chicken+peocock=peachicken?

[bobthebunny]

Hi I have 6 hens no rooster I want to get a peacock I was worried it would try to mate with my chickens. I cant get a peafowl because I don't know if you can eat their eggs and I cant hatch them or I would have to many peacocks I don't believe in culling. What should I do? Do male peacocks mate with chickens? Can you eat peacock eggs? Do I have to get a peafowl to keep the peacock company?

 

[MeepBeep]

Peacocks will showboat and flirt with chickens but they won't necessarily 'mate' with them, and yes you can eat peafowl eggs...

When I was much younger our peahens passed away leaving the peacock alone with our chickens, he was a happy camper, he would strut his stuff for the chickens all summer long but it never went past that...

 

[casportpony]

P-Dawg tries to mate with cats, dogs, chickens, shovels, towels, my feet and turkeys.

-Kathy

 

[bobthebunny]

I've heard that peafowl are horrible mothers and wont sit on their eggs is that true?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello Bob and

!!!

Don't believe what you hear - our peahens are excellent moms in every way!



It sounds like you might need some basic pea information to decide how to proceed.
Have you looked at the Peafowl Stickies? They are loaded with really helpful info!

"Sticky" Threads for the "Peafowl" forum:

• Peafowl - "Sticky" topics index

 

[zazouse]

The young peacocks here will mate with anything but the grown peacocks only mate with the hens unless they are not the alpha male then they fight with each other all breeding season.
You can't eat the peacock egg well cause they do not lay eggs as far as i know, but the peahens eggs are very good.

If you got production red hens you sure gonna be feeding them along time without getting eggs when they hit 2 years cause they can live a pretty good while after they stop layen

I had to learn how to cull cause i needed the eggs and could not afford to feed a 1000 plus chickens.

 

[zazouse]

 

[bobthebunny]

Thanks for all your helpful advice and for welcoming me.

 

[bobthebunny]

I have some more questions about peacocks such as do they perch at night on the roost do they sleep outside or do they want to sleep in the coop? Can you start a peacock farm that lives outside the coop? Can peacocks eat chicken food? Thanks again.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

From the Peafowl Stickies: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/388465/peafowl-101-basic-care-genetics-and-answers

Housing:
Adults can either be kept in pens (usually for breeding or if you really dont want to find out if your pea will stay or leave if you let it free range) or be allowed to free range. Whether or not they free range, they should have access to an indoor area where heat can be provided (especially in winter). They can have free access to ground by now. Chicken wire and wooden enclosures seems fairly typical for them. Enclosures should not be smaller than 10x20x6ft high, and it should definitely have a top. Roosts/perches should be provided and it is best for these to have flat surfaces. In the winter, a round roost will leave their toes exposed overnight and can lead to frostbite. If you are allowing a male to free range, it is a good idea to keep a female penned to increase the chance that he will return.

Food:
Adult birds can be fed gamebird maintenance crumbles/pellets. You can feed them normal chicken food but it will not have sufficient protein. We made up for this in the past by feeding them kitten hard food as a supplement/treat. If they are penned without access to dirt or pebbles, they may need supplemental grit.
Treats for adult birds can be: hardboiled eggs, melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, etc), squashes, tomatoes, greens (spinach, lettuce, etc), beans, crickets, wet cat food, pasta, rice, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries (etc), peas (har har, feeding peas to peas), cucumbers, bread (may want to moisten), peanuts, raisins, cooked meats (never raw or partially raw), grapes, corn well, you get the picture.


There is additional information about peafowl housing and roost requirements here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/394024/peafowl-102-advanced-housing-and-accessories#post_4768364