Rescue Peacock in New England Needs Winter Home

END OF OCTOBER UPDATE: Wanted to let you know that I will be starting to remove money donated for Percy Peacock’s shelter by putting it into a special account my husband John has set up to make things easier and safer. To do that, GoFundMe says I have to call John the beneficiary for technical reasons although he really is not. Rest assured that all of the money will go directly to pay for Percy’s shelter. He is the true beneficiary!

We unfortunately did not meet our goal so if you can donate and have not done so yet, we would very much appreciate that. Winter is coming and we want to keep Percy safe and warm here in Massachusetts. (See Percy’s compelling story below.) Thank you!

Jean

Hi!

Percy Peacock here.

Many of you have been following my adventures since this past April. I am getting in touch now because I am in a difficult situation. I am a tropical bird - peacocks are from India originally - and I need a shelter that will protect me from the winter weather.

To briefly recap my story … I was acquired as a young peafowl to be a pet in Massachusetts, but that did not work out and I was sent to a farm with other peacocks on the Merrimack River. But those peacocks were bullies who tormented me. I ran away more than once and the farmer brought me back. When I escaped again, he didn’t bother to find me. That was last late March. I spent some cold weeks scrounging around for food and sleeping in trees. It wasn’t fun. When I was almost hit by a car, I decided to see if the other side of the river was better.

I flew over and was lucky to land in a yard with several stuffed bird feeders. The old couple living there fed me well for a week including yummy grapes and meal worms. I slept on their roof and wandered their yard and woods. But they could not keep me so they re-homed me on a rescue farm in the area where I have my own 10’x10’ metal frame aviary and, since a while ago, a roommate rooster, Admiral Nelson. The other roosters were beating up on him in the chicken coop so he came to live with me and now we are good pals.

But, as I said, cold weather is approaching and I need an insulated shelter to survive the winter. The aviary is breezy with just tarps. My caretakers have 20 other rescue animals and birds plus big bills. The price of feed is sky-high - $1500 of hay won’t even last until Christmas - and there is well work in process along with a frost-free water conservation system to ensure we all have water through the winter. Plus they have two kids in college!

After a lot of research, we have found a shelter with a discounted price - a 6’X8’ gambrel-roofed chicken coop that will suit me and Nelson well. The coop plus the expenses of insulating, shingling, and painting it along with adding a few things I need, like a roosting bar for sleeping, come to $3,262.

If you are able to make a contribution to help me survive the brutal Massachusetts winter, I would be most grateful.

And thank you from the bottom of my peacock heart. I truly, truly appreciate your generosity. I really do.

Best wishes,

Percy Peacock

Me and Nelson

Our hoped-for winter home