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If you purchase adult peafowl get them already socialized to humans. It takes a lot of time and effort to tame them down to feed them from your hand. If you raise them from chicks they are quite easy to make friendly like chickens. I keep mine in the house in a brooder for a couple weeks where I can visit with them often. I put food in my hand and they will even get on my hand to eat it. What they really love is "wet food", LOL!!! I'll put a little water on the food in my hand and say "WET FOOD".....they come running for it. If you offer them food from your hand and visit with them as they grow, they will be plenty friendly as they mature. I have a high percentage Spalding female, 7 months old that will jump up in my lap if sitting in a chair, let me pet her and go to sleep. Her 2 brothers will get in my lap but don't want to be touched. If you want to hold them you need to start doing it when they are little and continue. I haven't taken the time to do that but intend to. My girl flew from on top of a pen after free ranging all day onto my arm so I could put her in the pen for the night. They are free ranging with the older birds days but I still feel better putting the 3 of them in nights for now.
Regarding not being able to keep them with chickens. It's my understanding chickens have diseases peafowl can't tolerate especially when young. I feed my peachicks medicated feed and don't even have chickens but the diseases can come from wild birds too. I've read the peachicks should be kept in a pen in the chicken yard where they will build an amunity to the chicken diseases. I know lots of people that have chickens and peafowl. In fact, I don't know anyone like myself that just has peafowl. I just bought a year old Java peahen from a man that has all kinds of healthy peafowl and chickens running about on his farm. If you purchase grown birds ask the seller if he/she has chickens. If they do most likely the peafowl you're purchasing will be fine. If not, you need to keep them in a pen for a few months anyway so they'll know where they live. During that time the chickens will be on and beside the pen giving the peas time to build up their ammune system to chicken diseases. The above is the way I understand it, if someone has different information please share it with us.
You say you so enjoy your chickens. I do my peafowl. There is never a dull moment and they are so funny at times. A quick story is the friendly Spalding girl I have. In the pen she and her brothers have learned from the 2 adjoining pens to watch above for predator hawks, etc; They will all turn their head sideways looking up and put out this sound warning of danger above. I had only been turning the 3 loose for a few days when she was making that noise and moved beneath some cedar limbs hanging low. I looked up, didn't see any hawks or ??? but did see a couple large butterflies above her. I liked to died laughing. She remained defensive until they flew away. My gosh they are so precious and innocent. I so love my peafowl and adore the babies I raise.
Regarding not being able to keep them with chickens. It's my understanding chickens have diseases peafowl can't tolerate especially when young. I feed my peachicks medicated feed and don't even have chickens but the diseases can come from wild birds too. I've read the peachicks should be kept in a pen in the chicken yard where they will build an amunity to the chicken diseases. I know lots of people that have chickens and peafowl. In fact, I don't know anyone like myself that just has peafowl. I just bought a year old Java peahen from a man that has all kinds of healthy peafowl and chickens running about on his farm. If you purchase grown birds ask the seller if he/she has chickens. If they do most likely the peafowl you're purchasing will be fine. If not, you need to keep them in a pen for a few months anyway so they'll know where they live. During that time the chickens will be on and beside the pen giving the peas time to build up their ammune system to chicken diseases. The above is the way I understand it, if someone has different information please share it with us.
You say you so enjoy your chickens. I do my peafowl. There is never a dull moment and they are so funny at times. A quick story is the friendly Spalding girl I have. In the pen she and her brothers have learned from the 2 adjoining pens to watch above for predator hawks, etc; They will all turn their head sideways looking up and put out this sound warning of danger above. I had only been turning the 3 loose for a few days when she was making that noise and moved beneath some cedar limbs hanging low. I looked up, didn't see any hawks or ??? but did see a couple large butterflies above her. I liked to died laughing. She remained defensive until they flew away. My gosh they are so precious and innocent. I so love my peafowl and adore the babies I raise.
