Hi,
I'm new to DG and wanted to see if any of you know anything about Peacocks? We have a small flock of 20 RIR and 4 Araconas (sp) and 2 Aracona roosters. Two week ago a Peacock all the sudden appeared in our yard. He has pretty much adopted our birds. The chickens don't like him much, once in a while he will go inside the hen house and purch up in the rafters at night. If the weather get's warmer he seems to prefere the fence. He tries to show off for the hens and they just ignore him. He looks like he's been attacked by dogs or something. Many of his tail feathers are all mangled and broken. We've asked around a bit to see if anyone lost him but so far it looks like he will be ours. We know nothing about Peacocks, just wondered what you could tell me about them?
Stray Peacock found our flock
There's a good chance that he was part of a mated pair that belonged to someone, & the female or females died.
When I lived in NY, there were a few people who kept them, & for some reason it was always the females that would pass away unexpectedly, after which the males would simply leave the premises - I'm assuming in search of female companionship. We'd frequently see the poor guys - miles away from home - perched on telephone wires. That was some sight!!
How exciting ! What a neat gift from "out of the blue". Maybe someone at DG will see your post and know where you can get him a girlie. If he was part of a pair and lost his partner, he must be terribly lonesome.
I had a trio of them once, that would go over the fence daily to wander the neighborhood, and come back at dusk. Three fenced acres wasn't enough for them. Clipped wings didn't help, since if required, they would find a low branch near the fence, get to it somehow, then go over. After awhile only two came home, then one alone. He sat in a high tree and screamed for hours for his buddies, but they never showed again. Then one day he left and didn't return either. I love to watch them, but refuse to pen them permanently, so no more for me! They like to wander to much.
But if one showed up out of the blue, I wouldn't run him off ;)
He is so beautiful. Lonesome, yes, but he stays put around our chickens. He has been roosting on the fence at night even with the temp in the teens. Guess he doesn't like sleeping where he feel unwanted. He's pretty quiet so far. I've only heard him squawk once when our cat chased him. The cat has been a bad influence on the bunny teaching him bad tricks like how to stalk the Peacock, I guess they think it's pretty funny. I'm waiting to see if he teaches her how to catch mice.
I need to do some research on Peafowl before we decide to get him a hen. So any information would be appreciated.
bad kitty!!! smart bunny!
i know of three places i have looked at buying them from, and they might help you with the info you need:
www.xtremegamebirds.com
www.guineafarm.com
oh, phooey, can't recall the other.
but a good message board to ask questions about pea fowl is:
www.guineafowl.com/board
since some of them have peafowl too!
i would LOVE to have some, and plan to get them this year or next.... sure hope you find him some mates. good luck!
tf
We have had pet peacocks for years. Right now only have one "Regis" We have bought several hens for him over the years but they always seem to leave him. The neighbors would be delighted if he left home, they just have No Appreciation for his Vocal talents. LOL.
If your visitor is a mature male he should have long tail feathers even though they are chewed up right now they will probably grow back this summer at least next fall. In the late Summer all of the tail feathers will fall out anyway and he will grow a new tail before next spring. Regis is already sporting his hew "Spring Tail".
He will also start the famous Peacock Scream at any time. Mine will scream when he hears any loud sound. The screaming will continue until late Summer when all of the tail feathers fall out. The tail feathers and the scream are part of the mating cycle. New neighbors always ask what lives on top of my hill before they get a chance to meet him. LOL
"Regis" doesn't like to be touched or petted, but he is always lurking about. When we eat out on the deck he is always at the table begging for a hand out, the grandchildren are delighted to take care of handouts.
I have seen our Peacocks display for passing flocks of wild turkeys, cats, dogs, chickens and even rose bushes in bloom. They LOVE to have a mirror to look in. (A clean car or window will work too. LOL)
Regis has slept in the same tree, on the same branch, facing the same direction for all of his life with us. At the same time every evening he will fly to the roof of the house fly to a certain limb in a near by tree, turn around and fly to a certain limb in his Sleeping tree. Then jump from limb to limb until he is in position.
They make great pets and I would miss having one around. Hope this has answered some of your questions.
Here is a picture of "Regis" having lunch on the deck.
Betty
Thanks Betty,
Now I know of someone I can ask my questions to. Last week he let out a good scream. I think he was on our roof when I looked out the window, because I couldn't see him and it sounded like it could of come from both the front yard or the back. Funny thing was, all the chickens were standing dead still. Very unusual for chickens. He must of scared the heck out of them.
If we wanted to get him a mate how would we go about doing that? He seems so lonely. Well are bunny does too. He was trying to mate with our cat the other day. Poor frustrated Betty. We are thinking of new names for him now.
If you try to find a mate I would make sure that I had a secure place to contain her for a while Maybe a few weeks. I had a pen with a top and a stall in the barn that was enclosed. We usually put ours in the barn with wire on the windows and across the doorway for the first few weeks. Just until they realize this is home. No one warned me about this when I bought my first pair. I thought they would be like all of the other barnyard creatures that we had, feed them and they will stay. NOT! I let the over $100 pair of peacocks out of the truck and they took off flying, I never saw them again. ROTFL (but not at the time. LOL)
We had a service man working on the dishwasher one time. He was flat on his belly on the kitchen floor when "Regis" who was standing on the back porch maybe 6 feet from the poor serviceman, let out one of his BIG voice screams. I have never seen a man move so quick. He thought it was me screaming. LOL Poor man, he recovered and got back on the floor. Little did we know the scream woke up the African Grey parrot in the next room and he started to talk. "Hey, keep it down in there", "Beeetttty, I need help" and so on. Finally in a voice as clear as any human he said "What is going on in there?" The poor repairman sat up and asked in a very frustrated voice "what is in that room?" I showed him the bird and he quickly finished his job. Don't you know he has laughed at his experince on my "Funny Farm"?
Edited because I can't speal or is it spele or maybe spell. LOL
This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 9:51 PM
That's a good enough story to tell Readers Digest about. Great Story. Thanks.
oh, picabo, thanks for the laugh!
Glad I could make you laugh. "August" the parrot and "Regis" have added so many good laughs to my life, it's fun to share their stories.
Betty
Oh what a great story picabo, thanks for sharing it!!!
Some day I will tell you about "Air Conditioner the Chicken" That is my kids favorite story. LOL
We have a mateless peacock named Moses who is about 5-6 years old. We have bought females for him but they all seem to have no interest in him and disappear quickly. So he and our lone guinea(a hen named Mrs. G) mate each year and usually hatch out a few of the ungliest, most stupid, meanest birds you can imagine. They remind everyone of turkey buzzards. Fortunately, except for the first year, the little ones don't seem to live very long. Mrs. G. isn't a very good mother until the babies are about a month or so old and can keep up with her. Until then I have to catch them every night and bring them inside. Once I kept them inside until they were over a month old without ever letting her see them. She could hear them tho and would walk around the house calling to them all day. At night she would go into the bird house to roost. When I finally let them outside she took over like she had always had them. Moses roosts in the bird house at night in wet or cold weather and on top of the old storage cabin in warm dry nights.
I had a friend years ago who had a guinea that would mate with a peacock. At the time I found it hard to believe, but seeing was believing. They also were the ugliest little creatures. It has been at least 30 years and I don't remember for sure but seems that the babies didn't live to mature.
what an interesteing hybrid LOL
keep these stories coming!