Do you have a pet at your home? Tell us what you have. Is it a cat? Dog? Bird? Most people will probably choose those kinds of animal to keep as a house pet. However, there is also not few people that choose to keep alternative poultry farming as the one. They choose alternative poultry that can be used as house pet due to some reasons.
Cat or dog is not the only option you choose to have as a pet house. Poultry animals can be a good idea for you. Do you know why? Again, people always have their own reason for this actually. For example breeders. We often meet those who have so many poultry in their farms or backyard, also keep at least one of them at home. As a house pet, of course. So, why he/she only chooses one of the so many poultries out there? Yes, you are right. This is because of ‘love’. Let’s say you find a ‘bound’ with something. Then, you keep it and you cannot separate with it. Yeah, something like that.
I love my chickens. They are so entertaining. I like to watch them. They are great pets and give me a lot of funs. Besides, I also can get more advantages from them, egg for instance. This is only one example of what we are talking about. Chicken is the easiest poultry to raise, isn’t it? Not only raise them as poultry farming breeds, there are so many people keep them as a house pet.
Furthermore, poultry is classified into several numbers of different categories and classes. The most common classification for them is also the most common for house pet purpose such as alternative poultry of chicken. So. let’s discover various kind of poultry farming that you can choose as a house pet:
1. Ducks
This can be an alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet. Ducks have a lot in common with chickens. They can also do well together if you mix them with flock. Duck farming is very popular. It can also be a lucrative business when you can conduct it well and seriously.
There is various type of ducks you can choose as your house pet though people normally take advantages of their meats or eggs – They are similar with chickens. There are numerous productive ducks that produce either meats or eggs throughout the world. Peking, Ayleshbari, Ruel Kagua, Maskovi and the Swiden ducks are most popular duck for meat production. The meat productive male ducks weight about 5kg while the female about 4kg.
Besides taking advantages of their meats or eggs, duck is also suitable for the house pet. Moreover, as an alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet, duck is easy to keep. They normally like a watery and wet place to live. You can make a duck house easily. They are easily placed in low, high, wet, dry, or any other places. As we know that there are several various types of them that you can choose. Mandarin ducks and Caroline ducks are two kinds of fancy ducks you can keep at home as house pets.
2. Peacock
Anyone must agree if peacocks are beautiful, hardy creatures, and able to live in any weather. They can live in all types of climates – from the extreme heat temperatures to the extremely cold temperatures.
Keeping one types of poultry birds like peacock needs more attention. We recommend you to have at least one acre of property, entirely fenced. They like to roost high at night, so you should have trees on your property. Then, provide them fresh water. You also need to feed your peacock two handfuls of mixed grain per adult peacock each day. Cabbage or the other green vegetables are good for them as a supplement.
Before you decide peacock as an alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet, there is one type of peacock which is protected by the Government in Indonesia called Java Green Peacock. So, make sure that peacock that you choose to keep as your house pet is allowed legally by the government.
3. Guineas
The other types of poultry birds that you can keep as a house pet is guineas. The most popular one is guinea fowl. When we compare to chickens, guinea fowl is low-cost and low-maintenance enough. They also do a standout job as chemical-free pest control. This is one reason people choose guineas as alternative poultry that can be used as the house pet.
Raising guinea fowl can bring advantages for you. If chicken or turkey farmers need to keep them from poultry eating predators, guineas can do that by themselves. Another advantage of keeping guineas as your house pet is they can drive off marauding birds that can be very troublesome for orchardists. They can do this without damaging your crops. Of course, they will possibly take the occasional peck at your cultivated plant, but guineas much prefer to eat insects, seeds, or weeds.
If you decide to keep guineas, there is some information you should know. First, they are not the best fit for the urban farm because they need room to roam. Second, they are beneficial for pest control like insects, even snakes and rodent. Then, they do lay eggs but different with the other type of chicken whose eggs needs about 21 days to hatch, the guinea eggs need about 28 days to hatch. The texture of their egg which is harder and rougher can be the reason why they need more time to hatch.
4. Pigeon
Doves or pigeons are an alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet. They can make a great pet. You can keep them either indoors or outdoors. One fact you should know about pigeon or doves is that they are easy targets for hawks and cats. Therefore, you need to pay attention when you set them outside. Make sure that you protect them in an aviary.
Dove or pigeon very excel at the leisure arts. They usually spend their time bathing, preening, lounging in the sun, foraging for favorite seeds, napping, watching the sky, showing off and courting. They are truly impressive.
When you decide to keep this poultry alternative, just make sure that you already provide them a good home. If you want to keep them inside with family, you should provide a big cage for their home. For example, an extra large dog kennel can be a good size for a pair of pigeon with daily out of cage time to let them stretch legs and wings and of course, have fun.
5. Turkeys
When you first hear about ‘turkeys’ you will probably think ‘holiday table’. That’s can be true since turkeys are the centerpiece for it. They have a big role as the main course in Thanksgiving dinners in some countries with that culture. They give you more meat than a chicken or richer eggs.
The taste of turkeys is quite similar to duck eggs. About laying eggs, they cannot do it frequently. In a year they can only lay about 100 eggs. Moreover, turkeys is one alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet. They are so friendly. No need to worry if you have children because turkeys really love to be around people.
Turkeys are impressive types of poultry birds that have interesting and regal looking plumage. If you decide to keep this chicken, you need a garden, that you can even decorate with glow decoration you can find online. They are not happy indoors or in small spaces. Of course, you will need a yard. Due to the fact that turkeys are outdoor birds, you need to provide them shelter from the rain or bad weather. For the food, turkeys need more than plant-based foods. Bugs or insects are good for them as special treats.
If you are planning to raise turkeys, make sure that there are no natural predators around such as cats or dogs. And one more important thing is that, in some district, local regulations see turkeys as farm animals, not as pets. If your district has such rule, you probably need to get a special big bird pertim from the Department of Agriculture.
6. Geese
As an alternative poultry that can be used as house pet, geese have great characters. They are great at keeping the grass short and weeding. They can also be a good guard. However, geese are actually not very friendly. When you disturb them, the aggressive geese will attack you. Nevertheless, most are docile.
Do you think that geese are just like big ducks? In fact, they have lots of differences. When you are considering to keep geese as your house pet, you need to know that they get most of their nutrition from grass. You need to provide a lot of good quality grass. Of course, they need water at least a pool. Geese like to be set free in a large garden/backyard or smallholding but they do need shelter.
As an alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet, geese will give you in return. They can lay from 10 – 15 eggs per year on average. You can use their feathers for filling duvets or pillows. You can also use their eggshells for stuffing handmade or gifts.
7. Pheasant
Poultry alternative of pheasant is one alternative poultry that can be used as a house pet. They are wild game birds, shy and rarely seen actually. However, you can raise them in the backyard, and they can give you endless entertainments.
To pheasant from predators and avoid them to fly off, you should keep them confined. You can provide them aviary to protect them from foxes, coyotes, cats, dogs, or other predators. Don’t forget to give your pheasant a shelter inside the aviary. You can keep more than one pheasant. It can keep each other company. One more thing, make sure that you change the water available daily.
What we already share to you above is the list of 7 types of alternative poultry farming that you can use as a house pet. Of course, there can be more than one species from one types. For further information, just contact us or follow our fanpages at hobi ternak or instagram at hobi_ternak.
Related: alternative poultry farming, poultry alternatives, seafood alternatives, poultry other than chicken, alternative poultry to chicken, easiest poultry to raise, types of poultry birds, raising guinea fowl
