Breaking up the family??

[old biddy]

I have a peahen with three 6 month old peachicks. They have never been separated before. Now that it is nearing breeding season I had planned to move the chicks to a newly built peafowl house and large fenced in yard area covered in bird netting. I planned to keep the peahen in her present pen where she will breed with my peacock.

Now I am second guessing myself and wondering if I should just move all the peafowl, chicks and peahen and peacock into the new area together so there is less trauma of separation for "the family."
Is that a good idea or am I just asking for trouble?

Any suggestions out there???

 

[Midnightman14]

Move the chicks out. They have no real bonds with their mother once they get to that age since they are independent.

 

[old biddy]

Move the chicks out. They have no real bonds with their mother once they get to that age since they are independent.

I wondered about whether they still had bonds with each other. I let the mother out of the pen several times over the past two weeks and both she and her offspring kept calling to each other in distress until I let the mother back into the pen which makes me think they do have bonds with each other. Are you absolutely sure? Am I imagining this?

 

[Midnightman14]

They do that whenever one of them wander's off. It's a way to keep in touch when feeding. They don't bond like parrots do though I mix and match my flock all the time without issues.

 

[old biddy]

Thanks, Midnightman14.

Well, this is day two of having my three 6 month old peachicks in my new aviary. The original drama of separation with their mother has subsided and the mom roosted in the trees last night with my peacock. Today she isn't even hanging out at the pen but is relaxing at the back door of my cabin in a spot of sun - the way she used to do before she became a mama.

The chicks share the new pen and "pea house" with my three 9 month old peachicks. I introduced all of them at night so they would wake up in their new digs together. So far each group stays pretty much separate from the other, though one of my 9 month old hens is a bit of a bully with the younger ones. But no actual fighting or bloodshed so I guess that is good. I am assuming that, like chickens, they need some time to establish their pecking order. I will keep an eye on them, though.