Blackshoulder

[thndrdancr]

I worry about how safe your pen is for him though. I have been lucky, I haven't had a pea leave but I always had them around after the first 2, so maybe that's why the new ones stuck around.
I have let them out before right away and I have penned them for a couple weeks or more, depending...

I guess I did have an exception, I lost my beautiful silver pied when we first moved and my boy lost his way, so they can get disoriented badly in a new spot. He just went for a walk and couldn't find his way back home.

Can he roost in that pen and is it safe from coons and such?

Good luck!

 

[Dany12]

3 years old ... are you sure ? ... look younger !

 

[DylansMom]

I worry about how safe your pen is for him though. I have been lucky, I haven't had a pea leave but I always had them around after the first 2, so maybe that's why the new ones stuck around.
I have let them out before right away and I have penned them for a couple weeks or more, depending...

I guess I did have an exception, I lost my beautiful silver pied when we first moved and my boy lost his way, so they can get disoriented badly in a new spot. He just went for a walk and couldn't find his way back home.

Can he roost in that pen and is it safe from coons and such?

Good luck!

You have been very lucky! Every year at least one person, usually a couple people, tell me how they got their first Peacocks and turned them loose after a day or 2 and they stuck around for a day or 2 and then they never saw them again. I would never turn loose a new Pea until it's been penned for 3 months minimum. Gives them time to get used to the dogs, and cats, the big noisy farm tractors and combines, the neighbor's horses and cows, school bus, garbage truck, and all the other big scary things that can spook them and send them flying away into the sunset. JMO

 

[thndrdancr]

There is that and now I do quarantine. Back then I didn't know better, but I did know about penning. What happened was the first girls I bought were wild/feral. They flung themselves against the cages so badly while getting them home they tore their breasts up. I made the decision to let them out, as I was afraid stress of penning a totally wild bird would kill them. These birds had belonged to a flock that free ranged along a river and came up to warily feed in the lady that "owned" them field whenever they couldnt find sufficient food, so basically no interaction with humans, born wild, never used human shelter/structures, etc.

I must say they made the transition well! The next one escaped the first day by accident.

Lol. Usually series of accidents as to why they were let out right away but yea, been lucky. I did pen my silver pied but let HIM out when he got sinus infection due to cleaning coop next to his pen. He was so wary but stuck around a 1/2 mile away or so for the longest time, assessing whether he wanted to stick around. I sure miss him.
I had high hopes of him making it and maybe just someone finding him and penning him up. He had been totally free range thru two country homes thru 9 years of his life, was super wary. I never found evidence of his demise and I looked for days on end. Here is hoping he is out there making someone else smile.

 

[peacock12]

Thndrdancr I got him sat and let him out free Monday morning and he took off running I didn't see him all day I tho he got lost I was really sad then when I wook up next morning ..I went to my window to look for him and there he was walking with the other one I was soooo happy to see him come back and reay surprised too

 

[peacock12]

And yes I put a piece of wood in there and he roost right on it ..and yes I think he was safe from coons and I don't know if he is 3 years old but that what he told me the guy who sold it to me :0

 

[MinxFox]

Well it is always your decision how long to keep a new bird penned.

For anyone reading this, I agree that keeping the new peafowl penned for at least 3 months is a very safe idea. I kept my first pair penned for 1 month and once I let them out they ran away after a month. I found the peahen in a neighborhood but couldn't find the peacock he was too fast.

peacock12 has been very lucky and this sort of thing does not always happen. So just a warning to anyone looking into free-ranging that you can't always turn them lose a few days after you get them and expect them to stay.

 

[DylansMom]

Well it is always your decision how long to keep a new bird penned.

For anyone reading this, I agree that keeping the new peafowl penned for at least 3 months is a very safe idea. I kept my first pair penned for 1 month and once I let them out they ran away after a month. I found the peahen in a neighborhood but couldn't find the peacock he was too fast.

peacock12 has been very lucky and this sort of thing does not always happen. So just a warning to anyone looking into free-ranging that you can't always turn them lose a few days after you get them and expect them to stay.

X2, I sincerely hope he sticks around, they don't always fare very well on their own.

 

[peacock12]

Minxfox I had him penned for 2 days and he is still afraid of cooming really close to the house but his getting better he is now just walking around the house and he doesn't sleep with the other ones yet he is sleeping in a tree really close to the house ..
I got my peahen I think 2 years ago and I kept her penned for a couple days and let her free too and she did the same thing the male did and she still here :

 

[peacock12]

Thanks dylansmom and I hope he stays too which I'm sure he will ..he will have the best home here /)/ that's for sure