You could write a whole book on peafowl nutrition and diet but here are some bulleted points so this post doesn't turn into a novel
- Unless a pelleted/crumble diet is custom formulated for you said crumbles are woefully inadequate for peafowl when fed alone. These feeds are designed for birds that are probably only going to live a year or two at most. Peafowl can live for decades with good care.
- Be wary when someone uses the words "my birds are fine" or "have had no problems" . If they say that ask them how old their oldest bird is if it's younger than a decade I would not take that advice.
- In the wild peafowl feed mainly on lean grains, bugs, small reptiles and mammals, fruits, and greens. The feeds we get are often mostly soy based which is bad for the birds because it makes them fat and slow.
- My personal feed mix is a sort of trail mix of gamebird pellets, large breed puppy kibble (for it's animal protein and veggie micronutrients), Farmers Helper Ultrakibble supplement (great stuff designed specifically for ornamental pheasants and peafowl), a scoop or so of racing pigeon grains, Black oil sunflower seeds (lots of healthy fats and good for feather luster), Thawed pinky mice on occasion for red meat/iron, and whatever leafy greens we decide we don't want in the kitchen as a treat.
- Things not to feed: Dairy products of any kind, cracked corn, scratch grain, chicken layer pellets/crumble, avocado products, onion products, and earthworms/nightcrawlers.
- Good treats for enrichment and snacks: Grapes, corn on the cob, any kind of melon, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, romaine lettuce, collard greens, mealworms, kale, and many others.
- Unless a pelleted/crumble diet is custom formulated for you said crumbles are woefully inadequate for peafowl when fed alone. These feeds are designed for birds that are probably only going to live a year or two at most. Peafowl can live for decades with good care.
- Be wary when someone uses the words "my birds are fine" or "have had no problems" . If they say that ask them how old their oldest bird is if it's younger than a decade I would not take that advice.
- In the wild peafowl feed mainly on lean grains, bugs, small reptiles and mammals, fruits, and greens. The feeds we get are often mostly soy based which is bad for the birds because it makes them fat and slow.
- My personal feed mix is a sort of trail mix of gamebird pellets, large breed puppy kibble (for it's animal protein and veggie micronutrients), Farmers Helper Ultrakibble supplement (great stuff designed specifically for ornamental pheasants and peafowl), a scoop or so of racing pigeon grains, Black oil sunflower seeds (lots of healthy fats and good for feather luster), Thawed pinky mice on occasion for red meat/iron, and whatever leafy greens we decide we don't want in the kitchen as a treat.
- Things not to feed: Dairy products of any kind, cracked corn, scratch grain, chicken layer pellets/crumble, avocado products, onion products, and earthworms/nightcrawlers.
- Good treats for enrichment and snacks: Grapes, corn on the cob, any kind of melon, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, romaine lettuce, collard greens, mealworms, kale, and many others.
