Peafowl??

[nachoqtpie]

So.. hubs and I still planning our dream homestead... and I have my heart set on getting some peafowl! I REALLY REALLY want peafowl! They're so beautiful!

The issue is.... would they be more like chickens and eat my garden... or more like guinea and largely leave it alone?

 

[baymule]

I never had peafowl, but friends have and yes, they ate the garden. They also fly to the roof and cry their hauntingly beautiful cry. I love them too.

 

[thistlebloom]

Never owned one myself, but about 30 years ago somebody in the neighborhood we lived in had several.
They were probably a few acres away, but noisy enough to be annoying...to me anyway!

A friend shared a rental property with her landlord who owned a bunch. They saw their reflection in her visiting sisters brand new car and attacked it, scratching it pretty badly. Those were the cocks I suppose.

When we were remodeling our old fixer upper a white peahen showed up one day and was smitten with my husband. She followed him everywhere and even stuck her head through a hole in the wall where he was working to flirt with him. We found her a home with some folks on acreage.

They are beautiful, but you just have to know there are going to be a few drawbacks to them also.

 

[lesa]

I really, really want them too!! In my climate I would have to have heat for them in winter- so I was dreaming more of an aviary/barn situation. Have you ever seen a picture of them flying? Just breathtaking.

 

[journey11]

We have a friend of the family who has a bunch of peafowl. It is so cool to see them in the evening all roosting up in the trees. They have a large, isolated farm and let them roam free. They are so startlingly beautiful. These folks also have guineas, hatch their own turkey poults and chicks and have a bunch of goats. I love visiting their farm! They don't have a garden, so I can't say about that.

 

[nachoqtpie]

One of my friends growing up had one... he was beeeeeautiful!! I don't think they ever heated anything for him either.... he made it thru many Ohio winters. I remember how loud they are. They're just so beautiful!!

If they're going to eat my garden tho... I think it would be a no go. :-( We HAVE thought about taking about 1/4 acre and fencing it in, and putting netting over the top and putting chickens and such in there. Of course we wouldn't really HAVE to put the netting on the top if we provided enough trees and such for them to hide in, but I think I would feel better if I had the netting.

The white ones are absolutely stunning! And then they have pied! Oh LORD!! Every time I look at the pictures of these gorgeous birds I just fall in love.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i have 2 peafowl and yes they fly and are very good at it too! they will eat what they find edible and will travel to find it. they love the greens that i give them but they will also eat frogs and most good bugs too if they have access to that stuff. they also require a higher protein in or with their feed. i like to give mine an occasional mix of spinach, chopped up beets, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms (store bought, not wild). i read that giving them whole peppercorns are similar to things they would pick up if they were in the wild, so i add them to the mix. sunflowers are also good for the extra protein and oils they need.

males can get a little territorial when the mating season begins in the spring running to early August when their train feathers drop. both males and females will 'display' their tails but only the male will get the eye feathers of the train. if you're planning on keeping friendly birds it seems best to raise them from hatching your own eggs. males can also get very loud with their calls. they have very good vision when it comes to spotting predators and will sound an alarm. the males don't get their train feathers till they're 3 or more years old, so sexing them can be difficult. especially the color i was told i have-cameo (i think they are something along the black shoulder cameos or something else i just don't know yet)

the pair i have are somewhat wild to me even though they are only 1 1/2 years old now and will on occasion let me touch their back, still won't take food directly from my hands. i got them last spring and they've been in with my chickens and most times get along fine with them. it's just that they will try to kill my chicks if they can grab one. not exactly sure why they have done that so i'm keeping a moma bird and any babies out of their reach but still in with my flock till they are old enough to mix in. i'm still not sure if i have a male and female or two of one gender. btw, these birds can live up to 30 years if well cared for.

there are some really good websites for care of peafowl, i think one was down in TX. i didn't heat my garage last winter where my coop was and they seemed fine, but they were in with my chickens so they had enough warmth if they needed to snuggle. they do like to roost high up so a tall coop or barn is best for them.

eta: sorry to ramble. i think i'm still working off a sugar rush.

 

[lesa]

That's not rambling- very interesting info! So, you have enjoyed having the birds, and look forward to them living 30 years? What do the chickens make of them? Every now and then I have a wild turkey walk through the chicken yard. They look so huge, next to the chickens- but they don't even give each other a second glance. The chickens aren't alarmed and the turkeys walk around like they own the place! Do you have any pics of your birds?

 

[nachoqtpie]

That really is neat info!! I think that they are absolutely beautiful birds!! I guess the chance of them eating the garden is just slightly more than the chickens eating it, eh? I mean... we're going to fence our garden when we get our farm because we want to can and use it as the majority of our food, and grow our own beef/milk/chickens and whatnot as well. I think after seeing Ingredients, hubby wants to try lamb as well. I guess we will see.

I don't remember my friends every providing their peacock with any heated areas thru our Ohio winters. They did have a very large barn tho, and it was usually full of cows. I will definitely start looking more into peafowl websites.

 

[Jared77]

The Detroit Zoo has them running around all over. They will strut around in some of the exhibits that they can fly into and males will display in the middle of the walkways showing off. The kids chase them and they stay just out of reach. Hens will nest where they can find a safe place and its not uncommon to see a line of chicks following behind the hen like a pull toy.

When I was at the pheasant exhibit (they had some GORGEOUS Golden pheasants) I overheard someone asking about the peacocks. They said they don't do anything special for them. They originally had some in an exhibit but they didn't catch all the chicks and some escaped and could fly. Those became the foundation stock to the birds that roam the zoo. They said they don't do anything special for them and as far as the zoo's concerned those birds are on their own. They roost in the trees, eat what they can find and raise the next generation of free range peafowl inside the zoos limits.

I have to admit if I didn't have my Golden's Id have some running around the property. Let them roost in the pole barn rafters, and keep the yard clear from unwanted pests. They are beautiful and I get their appeal. But having the dogs trying to retrieve them all the time would be a recipe for trouble.