Any suggestions for winning the trust of a nervous pea?

[PeafowlLover]

The little hen still won't eat from my hand. I've tried a variety of treats and she still stares blankly, not budging every time I go into their cage. I'm not sure if the hens are more difficult by nature or if she was traumatized by her precious owners during transport. Whatever the case, it is heartbreaking that my birds won't accept my love

 

[zazouse]

It is more difficult to get them to take food from you if the pen is rather small or the area you are in with her is, she has no place to go if she feels trapped so she stays away from you, if you hatched them out and they imprinted on you it would be a different story, i learned threw these pea years.

 

[casportpony]

The little hen still won't eat from my hand. I've tried a variety of treats and she still stares blankly, not budging every time I go into their cage. I'm not sure if the hens are more difficult by nature or if she was traumatized by her precious owners during transport. Whatever the case, it is heartbreaking that my birds won't accept my love

Don't take it personally, many of mine won't eat from my hand.

-Kathy

 

[new 2 pfowl]

PeafowlLover!
Just to encourage you not to give up, this is how far I've now gotten with my sweet boy Peggy, the original subject of this thread:



I know that this will sound very peculiar, but this success started with "lettuce petting."
I would feed him long leaves of romaine lettuce, and then he started letting me pet him with the lettuce, and soon he let me pet him with my hand. In case this strange approach is helpful!!!

 

[zazouse]

You know all of my peas will eat from my hand but when breeding season hit my breeding males would not even look at food in my hand and after breeding season it took a couple months for them to come back around and once again eat from my hand.. breeding season does strange things to them mentally, like they stop dust bathing, they were the first birds i have ever had a couple that got feather mites and it happened during breeding season.

Don't give up it took 7 months for some of mine to come around and i am with them every day all day most of the time.

 

[MinxFox]

They wouldn't even look at food in your hand during breeding season? That is weird...Even during breeding season if Alto sees me with treats in my hand and he is displaying, he will walk up and eat the treats from my hand while still displaying. It is really awesome watching a peacock all fanned out walk up and eat out of your hand. I wonder why your boys ignore you? The only thing different about breeding season is how Alto will distance himself from the group. He will stay away from the others and perch somewhere off to himself.

Peep is already displaying. He displayed for me twice today and then also tried to mate with my shoe. Alto witnessed Peep running after me and he ran up to Peep and made him stop.

Alto keeps Peep in line.

One of the white peahens was near Peep but he didn't really do any shaking for her. He only shakes for my shoe.

Anyways some peafowl take longer to tame than others. The hardest part is taming one, but once you have one that will eat out of your hand, then the others soon follow. Something fun to do is hold treats a little high up so that the peafowl jump for treats. I have a few peahens that love to jump for treats. Before I get my hand down low for them they are already jumping for the treats. Sometimes I have to watch out because the peacocks will snatch a whole slice of bread from me before I can break off pieces. Sometimes the peahens do seem more shy than the peacocks when it comes to taking treats, although I have one white peahen that really snatches treats. I should really make a video about feeding peafowl treats...

 

[casportpony]

PeafowlLover!
Just to encourage you not to give up, this is how far I've now gotten with my sweet boy Peggy, the original subject of this thread:



I know that this will sound very peculiar, but this success started with "lettuce petting."
I would feed him long leaves of romaine lettuce, and then he started letting me pet him with the lettuce, and soon he let me pet him with my hand. In case this strange approach is helpful!!!

The lettuce thing doesn't surprise me... Have you ever tried to catch a lizard with a long blade of grass? Maybe it's the same with peas in that they don't mind that type of organic stuff touching them.

-Kathy