Advice on Free Range Peafowl

[Ainsley]

I live on 30 acres and over the years we've gone from two peahens and one peacock to fourteen total (four males). Much of the expansion is due to breeding, but we did buy six hens to broaden the gene pool and get the male:female ratio back in balance when we found ourselves with an equal number of males to females (I hear the optimal ratio is 3 males:1 female to prevent the males from fighting with one another).

Ours are totally free range except when chicks have just hatched, during which time we gather the chicks and put them and their mother (who follows the net with the chicks, very unhappily) in the chicken pen for safety. Our chicken pen is open on top, but hot-wired. When the chicks get big enough to fly, the mom will start to take them out for a wander, and return there at night. Eventually, she stops taking them to the pen.

When we bought the six hens (yearlings), we kept them together in a pen for about three weeks, occasionally letting one or two of the younger males wander in. The hens were in no hurry to leave their enclosure and spent quite a few days just sort of standing around in the pen, even when the door was ajar. Eventually they integrated themselves into the flock.

The peafowl never leave our property. They have a regular route that they patrol at various times of the year. They don't spend a lot of time in the woods, rather spend most of it around the barnyard and in the pasture. We have lost one or two hens to predation in ten years, but we think they have much happier lives ranging and so consider it worth the risk. We do not clip their wings and they are excellent fliers. They all roost together in two trees, except during mating season when the flock starts to disperse and everyone gets a little off-schedule.

We recently have started to see a wild turkey hen who seems to be trying to join our flock. Right now we have five chicks and two hens in the chicken pen.

 

[MinxFox]

Sounds like you have a good situation for free-ranging.

It is always interesting how some people can keep them on just an acre without them wandering that far while others have them on several acres yet they still wander off to a neighbors for a few days. Some people have even had their birds wander off to a nearby peafowl flock at someone else's house for a visit. One breeder I buy from says that if his peafowl leave the fenced in backyard they will be eaten by coyotes if they stay out of the fence too long. He is surrounded by woods and is always dealing with predators, but recently he got a dog to guard his birds so I hope that is working well for him.

I think people who want to free-range better be ready for anything as each situation is different as far as space, neighbors, etc. My best advise would be to always keep a pair of them penned up just because of what I went through with my first peafowl pair running away. I know not everyone wants to pen them, but I personally would always want to know that no matter what the free-rangers do, I would always have some in a pen that I would not have to worry about running off. Sometimes I let mine out for a bit to pick around. Someday I will free-range again, but probably not where I have my peafowl currently.

 

[zazouse]

I live on 30 acres and over the years we've gone from two peahens and one peacock to fourteen total (four males). Much of the expansion is due to breeding, but we did buy six hens to broaden the gene pool and get the male:female ratio back in balance when we found ourselves with an equal number of males to females (I hear the optimal ratio is 3 males:1 female to prevent the males from fighting with one another).

Ours are totally free range except when chicks have just hatched, during which time we gather the chicks and put them and their mother (who follows the net with the chicks, very unhappily) in the chicken pen for safety. Our chicken pen is open on top, but hot-wired. When the chicks get big enough to fly, the mom will start to take them out for a wander, and return there at night. Eventually, she stops taking them to the pen.

When we bought the six hens (yearlings), we kept them together in a pen for about three weeks, occasionally letting one or two of the younger males wander in. The hens were in no hurry to leave their enclosure and spent quite a few days just sort of standing around in the pen, even when the door was ajar. Eventually they integrated themselves into the flock.

The peafowl never leave our property. They have a regular route that they patrol at various times of the year. They don't spend a lot of time in the woods, rather spend most of it around the barnyard and in the pasture. We have lost one or two hens to predation in ten years, but we think they have much happier lives ranging and so consider it worth the risk. We do not clip their wings and they are excellent fliers. They all roost together in two trees, except during mating season when the flock starts to disperse and everyone gets a little off-schedule.

We recently have started to see a wild turkey hen who seems to be trying to join our flock. Right now we have six chicks and two hens in the chicken pen.

Free rangers here also, you must share some photos of your flock in the (show off your peas ) section of this forum we love photos here.

 

[Ainsley]

On another note, I don't think hens wander any more than peacocks -- I think it may be the other way around, actually, because I think the males will go in search of a mate during mating season if no hen is around.

We have two houses on the property, so I guess technically we do have some coming over to the "neighbor's" (my house) this time of year. I have a peacock who has been madly stalking around the catwalks outside the house for about two weeks. He keeps screaming and flying into the french doors, but doesn't seem to be hurting himself. I'll be sort of glad when mating season is over! Once the hens decide the chicks are ready, the hens and their respective broods will spend a lot of time wandering around on catwalks and sunning themselves on my porch. I wonder if it's safer here than other places they spend time when the chicks have grown because I have a non-aggressive golden retriever whose scent may scare off the coyotes and foxes, but who isn't a threat to the peafowl (who at most jump over him).

 

[Ainsley]

Thanks, Zazooze! I will share some pictures when I get a few minutes. I love your dog. Pyrenees? I used to have a Pyrenees/Golden mix. The sweetest/prettiest dog I've ever had -- I still miss her!

 

[zazouse]

Thank you , that is Annie she is 9 months old and has bonded with those peas as she was raised with them and she has wonderful teachers especially my lead dog Marty.
I worked with a golden pyrenees before her pray drive was super strong, i got her to leave the birds alone but she was never a gaurdian dog in any way.

 

[JoeCole]

Ainsley

I enjoyed reading the story about your Peas.

My oldest peahen, and sister to the mature peacock, has been absent from her 10 acre fortress for the past couple of weeks, but returns before sunset; I think she is laying eggs again. She abandoned her first nest just after a major storm which probably flooded her nesting area.

What I don't understand is that her brother now chases her any time he sees her around, I think to do her harm. A few weeks ago he chased her around every tree in my yard, this went on for over an hour.

He doesn't bother any of the other hens just her; I can't figure it out, they use to get along so well. She is always one step ahead of him and avoids his attacks, and they have acres to run around in; he'll never catch up to her, she's too quick.

I hope he mated with her when they tolerated each other several weeks back. Last year, all the eggs she laid were infertile. Will have to wait and see if these she's laying this year will hatch out; I'm crossing my fingers.

Thanks for sharing your story....JC

 

[MinxFox]

What I don't understand is that her brother now chases her any time he sees her around, I think to do her harm. A few weeks ago he chased her around every tree in my yard, this went on for over an hour.

From my experience when a peacock gets older, he wants to establish his dominance not only to other peacocks, but to peahens. When peacocks are younger they are pretty much the lowest in the pecking order, so they are picked on by peahens even. When they get older they will chase peahens to show them that they are now dominant. They might even kick at the peahen but from what I have seen it is only to establish their new higher ranking in the pecking order. Soon everything will be sorted out and the peacock will stop chasing the peahen. Since yours are siblings that is probably what it is. His sister might have been dominant over him all the way up until this point when he decided "Hey, I am the boss here and you need to know it!!"

Just keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't getting picked on too badly but she should be okay they just have to sort things out.

 

[JoeCole]

MinxFox

Thanks for your post!

Now that I think about it, she did peck at him when they were younger; she was his big sister and a big hen, bigger then the other two hen and she dominates over both younger hens and the two young 1 year old peacocks. Now I know one more thing about peas.


Thanks again for sharing, much appreciated.....JC...

 

[MinxFox]

Yep sounds like my peahen Ice. She is larger than the other peahens and she has always given young peacocks a tough time. When the peacocks grow up she is always the first or only peahen that they chase. Someone got back at her when she was nesting one year by pecking off her crest while she was on the nest!