suggested reading = The Weston A. Price Foundation
An Article on soy and reproductive health:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/17/sex-and-soybean-health-caution.aspx
