Wanting some peacocks - What are the negatives

[MinxFox]

Lol yeah sometimes noise can be a problem durring the breeding season. The more males you have the more noise.
My problem right now is wanting more peafowl lol that is a huge con. At first you are just happy to finally have peafowl then soon you are already thinking about when they have peachicks and then you see this other variety and decide you really like that and want that variety and then you find out there are 225 varieties of peafowl and more still in the making so you just have to look at photos of every single variety.

That is a problem! Then another problem is when you know you need to end up selling some of your peachicks but it is harder then you thought. Each one is special to you and has a name.

Are you getting an assortment of peachicks? I always thought it would be cool to get one of those assortments and just end up with all kinds of varieties. I should have done that instead of getting an adult pair for my first peafowl.

Ooh I have another con....You have to wait three years for the males to get the long train (the pretty feathers they display with).

I love peafowl <3

 

[vbgarden]

Wish you were closer to Virginia.

I'm thinking of re-homing my pair of peafowl --both very tame and delightful but we're downsizing our entire operation and if they nest, which is coming up, we'd need larger/more pen(s) and that's just not happening. I love them dearly and would love to have them somewhere with a 40x140' pen....<sigh> I have folks were are interested but the truth is that the birds would be more cramped in the pens I've seen than they are in our 18' pen. We are gradually downsizing our farm commitments and this is a big one.

They really like to hang out with you and see what you are doing... very curious, remind me more of cats than chickens. And they are, as folks have said, absolutely stunning. Do you think your area is too cold for them? We're at Virginia Beach and it's reasonably mild here compared to the heartland.

May - June they yell. No question. My surrounding farms seem very cool with it - and luckily mine aren't the only peas in the neighborhood, so that helps. The rest of the time mine only hollar if they can't find each other.

And they truly, truly do just leave visitors slack jawed. They are so shimmeringly improbable, hiking across the yard or swooping down..... dang, I will miss them when they go. ((

You can see them, over and over, on my blog: www.usefulgardens.com.
Sybil

 

[peafowlmom]

Yeah, I forget to mention that con, but I am probably in denial.

Yeah thats the only con I know of!!!!!!

 

[Fishwife]

The land we bought came with peafowl, two males and one female. Pros: Beautiful and very cool. It is something else to look out a window and see the one with the long train walking across the lawn.. Self sustaining, and free range. They know this is home, but still visit neighbors. The neighbors love it.

Cons: Prolific and indiscriminate poopers. Large poop. Free range, mine poop on everything. One of my males displays to the guinea fowl, and ignores the female. The other male and my gander fought constantly, but a con was I gathered a nice collection of feathers.. (sarcasm..) He also has pockmarked our metal chimney thingie on the roof, by constantly attacking his reflection. It looks like someone took a hammer to it.. sigh.

The gander is no longer with us, as he attacked the goose as well, and any human foolish enough to walk near the pond.

The other has attacked his reflection in the greenhouse whenever he can and has knocked himself out a time or two.

Curious to the point of obsessive.. but this can also be cool..

Anyway.. I am not sure I would have them had they not been here to begin with, but they are and that is that..

hope this helps..?

Fishwife

 

[zazouse]

 

[mykl1]

I've ordered 4 silver pied peachicks from a breeder in Wisconsin. I asked her to send some darker pied and some lighter ones. We'll see what happens.

 

[scgal]

It turns out some may be available for free near me. Besides the beauty is there an advantage to them? Are they guardians at all? (for chickens and or goats). i have 100 acres mainly forest and not near neighbors. hawks, dogs, foxes, coyote are my predators. I got an adult and pup Great Pyrenees but my female ran under a car chasing it off and got killed last week. So sad, she was sweet, and somewhat of a rescue but a great barker/guardian, now $300 investment gone as well. The pup is not barking or watching so much yet (5 mos old) not sure if he had enough time to learn it.....

I am spending more than i want on goat and chicken feed so do not want something i have to feed alot. also must be kind to visitors-i hear some are aggressive. Noise is okay for the most part, but not all night (for my sake). I also have horses, cats, goats and want pigs, sheep, ducks and cows.

So-advice appreciated.
1. is this a good investment for a watch animal? Others have suggested guineas, my GP pup was a little too rough with chickens but i hear they get better as they get older so he may yet work for that.
2. how would i pick a good match for my needs? (not aggressive to neighbors, healthy, get along with other critters)
3. what type feed? (have read some posts on this so please keep it brief what is cheap and works). they ideally will free range in hardwood forest daily (state of SC, midstate).
4. i get the idea they are valuable-is this by feather sales or eggs/young? (I don't anticipate big $$ just curious)
5. Anyone need to place a good working adult GP that can teach my pup the ropes?? (509-554-1862)

Thanks, Kathryn