My Wacky Job: Niche a perfect fit, but market is for the birds

MINDEN, Iowa — A sticky summer breeze kicks up a wave of stench as Dennis Fett walks into his weathered yellow barn.

“Sorry about the smell, I've never quite gotten used to it,” he says.

Farm animals or domestic pets don't dwell in this repugnant sanctuary. It is inhabited by a more exotic and unconventional species: peacocks and peahens.

Dust and feathers litter the large building, a relic that fits the simplicity that Fett and his wife, Deb Buck, have embraced throughout their 29 years of marriage.

Fett and Buck are peacock experts. They have authored peafowl reference books, produced peacock DVDs and served as peacock consultants.

They are two of a very few people in the country who focus solely on peacocks. The birds belong to a dwindling genus, and the couple's business, the Peacock Information Center, faces an uncertain future.

The birds, long-feathered tails dragging behind them, scamper across wooden planks high above Fett as he talks about the breeds and controversies involved with his prized poultry. A bird's booming cry, which sounds like “yelp,” echoes from the rafters.

“People always complain about how loud they are,” Fett said. “I don't even hear them anymore.”

The couple's 50 birds represent five varieties of peafowl: blue (the type you see in zoos); black shoulder; white (an albino-looking bird, minus the pink eyes); cameo (a white and tan strain); and oaten (chocolate-colored).

The couple sell fertile eggs (so customers can hatch their own birds), tail feathers, reference books and DVDs, and they host a peacock blog. Although Fett also teaches music in an elementary school, and Buck is receptionist at Minden United Church of Christ, they define what a niche business should look like.

Problem is, when the economy tanked and disposable income dwindled for the center's typically affluent clients, the couple's business began smelling much like the bowels of their archaic barn.

“Selling the peacock eggs has never made good money,” Fett said, wearing a teal T-shirt with “The wacky world of peacocks” and a cartoon bird silk-screened in white across the torso.

“We might break even in a good year if we're lucky,” he said. “The meat and potatoes of our business are the books and DVDs.”

The couple sold nearly 15,000 self-published paperbacks between 1986 and 2008, but so far this year, they have sold just three copies.

In a normal year, Fett and Buck sell between 800 and 1,000 fertile eggs. This year, they have sold a beggarly 75 out of 500 eggs.

To add insult to injury, Fett said, his birds are laying eggs at a higher rate than ever before.

Where do 425 unsold eggs go, you ask? They're cracked open and served up to the small army of farm cats that roam the couple's four-acre plot.

“This breaks my heart,” Fett muttered as he reviewed the numbers in his head. “People don't have baby peacocks, and I can't afford to incubate and raise the birds anymore.”

Although the future of the Peacock Information Center is uncertain, Fett and Buck say, the birds have provided the couple with a small measure of fame with appearances on “The Tonight Show” and the Animal Planet cable TV network and with stories published in the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post.

“We've had a good run,” Fett said, with Buck at his side. “We've really done a lot.”

Financially, the couple takes a consistent and conservative approach to the way they run their business: Don't overspend, and work with what you have.

“We live within our means. We've never owned a new car, and we never went into any debt,” Fett said. “Whatever comes next I'll do it exactly how I do this.”

Next? That's an intriguing thought for Fett, who has taken to blogging and plugging YouTube videos about his birds to fill time.

“Maybe a peacock detective?” he suggested. “You know, go around the world and do peacock videos.”

Sitting in an old metal lawn chair as he scraped bird droppings from his black work boots, Fett pondered how far he and Buck have come.

“If I was to die today I would have no regrets,” he said. “I have explored everything I could physically and financially pursue.”

Contact the writer:

444-1414, ross.boettcher@owh.com