Pictures from wild green peacock in Northern Thailand and Java

[kuntrygirl]

Just looking at all of the peas in the movies, it makes me wonder what do they eat in the wild to stay alive. We as pea owners have to make sure our peas have the right feed with the right protein and the right snacks. And then you look at them and wonder how they survive in the wild. I guess they eat a lot of grass, tree leaves, bugs, nuts, fruits, etc. I wonder if they get the same illnesses as our peas get. You think they get respiratory problems, blackhead, etc? I know they can't get medical care in the wild, so I guess they just die.

 

[Pfauenfreund]

In all these countries they find a lot of insects, fruits etc. the whole year. The original nature habitats are valleys with rivers and greens etc.
But the problems are the human population and the agriculture they take over these areas and then the peafowl disappear or have to go into the mountains. There they don’t have water or find enough to eat and the rest you know.
In the nature they have less health problems then in our aviaries. There is already a strong selection when they are chicks. The hens start to walk long distances from the first day and if a chick is not strong enough it cannot follow.
Compared to our aviaries, in the nature they don’t have the problems that all the pathogens will or can cumulate in the ground, due to the large area

 

[kuntrygirl]

In all these countries they find a lot of insects, fruits etc. the whole year. The original nature habitats are valleys with rivers and greens etc.
But the problems are the human population and the agriculture they take over these areas and then the peafowl disappear or have to go into the mountains. There they don’t have water or find enough to eat and the rest you know.
In the nature they have less health problems then in our aviaries. There is already a strong selection when they are chicks. The hens start to walk long distances from the first day and if a chick is not strong enough it cannot follow.
Compared to our aviaries, in the nature they don’t have the problems that all the pathogens will or can cumulate in the ground, due to the large area

Yea, that makes sense. Thanks for breaking it down. Really makes you think. :/

 

[zazouse]

I have woods on my place and ponds my birds forage for bugs,grubs (none of them like worms) and they eat fish,grass shrimp,frogs and duckweed just to name a few, they have lots to forage for even in the winter, heck my sunflowers are blooming and my tomato's still haven't got enough frost to kill them yet, shame they ain't making tomatos anymore

My birds could survive on their own but i do not want them to know that so i spoil them with fresh and cooked foods starting at a very early age.

 

[MinxFox]

Yes in nature when the peahens get a large selection of peacocks to mate with, they choose the healthiest peacock and all of this breeding with only the best males makes for strong peachicks. It is different in in an aviary. A lot of times the peahen only has one peacock to chose from so that is of course who she will mate with. It is less of the peahen who gets to choose her mate and more of who we would like to pair her with. It is interesting to see free range peacocks display and watch the peahens walk from peacock to peacock looking at all of them to decide who she likes the most. Even a pet peafowl could be let out and survive off of only things outside without any help from people because peafowl just have a natural instinct of what they can eat. My peacock Peep wanted to be let out of the aviary today so I let him out and he started eating some weeds. Peep taught me what kinds of weeds peafowl really love. When I was raising him I watched what he liked to eat and now I pick lots of weeds for the peafowl and they go crazy over them. I often wonder if you had several free range peafowl if you would have less weeds. They also scratch through leaves to find bugs, I have seen them eat ants before (recently one of the peachicks was eating ant eggs), lizzards, bees, beetles, worms, berries, etc. They are really good at catching bugs and it is fun watching them run after a bug. I catch grasshoppers for my peafowl and normally I give grasshoppers to the peahens because they then give that to their peachick.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have woods on my place and ponds my birds forage for bugs,grubs (none of them like worms) and they eat fish,grass shrimp,frogs and duckweed just to name a few, they have lots to forage for even in the winter, heck my sunflowers are blooming and my tomato's still haven't got enough frost to kill them yet, shame they ain't making tomatos anymore

My birds could survive on their own but i do not want them to know that so i spoil them with fresh and cooked foods starting at a very early age.

They are so lucky over there.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yes in nature when the peahens get a large selection of peacocks to mate with, they choose the healthiest peacock and all of this breeding with only the best males makes for strong peachicks. It is different in in an aviary. A lot of times the peahen only has one peacock to chose from so that is of course who she will mate with. It is less of the peahen who gets to choose her mate and more of who we would like to pair her with. It is interesting to see free range peacocks display and watch the peahens walk from peacock to peacock looking at all of them to decide who she likes the most. Even a pet peafowl could be let out and survive off of only things outside without any help from people because peafowl just have a natural instinct of what they can eat. My peacock Peep wanted to be let out of the aviary today so I let him out and he started eating some weeds. Peep taught me what kinds of weeds peafowl really love. When I was raising him I watched what he liked to eat and now I pick lots of weeds for the peafowl and they go crazy over them. I often wonder if you had several free range peafowl if you would have less weeds. They also scratch through leaves to find bugs, I have seen them eat ants before (recently one of the peachicks was eating ant eggs), lizzards, bees, beetles, worms, berries, etc. They are really good at catching bugs and it is fun watching them run after a bug. I catch grasshoppers for my peafowl and normally I give grasshoppers to the peahens because they then give that to their peachick. 

Good information. I bet it's fascinating to watch a pea hen chose her mate based on his attributes. So cool!

Good that you know what your peas like.

 

[destinduck]

I agree. Sometimes I wish I could let my boy out to roam with me. I was just curious if it is legal. I know most people dont care anyhow around here. If I have babies one day I might find out.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I agree. Sometimes I wish I could let my boy out to roam with me. I was just curious if it is legal. I know most people dont care anyhow around here. If I have babies one day I might find out.

I let my white pea out to roam. The only bad thing is is that I have to be out there with him and watch his every move. If not, he will wander off (like he has done 2 times already) and go to the neighbor's house (1/4 mile away). I know they don't mind but sometimes there are strays dogs around and I would hate for them to kill him. The other thing that I worry about letting my younger peas out is that they are too tame and they are not afraid of people. My white pea wandered off last weekend and ended up on the neighbor's van. Their grand kids were able to walk right up to him and pick him up. He wasn't afraid and he didn't fight with them. He just went peacefully. They were able to tote him home with no problems. So, if they can catch him that easily, then I know anyone else can do the same thing and steal him. :/

 

[zazouse]

Did you get him allready growed up or did you raise him up there?